- My favorite pick, and the bed I ultimately chose, is the custom, handcrafted cover and mattress by Lilly and Abbie Dog Beds. You select the size and shape of the mattress and then choose the duvet top, trim and side fabrics from a large selection of durable, washable designs (or can supply your own) to create a truly custom bed. Two weeks after I placed my order online, the bed was delivered in a beautifully wrapped package with a handwritten thank you note from the owner. Nice touch! Prices start at $110 for the small, round size. I designed the lucite bed, which was fabricated by JMK Displays for $250.
- If there are truly no limits to your love and your checking account, My Best Friend's Home crafts outrageous weather-resistant designs out of premium varnished woods. Offered in several architectural styles, each home includes shatter-resistant glass windows, a roof with integrated water drainage, and is engraved with a unique serial number. My favorite is the Bauhaus-inspired Cubix, starting at €1,999.
- The Pet Project is a Scandinavian company known for crafting modern and luxurious beds and accessories from natural materials such as leather, lambs wool, steel, wood and glass. My two favorite beds are Hermann's Heaven, a wool and chrome bed in dark grey beginning at $130 for the small size, and Missy's Dreamer in smoked acrylic with grey mattress or white acrylic with green mattress; $430 for the small size.
- For the mod pet, LuLu's Hideaway is a sleek geometric pod in cool white acrylic with a purple mattress; $339.
- Need to match your Knoll sideboard? Eddie's Room is a walnut cube atop a chromed steel base; $480.
- For easy mobility, a frameless bed is often a simple and more affordable option. I love this Fatboy Doggielounge in sturdy PVC-coated Marimekko fabric; $139 for the small size. Or choose this soft-framed Urban Denim Lounge Bed by P.L.A.Y. (Pet Lifestyle And You). I love the tough, 100% cotton denim material and bright orange piping covering this cozy, soft-walled bed. All of P.L.A.Y.'s beds are stuffed with their own trademarked filler created from cleaned and recycled plastic bottles! This bed in the small size sells for $98.
- Bowhaus NYC is a great source for stylish and funky furniture, clothing and accessories for urban pets. If your pooch has a crate that needs dressing up, they offer several "cabanas" and mattresses to enclose and beautify that boring metal box. This Nautical Stripe Crate Cover and Bed Set starts at $211, with the pieces also available separately.
(Images: 1. Chad Schroer, the rest, as linked above)
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When I have the opportunity, I'm building a dog bed for my pooch. The two he has right now (which are stacked) will work, but I can't help notice when they start to look saggy. These may be pricey, but combining what I've spent in the two and a half years since I got my dog, the pricetag seems well worth it!
I'm sorry, but as much as I love my dogs, spending that much on a dog bed is ludicrous to me. I'll stick with the $50 and under offerings at Petsmart...
Regardless of whether or not I have $2000+ to spare on a "dog mansion," I'm pretty sure my dog -- if he could -- would encourage me to donate that money to the ASPCA instead. After all, the nice folks at the ASPCA saved him from certain death in Tennessee, transported him to Chicago, and found him a home.
Stuff for dogs is really just stuff for humans, and it's mostly silly. My dog does not recognize his toy as a miniature stuffed bison -- it's just a fluffy thing that squeaks to him. He couldn't care less what the print on his dog bed fabric looks like and no matter what, he prefers our bed.
The only extravagant things my dog has are his food, which practically costs more than ours, and his vacations. We've spent thousands of dollars transporting him to Lake Tahoe for hiking. We've had him two years and he's been out to Tahoe twice -- I'm determined to convince my fiance that we need to keep going because I've never seen my dog so happy as he was playing in the lake and hiking the trails.
I love the Lilly & Abbie beds. The fact that you can actually have a bed to match your home and it's not some ugly thing sitting in the corner. Beds from petsmart are very unattractive, not to mention they flatten out like pancakes in no time at all. I would def spend the money to get a bed that is nice to look at, comfortable for my dog, and washable!
I'm less likely to spend a lot of dough on a dog bed for my pooch, than I am for an attractive kennel for her, which are much harder to find. I have a small place and the standard black wire cage is an eyesore. The fabric covers they sell look cheesy in my opinion since it still looks like a black wire cage draped in fabric--not the clean look I'm after. Bowhouse makes some cool modern dog crates by they only work for little dogs. If anyone knows of a company that makes attractive crates for medium sized dogs, please chirp up.
Valentinex, is your dog an adult who permanently has a kennel as part of its life or is it a temporary thing? The most liberating thing that's happened to me, decor-wise, was finishing crate training my dog. It was for anxiety/potty training purposes when we first adopted him from a shelter, but after that, he gets run of the house. I know everyone's situation is different, but I only saw the crate as a temporary training tool. Is there a way you can transition out of the crate/kennel? Just wondering since that'd be easier and cheaper (I'd think) than trying to find a good looking kennel. And I agree, I have yet to see an attractive crate or kennel at any price range for a large dog. Mine is 60 lbs.
good question Archdarling. We originally used the kennel for training, but as it turns out she likes it in there, alot. She seems to get stressed if we're not home and she has the run of the house.
