A dog owner took half a day to come up with a creative way to integrate essential dog care tools into his home's décor.
Anja recognized the need for a crate to give her Australian Labradoodle, Cookie, her own safe space. But this pet owner, who lives in Belgium with her husband and her dog, was unhappy with the look of the crate in her living room.
“I hated the 'black cage' in the living room, but since Cookie has been his own safe haven since he was a puppy, he really needed it. So my husband came up with the idea to hide it. '' she told Newsweek.
Photo of the cookie crate (left) and after the DIY modification (right). Photo of the cookie crate (left) and after the DIY modification (right). @cookie_the_doodle_/Instagram
And with a little time and some DIY skills, the owners were able to upcycle the impressive dog equipment into stylish furniture.
Dog crates are versatile and provide your dog with a safe environment for resting, training, and transportation. However, these have been the subject of controversy, with critics raising concerns about the potential for long-term confinement and misuse. Nevertheless, many dogs, like Cookie, find the crate to be a haven.
Earlier this month, a Shih-Poo called Cheddar melted people's hearts after watching him return to his crate after socializing.
For Anja's project, strips of birch plywood were attached to the edges of a wooden box and lined with the couple's sofa for a chic Scandi-style look.
“I don’t really know[the cost]because we used a lot of existing materials,” Anja said, but added that the entire conversion only took about 12 hours.
“It's really settled in now. It doesn't bother me anymore. Plus, it's a fun and not too difficult project to do yourself,” Anja said, encouraging others to try their hand at DIY dog crates. I recommended it to people.
Just like this Montana-based dog owner custom-built a tennis ball-shaped catapult for her dog Olive to play with, this couple has created a custom DIY for their pet. I'm not the first owner to do this. Some dogs have even been caught on camera helping humans with small DIY projects.
Anja shared the project on her Instagram page @cookie_the_doodle_ and people were impressed with the idea.
“It's so nice!” said one user. “Amazingly beautiful.”
Meanwhile, another viewer wrote: “Ah, the interior matches better.”
“Oh, how did you do this?” said another. “The crate is such an eyesore in our living room that we really want to do that.”
Do you have an impressive and inspiring DIY project you'd like to share? We're looking for the most creative and original people. Send it to life@newsweek.com and you could be featured on our site.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom, finding common ground and finding connections.