Tips for Creating a Cute Dog-Friendly Apartment

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Jaimie Meredith Aug 21, 2019 0 comments

design inspo for a cute dog friendly home

teal 450 size collapsible impact dog crate diy storage in bedroom

Sometimes owning a dog means sacrificing your tidy home to muddy paws, infinite dog hair, and trails of toy stuffing. Another challenge is arranging large dog crates and beds in a room without taking up too much valuable space. Fortunately, we've come across a creative dog mom, Erica, shared a few of her genius DIY hacks to make your home functional- and cute!

Erica recently invited Refinery29's "Sweet Digs" crew to take a tour of her Dallas apartment. In her tour (video below), she reveals a few of her favorite DIY projects, including a floor-to-ceiling bookcase and handmade wall art. Our favorite feature is this multipurpose bed designed to accommodate her Belgian Malinois' Collapsible Impact Dog Crate.

belgian malinois laying on custom bed in cute room

Deacon loves sharing a bunkbed with his favorite human 😍

**In Erica's interview with Refinery29, she describes why she built her own space-saving bed frame.**

"I wanted to find something online, but there just wasn't anything. The only thing I could find was either super expensive or for a smaller dog, and they would all be custom-made. I was like, I don't have that capability. I have power tools and nothing else. So I found on Ikea Hackers someone who used Malm storage units for a kid's bed, and I thought, Oh, I can use Malm on the outside and Kallax on the inside. And then I put standard wooden bed slats on top, and I can pull the crate in and out to get the storage. The only thing I needed to do was make sure they were all anchored well. The whole thing took me two hours." - (source: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/sweet-digs-one-bedroom-studio-dallas-texas-apartment-video-tour )

DOG-I-Y // How to Build This Bed:

"How I made the bed: 1 large Malm dresser, 4 small Kallax units, mount units to each other/ the wall. with 1/8” plywood under kallax (or thick felt furniture feet) to make up slight height difference. Add slats on top, then full sized mattress. I ended up adding Velcro to the slats to hold the mattress in place, and a push-button light inside so I can see in the dark. Also, furniture sliders under the crate for easy movement/access to interior shelves, and a fan mounted under the desk on the opposite wall so the pup doesn’t get overheated. We’re really happy with our setup (and all the storage we have in such a small footprint!)" - @el_massey

Click to see this DIY project and more photos.

interior design with teal collapsible impact dog crate under bed

No matter how you decorate your home, your doggo will most likely love to lay on that cozy rug or sit on your new patio table. Our tip for compromising with your pups on a dog-friendly and adorable house is to choose where you want to spend time and money on the aesthetics of your place.

You can start by choosing wall decor. It's a fun opportunity to personalize your rooms and these pieces are usually difficult for pups to reach. We've also saved some creative ideas on our Pinterest for more inspo!

Who says dog crates have to be boring? Not us. The Collapsible crate's sleek design adapts to all types of travel, including airline transportation. Not only does it conveniently fold down for storage, but the modern colors look good

More about this crate: size 450 (X-Large) Collapsible crate in Teal. Click to see more Collapsible crate sizes, colors, and features!