A friend of mine adopted a rescue lurcher last spring. By the second week the galvanised wire crate in her sitting room had a tea towel slung over it; by month two it had migrated to the spare bedroom and the dog flatly refused to use it. The crate wasn't the problem - the problem was that a 90 cm wire box parked next to a two-seater sofa in a Sheffield Victorian terrace is a visual emergency.
So when the next friend rang and asked what to buy, I went hunting for furniture-style crates instead. Five of these, all in stock at villaltaco.uk, all sized for real British dogs in real British rooms. Prices range from £98 to £267. Here's what's worth the floor space and what isn't.
If you only read this: for a small-to-medium dog, the £98 oak-tone double-door end table is the one I'd buy first. If you've got a labrador or anything heading north of 30 kg, jump straight to the £172 PawHut XL sideboard - it's the only one of these actually rated for 40 kg.
The picks
1. Oak-tone double-door end table, £98 - Best for small-to-medium dogs on a budget
The cheapest of the five and the one I'd send most people to first. The oak-tone MDF is a decent furniture-style finish, the cushion is in the box (a faff most crates skip), and both doors open wide - which matters more than people think the first time they try to fish a sulking spaniel out of a single-door cage. The double-door end table uses adjustable feet, so it sits flat on a Victorian floorboard that hasn't been level since 1898.
- Pros: cushion included, both doors fully open, oak finish is convincing at sofa distance, adjustable feet
- Cons: MDF construction so keep it well away from radiators and damp floors; lid is fine for a lamp, not a chopping board
- Best for: first-time crate buyers with a small or medium dog who want to spend under £100
2. PawHut 2-in-1 large dog crate & side table, £110 - Best for big dogs without breaking £150
This is the one I'd pick if a labrador or a collie is going to live in it. The white particle board paired with black steel mesh leans into the industrial look - it doesn't pretend to be anything other than a crate, but it does it tidily. Front and side access is unusually useful: park it against a wall and you can still let the dog out without dragging it across the room. The PawHut 2-in-1 is rated to 30 kg, which covers most British dogs that aren't actively heading for "extra large".
- Pros: proper 30 kg rating, side door is genuinely handy, plush washable cushion fits the base
- Cons: the white finish shows muddy paw prints; the modern look won't suit a cottagey scheme
- Best for: labrador, collie or pointer owners in flats with one main wall to push furniture against
3. White end table on castors, £174 - Best for renters who move every couple of years
Castors on a crate sound like a gimmick until you've tried to drag 25 kg of flat-pack MDF across the carpet for a vacuum or a deep clean. The walnut-top white crate rolls. Three lockable doors means you can put the long side against the wall and still get the dog in or out from whichever door isn't blocked. At 106 x 60 x 82 cm it's a sizeable piece - measure the doorway it has to come through before you order, especially if you're in a flat with a 76 cm internal door.
- Pros: castors actually work for cleaning and end-of-tenancy hoovers, three doors, walnut top passes for an end table
- Cons: at 106 cm wide it'll feel huge in a box room; castors add a few mm of height that some dogs notice on the step in
- Best for: renters who relocate every year or two and don't want to leave a permanent dent in the carpet
4. PawHut XL sideboard, £172 - Best for labradors and big lurchers
The only one here properly rated for a 40 kg dog. Grey wood-effect particle board, lockable front door, steel mesh sides for ventilation, and a tabletop large enough to actually use as a sideboard - display ornaments, a couple of framed photos, the post. The XL PawHut earns the "sideboard" in its name, which most of these don't.
- Pros: honest 40 kg rating, broad usable top, sensible mesh spacing for big dogs
- Cons: single front door so cleaning the back corner is a stretch; grey wood-effect can look a bit office-y under cool LEDs
- Best for: labrador, golden retriever or large lurcher households where the dog spends evenings in the sitting room
5. Farmhouse double-crate with barn sliding doors, £267 - Splurge: for two dogs or a forever home
The most expensive on the list and the only one that genuinely looks like a piece of joinery from the other side of the room. Two separate compartments with their own latches, sliding barn doors with proper hardware, and a removable divider so it can become one large kennel when the second dog moves out or grows up. The farmhouse double crate is a 1.1 m piece - measure the wall, then measure it again before clicking buy.
- Pros: barn-door hardware looks deliberate not pet-shop, removable divider, independent latches keep two dogs separate
- Cons: footprint is substantial; MDF means it's not living in your back porch or a damp utility
- Best for: two-dog households or a single dog in a forever home where the crate is permanent furniture, not a phase
The verdict
For most British dog owners, the £98 oak-tone end table is the sensible buy - small enough for a terrace front room, honest about what it is, and properly under £100. If you've got a labrador the PawHut XL sideboard at £172 is the only one on this list with a 40 kg rating that I'd actually trust. And if you're furnishing a forever home with two dogs, the £267 farmhouse double-crate is a piece of joinery you can live with for a decade.
By the Villalta Home Editorial team, June 2026. Edited by Juan Antonio Villalta Pacheco.
