Part of the joy of having a dog as a pet is being able to craft all sorts of cool and beautiful things for them, such as toys, comfortable beds or lovely little houses. Dog crates are the type of DIY project that just about anyone can do and there’s a ton of different designs and styles to choose from. In case you need some inspiration, here are some of our favorites:
This is a very simple type of dog crate, with a flat top and bottom, horizontal slats on three sides and a door that opens in the front. To make it you need some lumber, plywood, wood stain, a bunch of screws, wood glue and filler and also hinges for the front door. There are lots of ways in which you can customize it. Check out the plans on myoutdoorplans.
If you want to make a temporary crate for a puppy in training or if there’s some other reason you don’t find it necessary to build something super strong and fancy, one option is to use welded wire panels for all the sides, the door and the top. For the bottom section you can use a piece of wood or plywood. It will end up looking like a very simple and basic cage so perhaps you could decorate it a little bit and make more cozy for your pet by adding a blanket or some pillows. Check out the tutorial featured on cuteness for more details.
If you happen to have an old crib that you don’t longer need, repurposing it into a dog crate would be pretty easy. In the example shown on myrepurposedlife the crib used is made of solid wood which makes the crate extra sturdy and also gives it a nice and solid look. A really cool detail of this design is the double door combo which allows this crate to also function as a lovely dog house or a comfortable bed. There are also casters installed at the bottom which make it easy to move the crate around.
The very basic dog crates made of metal wire, while they are practical and functional, don’t really look great. It would be nice to make your dog’s crate look a bit more inviting and comfortable. The makeover can add new features like a wooden frame for a more sturdy and robust look, some fabric curtains for a bit of warmth and texture and maybe even some new and more comfortable pillows or a soft blanket. Check out snazzylittlethings if you need some inspiration.
Since a dog crate is quite big, it might be cool to design yours in such a way so it doubles as something else. For instance, you could give it a flat top and make it look like a small accent cabinet. Similarly, a dog crate can also double as an end table. If you’re building the crate out of wood that’s actually an easy task. Let this tutorial from ana-white inspire you.
Every dog crate needs a door and there are lots of different types and styles to choose from, some more interesting than others. This little barn door featured on shanty-2-chic is one of our favorites. It adds a lot of character to the entire design and it’s not difficult to install. In fact, this entire project is fairly simple once you get all the details sorted out.
Here’s another lovely example of a dog crate that doubles as a functional piece of furniture. It has a simple design and building something similar is quite easy. It’s just a matter of giving the crate a frame and a top that allow it to better blend in and look more natural among the rest of the furniture in the room. Check out popsugar if you want to find out more about this particular project.
If you’re the type of person who enjoys having their pets sleeping in their bedroom at night, there’s a really cool way to incorporate a dog crate into this space. The crate can be disguised as a bench at the foot of the bed which would be perfect. Many dogs actually like to sleep at the foot of the bed anyway so this combo makes perfect sense. Follow @grayworksdesignhv for more cool ideas like this one.
If you’re short on space, building dog crates that double as furniture pieces makes a lot of sense. In addition to all the other ideas we mentioned earlier, there one more we’d like to share with you. This is a design shared by @jenmagee_ and it’s a really clever one. It’s a double doggie crate with a concrete slab on top and it also functions as a console table for TV.
Instead of trying to make the dog crate look more like a piece of furniture, a different approach you can take is to repurpose an actual furniture piece into a lovely and comfy little space for your dog or dogs. For example, you might have an old cabinet that you can transform. A few changes and modifications and it could be turned into a dog crate with extra storage for toys, food and other things. This video tutorial is a perfect example. Check it out on youtube.