Say Goodbye To The Dog Kennel Eyesore With 8 Solutions That Blend Into Your Home

You're crazy about your dog, but there's a problem: that ugly traditional wire dog kennel. Where to put it to avoid spoiling your home's aesthetic? You could hide it in your basement or garage, but your dog is part of the family, and you want your canine close by. It's time to bid a not-so-fond farewell to this dog kennel eyesore and integrate crating into your home's decor. 

You'll find a wide variety of both DIY kennels and units for purchase that serve double duty as functional furniture pieces, including console table kennels, side tables, and clever kitchen islands. The growing dog-kennel market has transformed to include integration of kennel designs into home decor. Many are designed for two and even three dogs. Some designs come from woodworkers, offering an artisan look. If you want to take the DIY route, you'll find numerous building plans online. You'll want a kennel size that accommodates your dog in multiple positions — lying down, sitting, standing, and turning around. You can make your home more dog-friendly with doggy sleeping quarters that blend right into your home.

Finding a piece you can repurpose into an attractive kennel that blends into your home is a big advantage for your wallet. Plus, it provides a major head-start if carpentry is not your strong suit. You could start, for example, with a kitchen or bathroom sink base cabinet, which is likely large enough for one medium or two small doggies. Cut out the door panels and install hardware cloth so your dogs can breathe and see out. Another example of repurposing furniture is to seamlessly disguise your dog crate with a genius IKEA dresser hack.

A DIY or purchased console-table design works well for more than one dog, and the better your skills are, the more luxury and convenience you can build into your kennel. You could add, for example, pull out drawers with dog dishes so you can easily refill food and water. Consider adding storage drawers, too, perhaps using them for dog supplies, like leashes, medication, toys, and treats. An attractive top for the unit can complement the decor items you place on it. Consider painting the console-table kennel to suit the room.

What better way to keep an eye on your dogs than to house them in kennels that are part of an entertainment center? You can purchase, build, or repurpose an entertainment center, placing a couple of kennels where bottom cabinets would normally be. Barn-style sliding doors are still trending and would be a fun touch on the kennels. Drawers can hold both dog supplies and entertainment must-haves, like remote controls. Consider carving out a space for other electronics, such as a DVR or game console.

There's a budget-friendly and skills-friendly simple option for dealing with the kennel eyesore: Improve the looks of the traditional wire kennel by constructing a frame with a top that slides right over it. You can customize the frame nicely with your choice of material for the top piece and color for the frame. A similar solution that's even easier on the wallet and requires no construction is one woman's smart solution that takes a dog crate from an eyesore to enviable: creating a decor-matching fabric cover.

A smart approach to losing the kennel-eyesore look is to consider what you really need in a furniture piece. With U.S. homeowners so storage-needy that a third of them are using self-storage units, the answer is often more space to store possessions. A DIY kennel that adds a few more drawers and surface area on top can be just the ticket for adding needed storage. As with most options here, customize a kennel-storage piece to your heart's content so the piece complements its surroundings.

A furniture piece that cries out for the kennel treatment is the side table next to living-room seating; it's the perfect-sized space for many dogs and their kennels, and it's totally customizable. The top piece makes a handy surface to set down beverages. Include a drawer between the top and the crate portion for a bit of extra storage. Your dog will likely enjoy being crated where the action is as the family gathers in the living room. 

As we've seen, you can build or buy kennels for two or three dogs, but another approach is to build modular units for individual dogs that can be arranged various ways. Kennels built as furniture pieces can be placed in different locations or pushed together to form what looks like a single unit. Use the units to create a built-in look by sliding them under a countertop. The modular units give you flexibility if you change your mind about placement, or in the sad event you no longer have one of your dogs.

As the heart of the home, the kitchen is a choice spot for your doggos. You can create a budget-friendly DIY kennel using traditional wire kennels as a base, which slips under an overhanging countertop on a kitchen island. This approach can also be renter-friendly since the kennel unit is not attached to anything and can be removed. For canine privacy and sleep, as well as aesthetics when the pups aren't crated, consider hanging curtains from a dowel that spans the width of the kennel unit.