I think that J and I are fortunate that we have the same taste in home decor. There is never any fighting over what kind of lamps or couch or wall decor. We pretty much agree on everything. We have pretty simple modern decor at our place but the one eyesore of the whole place was the dang dog bed. It is, of course a necessity, but no matter what kind of dog bed we bought, it just turned into a messy looking dog area. It bugged us. A lot. So we did something about it.
I’ve seen “modern” dog furniture online but everything was over $1000. I mean seriously? I love my dogs and everything but there is no way I would buy something that pricey for my dog who would probably chew the corners. J, being the genius designer he is, drafted up a brilliant plan for a dog bed using tables. When we were at Ikea picking out the tables, I noticed that they have really great looking fabric and so we ended up buying some and then we were in the dog section and found a dog bed that would fit perfectly within the space.
I’m always a bit wary of DIY projects because you know how sometimes you can have this fabulous idea in your head but when it comes out it is nowhere near as fabulous? Well, this project actually turned out just as fabulous. Maybe even better.
I present to you, our DIY modern dog bed…
It is basically two tables stuck together. Do not ask me about how it was assembled as I don’t go anywhere near power tools, actually any kind of tools. J handled that part. I however, took the ugly dog bed (which was covered in black and white spots) and covered it with the fabric. I then took one of their favorite blankets and sewed the fabric on top so that underneath is their favorite plushy furry fabric that they can snuggle under. I found a little pillow in our closet and sewed up a pillow case just for a laugh. I like that it makes it look like a human bed.
And here are our babies enjoying their new bed!
So there you go! Who knew Ikea sold modern dog furniture right? 😉 All it took was some creativity and now the dog area actually matches the rest of our place.
I have to mention that painting on the table. We were in the Fremont neighborhood and stopped in the Orange Splot art gallery. We ended up loving these paintings by Ryan Henry Ward and J bought one for us. Later on we found out that he’s doing murals all over Seattle (for free) and we have been going around the city hunting for them. They are incredible pieces of art and it is so cool that he is brightening up the city with his artwork. Click here to read more.
p.s. I know it looks weird that there’s just that one picture of J above the dog bed, but the rest of the pictures on that wall are individual pictures as well so it looks good when you see the entire thing. J is not THAT vain that he would have a picture of just him hanging up. haha!
30 replies on “Crafty-ish: The Modern Dog Bed”
I love this! A lot of times dog beds are so big and bulky and take up a huge part of the room. This is great. I love the fabric as well!
This is my biggest dilemma with our house. We have two dog beds downstairs and one in our bedroom. Unfortunately, our dogs aren’t as tiny as yours! I just might have to make our own after seeing yours!
OMIGOSH that is the cutest thing ever. I agree 1000 for dog furniture – i too love my pups, but, that’s a lot. However, I think the dog bed you two made could be worth the 1k… dual purpose too! Awesome job!
OMG.. You guys are geniuses!
Will you help me decorate?
It’s fantastic!!!! I love it! …and you’re dogs are seriously adorable!
What a great idea and so chic….great idea!!! Too bad my bulldog refuses to sleep on anything comfy; just a cold floor sprawled out or on the carpet touching something LOL.
Your dogs are cute!
Oh I love this idea!! I’m looking for a new dog bed too, but have also been faced with nothing but ridiculously high prices for nicely designed dog beds. Your dogs look so cute and seem to be loving their bed!!
dolcechic – yes, that’s exactly what we were dealing with. Our place is not that big so the bed was taking up too much space.
abbie – you’ll just have to use longer tables 🙂
amyjean – the dual purpose was def. an added bonus! i love the extra table space.
LRB – I like being called a Genius. Could be the first time anybody has called me that. HA!
heck ya! we love to decorate!
maegan – thanks!
Rachel – awww… we love bulldogs! Too funny about the uncomfy spots. my dogs refuse to even sit on a cold floor!
Ro – We have gone through so many beds, it’s ridiculous. I love our latest project. and the dogs totally love it. I think they like being in a big box, it’s like a mini house.
i love it! i am so going to try this once we move into our new place (whenever that might be!)! 🙂
that is so cute! it’s like a little doggy fort. haha
Loving that!
We are getting a cat, can you think of some creative way to make a litter box less ugly?
unbelievably awesome and fantastic!
oh wow that is a super fantastic idea!! my pup likes to sleep in his big ole dog crate in our bedroom.. i could totally hide that eyesore away and replace it with something like this! love it!
-issa
Thank you everyone! If you make one and need help, feel free to email me! Also if you make one please send me a picture, I would love to see your version!
Mrs. S. – I found this for you!
http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2007/12/kickass-litterbox-cabinet.html
I love it! Very chic!
Nice dog bed. Very modern and looks like they really like it!
Wow. That’s a genius idea and I can’t tell you how jealous I am of your loft and your life in general.
sigh.
What a fantastic dog bed!
I saw this on IKEA Hacker-great job! It’s really gorgeous!
That is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen! I have the same problem with my dog beds. I think I’m going to try this when I have the time. It’s so beautiful! (I adore the pillow you added. Plus, I bet they like it. My dogs always like to lie their heads on a pillow instead of a cushion, I don’t know why.) 🙂
Such a creative approach to making a nice abode for the pooches! Kennels and dog beds are always so unattractive, you’ve inspired me to create something lovely for my boston terrier!
I LOVE it. Those puppies look so proud of their new bed. I bet my giant dog would feel so cozy in a similar version. Thanks for sharing~
You know how some people treat their dogs like people? Well I’m going to build one of these for my little boy! He needs a cozy, nesty, reading area, and I haven’t been able to come up with a way to do it that looks nice. I may hang some fabric down one side to make it more fort-like.
Thanks for the idea!
what ikea table did you buy? it looks great!!!
Did you use the Gallant to make this? This is pretty nifty design and I love the dual purpose!
This is perfect! My dog likes to sleep by the front door but it's a small room and I really need a small table there. Please do tell what Ikea product you started with!
Your modern take on the doggy bed is adorably genius! I grew up with a daschund! 🙂 My parents have a daschund back home named Heidi, she's 11 years old as of August.
Ok, so now I'm seriously inspired! My big beast of a pup (75lbs) and my boyfs dog (60lbs) like to sleep on the bed but with the four of us squeezed into a queen size I recently decided that they're just going to have to be trained to sleep on their own. Currently all the ugly doggy stuff is hidden away in a little box room and I was dreading messing up a lovely bedroom with dogbeds. Of course, now that I've got the design part sorted the training is going to be the tricky part…
This is an awesome idea! Can I ask what tables you used from Ikea? We love Ikea and have many things from Ikea in our house. I would love to know which ones you used so that I could make one of these for the dog I am getting my husband for his birthday! This would be perfect in our house! Thanks