Pet Bed From a Vintage Suitcase in 5 Minutes!

Hello again! This 'ible has come about because I needed a new doggy bed for my bff Yorkie Shih Tzu mix whose old bed was on its last leg. I didn’t want another eye sore like her last bed. I hated it sitting in the living room especially when company would come over. I kept thinking that I could smell it and it just looked so plain and generic. I am a very artistic person open to all kinds of design ideas so to have a store bought cookie cutter bed just felt wrong to me.

So, now that her beloved bed was going to the doggy bed graveyard, I finally had a chance to explore what else was out there and I was sad to find that not much in my price range…

I decided that I could make her bed out of something from my “unused but too cherished to just throw out” stored items. I got to it straight away and this is what I came up with. A no sew no screw dog bed in 5 minutes! I do hope that you find it as cool as I did. Thanks for looking!

What you will need:

• Vintage Suitcase
• Old Pillow
• Fabric
• Rolling Plant Stand (Optional)

Step 1: Vintage Suitcase Reuse

Get your vintage suitcase out of the attic and back into the house where it truly belongs! Make sure that it is in good condition. You don’t want your pup to get hurt climbing into and out of her bed.

Clean out your suitcase of all its little lost treasures that you probably forgot you stored away in it… If you’re anything like me then you will find lots of trinkets that held so many cool memories from your teen-age years! Wow! Time capsule!

Step 2: Pillow Talk...

Grab an “out of use” pillow and let’s fluff it up! Now place the pillow inside of the suitcase. You want your pillow to be slightly larger than the suitcase so it fluffs up real nice.

Step 3: Cover With Fabric

Your fabric will need to be larger than your pillow so you can tuck in the sides. No sewing or pinning required! Just tuck the fabric around your pillow. When your fabric gets dirty you can just remove it and put it in the wash! Too easy!

Step 4: The Rolling Bottom

If you have a larger dog that can easily step over the lip of the suitcase then adding a rolling base is a great idea! It will be easy to move with just a nudge. I suggest not using any permanent adhesive if you plan on using the suitcase for anything in the future.

My pup is a smaller dog so the rolling base was removed before I let her step in. I did not add any adhesive or screws. I didn’t want to damage the cool vintage suitcase! This is a great bed for travel as well. Just close it and go. Your dog will feel at home no matter where she is because she has her own bed with her!   

I hope you enjoy your new puppy or kitty bed! This looks great in my living room or sun room! It will add interest to any room and matches most any décor! This is by far the most super fly Pet bed I have ever owned and is so awesome all my house guests love it as much as I do!