Valentinex, ah, I see. Even the kennel pictured with the covers in this post (last photo) is kind of ugly to me. Good luck. Let us know if you find an attractive one. Maybe if you have a crafty friend who sews, you could convince her to make a custom cover for the interior of the crate and the exterior... just out of cotton duck or something.
My Girlfriend and I just got a labrador puppy and it' sso very hard to choose a suitable bed.
Now this comment may seem cute and fluffy but honestly, it's not like you can pop down to Ikea and buy a dog bed to match the room scheme you have just bought!
We would love to get something that matched the colour scheme or sofa fabric! But it's not just about fitting in colour wise, the design and look has to be right too.
Sometimes it may be simpler to keep that average looking and reasonably priced dog bed out of plain sight!
I like Molly Mutt beds.
How could you miss the PEIPOD? -- http://www.peipod.com/
If you want a good bed that will last and the dog will love, check out SkyMall. I know. I know. It's SkyMall, but trust me. . . . .it's the best dog bed I've found.
http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=102971112&c=10711
Hear me out:
- $80-$160
- All innards are removable for washing (one thing that's a must with pets)
- Separate bed portion can double as a bed in their crate. Our Boxer actually didn't like to lay in the bed with it all put together. We basically got a two-for-one by taking the inner bed part and putting it in her crate.
- Heavy duty material that doesn't tear easily. You know when dogs situate themselves by digging around a bit? Our dog does this just about every time before she lays down. Had the bed nearly 2 years and no holes or tears.
- Free Bone pillow!
Bottom line is our dog loves this bed.
$20 dog beds at Costco--get one a year
Thank you so much for including our Urban Denim Lounge Bed! We work really hard to create products that are comfy for our pets, stylish for our homes and better for our planet - so we appreciate the love. :)
Great picks! But what's up with the negative comments on price? Isn't this a design blog, intended to show innovative and creative designs and promote inspiration? There was a full range of beds highlighted - from under $100 to the most luxuriest. And to say that spending money on your pet is silly or ludicrous is rude. Pets to some people are more important than humans. It's okay if you can't afford or choose not to spend a ton on a bed, but it's disrespectful to pet lovers who do happily spend freely on their pets to elaborate with comments like silly, ridiculous or my pet wouldn't know the difference. Believe me your pet knows the difference. And a good bed encourages good sleep, good health, protects joints,... I adore Lilly and Abbie Dog Beds. Oh, and by the way, I would no sooner let my dog sleep on a $20 bed from Costco then I would a have him sleep outside in the mud.
Some of these are really cute, but when you own a large breed dog your choices are a bit curtailed. So far the best bed we've found for our pyr mix is an orthopedic memory foam bed from Big Dog Beds. They offer covers in a couple of the Crypton William Wegman fabrics, so the bed looks pretty good and more importantly my dog's joints are happy. It's not the cheapest bed out there, but the covers wash beautifully and the mattress is holding up very well. I'd rather spend more on a quality bed and have it last a good long time than throw away/replace one every year.
It's not the price that bothers me about a few of these beds, rather the fact that some look downright uncomfortable.
Dogs like soft edges to lean up against, not lucite or steel. By all means, get a dog bed that looks neat and is easy to care for in your space, no matter what your style. But where my little guy is concerned, I'll easily take function (and his comfort) over style/form.
I could spend a million dollars on something for my pets and I'm sure of one thing: They would ignore the object and eat the box it came in. My pets have always preferred MY bed, MY sofa, MY everything. Right now I'm down to two kitties -- one is currently cleaning herself on a very expensive recliner and the other is perched on the arm of the sofa, keeping an eye out for errant squirrels.
I also like the molly mutt beds. Modern, fun, washable, and you can stuff them full of almost anything.
I adore my cat Oscar and she has two beds to choose from inside our home and more outside on the balcony. I shopped at Pier One in the January sales last year and found a large-ish dark colored wicker bowl that was being sold as a fruit basket. As soon as I put it on the floor, Oscar jumped inside of it and started to scratch it as if it was hers, which it was. For $35.00, its been the best bed/scratching basket I've seen so far. It looks good the more she scratches it too.
I like some of the expensive beds/accessories available for cats but I don't see the point in it. There's no guarantee she will love it or use it and then what?
Thank you for these choices,here is a link to another article that helped me on picking out the right bed for my dog.
http://www.bestbigdogbeds.com/how-to-pick-out-big-dog-beds