Stylish DIY Dog Crate Ideas
You don't have to settle for ugly, metal dog crates! You can build a beautiful and stylish DIY dog crate that will blend in seamlessly with your furniture and decor. We recently built our own DIY dog crates that look like furniture for our two dogs. As we were trying to decide on the design for our own crates, I did a ton of research and found some incredible dog crate ideas and I'm sharing my favorites in this post.
Whether you're aiming for a rustic wooden crate that doubles as a side table or a modern wooden crate that complements your mid-century or Scandinavian aesthetic, there is a DIY dog crate idea that will work for you! Get ready to be inspired by these innovative ways to integrate a dog crate seamlessly into your home decor.
And if you love the look of some of these DIY dog crates but don't have the time to tackle a big project right now, I've also included some beautiful dog crates you can buy at the end of this post.
Before I share my 15 favorite DIY dog kennel projects, let's address the elephant in the room since I'm sure I'll get some nasty comments from people who think dog crates are cruel on this post… We personally believe that crates are incredibly beneficial for dogs. Of course, crates can help keep little puppies safe those moments when you can't keep an eye on them and help potty train them when they are young. But we believe in crates even for fully mature/grown dogs, too!
Remember, dogs are den animals! Crates provide dogs with a safe and secure space that mimics a den-like environment. They offer a sanctuary where dogs can retreat when they feel overwhelmed, anxious, or simply need a quiet place to relax. Every dog we have ever had has loved/loves their crate and rests in them often even with the door wide open even when they have comfy dog beds elsewhere in our home that they could choose to lay on. So though our dogs are rarely in their crates with the doors closed, we plan to make sure they have crates their entire lives because they find them so cozy and comforting.
15 Incredible DIY Dog Crate Projects
How to Make a DIY Dog Crate that Looks Like Furniture
I was finally sick of the ugly metal dog crates in our bedroom. So, we built custom DIY wooden dog crates that look like furniture. We love so many of the popular arched cabinets that seem to be everywhere right now, so we decided to include an arched detail on the door and panel of our crates. Now they are a beautiful focal point in our bedroom instead of an eyesore!
DIY Dog Crate Sofa Table
This pretty wooden dog crate looks like a pretty piece of furniture that sits behind the sofa in this family room. In fact, it replaced their basic sofa table. I love that it serves double duty! It's perfect for their large breed dog AND still serves as a practical sofa table.
Versatile Open and Closed Design
This versatile built in dog crate is as brilliant as it is beautiful. The doors that life up and and slide out of the way are a great way to offer an entirely open space for your dogs to rest in whenever they want, but that can still be closed when needed. If you have a dog that loves their crate as much as our dogs always have, this may be the perfect design for them!
Turn an Existing Dog Crate into a Table
If you love the idea of making your existing steel or metal dog crate prettier without having to build something from scratch, this is a great option! By adding a wood frame and then installing curtains using simple and inexpensive tension rods, this basic dog crate is now a beautiful table!
Dog Crate Incorporated into Built-In Cabinets
It's hard to fully appreciate this INCREDIBLE project with just this one photo. This DIY dog crate is integrated into an entire wall of built-in cabinetry and is stunning. I love the wallpaper backer. But what isn't obvious in this photo is that there is also a doggy door to the outside behind the cabinet door on the far right. How cool is that?! If you are planning a wall of built-in bookcases or cabinets and have a dog, consider including a built-in dog crate!
DIY Dog Crate Cabinet
This custom black and white wooden dog crate was built to fit underneath a laundry room countertop so that it looks built-in. Such a great use of space!
Modern Dog Crate Made with Wood and Copper Pipe
If you are looking for a DIY dog crate with a modern aesthetic, look no further. I love the simple, clean lines of the wood frame combined with the copper pipe! It's so chic and stylish.
Mid-Century Modern Dog Crate
I can't get over how gorgeous these mid-century modern dog crates are! This is a perfect option for anyone looking for a dog crate that will blend into a mid-century or Scandinavian aesthetic.
Wood Dog Crate that Doubles as Laundry Folding Station
This custom wooden dog kennel was built for a 700 sq ft apartment that needed to use all its space efficiently. I love how it is built into the laundry room so that it doubles as a dog crate AND laundry folding table. And the floating shelves offer smart storage to keep the table top clear from clutter. Such a smart use of space!
DIY Dog Crate from a Baby Crib
Y'all, this is just GENIUS! This beautiful dog crate was made using an affordable IKEA baby crib. It does still require some building and DIY skills, but it is a bit less overwhelming than completely starting from scratch! So it's a great beginner-friendly option.
Beautiful Built-in Dog Crate
I can't find a tutorial for this one, or even the original source, but I fell in love with this image when I saw it on Pinterest! And I do believe it would be pretty easy to figure out how to build in your own home. This set up would be perfect in a mudroom or laundry room. It looks like they used decorative aluminum sheeting in the doors, which is so pretty!
Wood Dog Crate with Unique Sliding Design
This is definitely the most creative DIY dog crate design I came across. Instead of having a traditional door that swings open and closed, the entire slatted portion of the crate slides open and closed. Whether it's open or closed, it looks like a beautiful and modern table.
DIY Dog Crate from IKEA Hol Storage Table
It's no secret that I love a good IKEA hack and this is such a good one! This DIYer assembled her IKEA Hol bench but left one end off. Then she attached that end with hinges to create a door and added a simple hook and eye latch to keep it closed. The result is a cozy dog crate that just looks like a stylish, wooden table.
Laundry Room Dog Crate
A laundry room can be a great place for a dog crate if you have the space for it. And building the crate(s) into the void below the countertop is such a great way to optimize the space. Though there's not a full tutorial for this one, you can pretty easily see how it is constructed and that the door latches are inset into the tile floor, which is a really cool touch.
IKEA Malm Hack Dog Crate
Last but certainly not least, this beautiful and modern wooden dog crate was created by hacking an IKEA Malm dresser! It was such a creative way to repurpose a piece of furniture that was no longer needed. And adding those beautiful peel and stick tiles on the inside not only makes this pretty create even more stylish, it will also make it incredibly easy to clean and wipe down. Absolutely brilliant!
Stylish Dog Crates You Can Buy
I hope you are feeling inspired by these incredible DIY dog crate ideas and will build one for your pup(s) soon! But if you are in a season of life where you are extra busy and just don't have the time or energy to build a dog crate yourself right now, I have also found some beautiful dog crates you can buy. I've tried to include dog crates at every price point–some are quite expensive, but others are surprisingly affordable.
Scroll and click on any image below for full product details
That's it for now! If you've seen other stylish dog crate ideas that I didn't include, let me know what they are so I can add them :)
PS- I get asked a lot about how we keep our house so clean with a giant/hairy Bernese Mountain Dog and a Golden Retriever! If you are curious, be sure to check out my post all about how to keep your house clean with dogs.
More DIY Furniture Posts
Wondering how I approach transforming rooms and spaces in our home? Check out Designer in a Binder®.
And if you want exclusive content and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, be sure to subscribe before you head out!
