We recently changed Ninja's sleeping arrangements at night from being in her crate to being in her "Pet yard". (She's almost 10 months old.) It is in our bedroom, and her doggie bed fits right in there. She's not quite ready to have her freedom at night either--although she's been housebroken for a long time now--but in a few months we'll probably try her out of the pen with our bedroom door shut.
We still crate her when we are out, and cannot imagine a day when we won't have to! LOL She is very different from how Scully was as a puppy, in that she is very destructive. With Scully, we started at a certain point letting her hang out in our bedroom when we were out, and then gradually expanding her roaming area as she proved to be trustworthy. With NInja, I fear that there would be nothing left of any room we tried to leave her in!
SophieB, I was never a fan of crating either....until Ninja! Unless we ripped up all the baseboards in the house, removed all the furniture, and even knocked all the walls down, Ninja would find something to destroy. For her own safety, we feel the need to crate her when there is nobody around to supervise her mischief. Larsen, on the other hand, is never crated, as he does not have destructive tendencies.
Editing to add: Just to clarify, when I refer to "Pet Yard", it is like an ex-pen, and it is in our bedroom.