How to conceal ugly wiring

Most of us resign ourselves to the idea of visible wires running rampant around our home. Concealing wires behind the wall is always an option, but that involves expensive, structural work, an option not available to everyone. If you are renting an apartment or simply don’t have the budget to plan concealed wiring, here are a few tips to organize the wiring in your home.

1. Our workspace always requires a minimum of four to five wires coming out of one extension board. Use a discarded shoe box to house the extension board inside it, and cut neat holes for the wires to come out. You can label the holes from outside. The same tip applies to the wires coming out of your TV unit.
   
   
2. A clever idea that we came across online involved a small wire basket attached to the underside of a desk, to avoid keeping the extension board on the floor, where it can be seen.
   
   
3. For exposed dangling light fixtures with a lot of visible wire, you can opt for clever wall art by fixing the wires around a pre-planned sketch on the wall. Plan the sketch, draw it out with a light pencil and then fix the wires along that sketch with plastic clamps, available easily at your local hardware store.  
   
   
4. Another alternative for long wires of exposed bulb fixtures is adding beads or other craft material to the long wire. It adds an unexpected touch that looks good and shows your guests that you have an imagination, too.  
   
   
5. Routers are another source of ugly wiring. Cover a shoe box with brown or white paper and conceal the router inside it, making holes for the wires that need to come out.
   
   
6. A home printer is not something that we use very often but it needs to be around. A shoebox is too small to use as an alternative here, so consider shopping for a good looking, wicker basket that can house the printer. It looks like an attractive storage box and does its duty too.

These six tips cover the most obvious wire-related eyesores in any home. Just a little bit of planning and sourcing basic materials like shoeboxes can go a long way in your bid to keep your home wire free, at least on the surface. You are welcome.