Spruce up your tech

Technology is an indispensable part of modern life, but all those wires and gizmos don’t always fit so well with your decor scheme, especially if it leans toward the vintage or minimalist. Here are some great ideas from production manager Patricia Pieterse to help keep your tech clutter to a minimum

1. Disguise a router in an old book

Sometimes a router has to be kept in a very specific place to give the best signal for your wifi, so tucking it away under a desk isn’t always viable. This tutorial from Ana Maria Muñoz shows you how to easily disguise your router inside an old book from a flea market.

Source: anamariamunoz.com

2. Hide the TV in a cabinet

If you have a TV in the bedroom, chances are you don’t use it as often as the set in the living room. To keep the room looking neat, Bruce Fyfe of Fyfe Boyce Designs designed a cabinet in which the TV lives when it’s not in use, as seen in our March 2015 issue. Perfect for a guest room.

Source: Garden and Home

3. Make a light switch blend in

Some things (like a light switch) can’t be hidden. A wonderful idea from Our Fifth House is to make the switch less of an eyesore by surrounding it with art.

Source: Our Fifth House

4. Create a streamlined charging station

With multiple gadgets comes a mess of charging wires. Many devices need a daily boost, so it’s easier to just leave a charger plugged in and waiting. Here’s a nifty tutorial from eHow on how to make a stylish charging station from a wooden crate.

Source: eHow

5. Cover an alarm panel with a canvas

If your alarm panel, or any other control panel, is slim enough, you could cover it up with a canvas on a hinge. One King’s Lane tells you exactly how to do this.

Source: One King’s Lane

6. Wrangle your wires

Wires are probably the bane of any decorator – they’re ugly, messy and seem to have a life of their own. But until we can all go full wireless, they’re something everyone has to deal with. An under-desk gutter helps keep the wires from your workstation neatly tucked away, like in this post from Lifehacker.

Source: Lifehacker

If all else fails, just decorate the cord to match the rest of your scheme!

Source: Design Love Fest

Source: Monkey Business