Beautiful living room in a minimalist style, bright walls, designer lamps, modern electronic equipment and...cables. An unpleasant clash in a perfectly planned space. The presence of electrical wires is unavoidable, yet their sight spoils intricately arranged interiors. This is a problem that you may not see in visualizations, but which becomes a fact right after the installation of lighting and audiovisual equipment. Of course, no self-respecting designer would leave the TV cables exposed in a perfectly decorated living room. Masking electrical wires requires cleverness, ingenuity, a few useful gadgets, and sometimes manual skills. However, it is possible and easy to do. Check out how to hide cables without hammering walls to make your interiors look as beautiful as in the visuals!
Why is hiding cables so important?
Masking electrical cables in living spaces is not just a matter of aesthetics. If you're looking for motivation to secure the cables in your apartment, check out how much you'll gain from arranging them:
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hidden cables will no longer pose a danger to small children or pets who are constantly interested in them,
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no dog will bite through the cable hidden under the grille,
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your cordless vacuum cleaner will have unrestricted access to every nook and cranny,
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the neatly organized space will become an ideal home office,
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no computer or lamp will fall off the desk under a sudden pull
The decision to hide wires can only have positive consequences. This way you create an aesthetically pleasing and functional space that is safe for everyone in the house. How to go about it? At the outset, it is worth meticulously planning the placement of electrical outlets, household appliances and electronics, so that at subsequent stages of decorating you can avoid unpleasant surprises.
Masking electrical wires is not only visually important. That way you create a safe and functional space for every household member
Photo by Brandon HoogenBoom © UNSPLASH
TV on the wall – how to hide cables without hammering?
The problem of hanging cables becomes acute in the most obvious case: when a dream TV hangs on the living room wall. This is a piece of equipment that requires connection to electricity. It is also often accompanied by speakers, a set-top box or a console. So the amount of wiring in the relaxation area quickly gets out of control. Of course, all this unsightly clutter can be hidden under the plaster. To do this, a gutter should be forged in the wall behind the TV, where the neatly bundled tv cables will disappear under a layer of putty and paint. However, forging walls for cables has its downsides. First of all, it is an invasive, dirty and time-consuming operation, and secondly — if you feel like rewiring the TV, you're in for another wall destruction. Fortunately, there are many ways to mask the cables in an equally effective way.
The problem of unsightly cables arises when your dream TV hangs on the living room wall. Fortunately, there are several simple ways to hide them
Photo by Patrick Perkins © UNSPLASH
Cable cover – a way to have a wall without wires
If you can't imagine interfering with the structure of the wall, a good and minimally invasive way would be to hide the cables under a cover. This is a discreet strip, which you will install in a very simple way: with glue or small screws. It's function is to cover up all the „technical” elements of the interior, which are to remain invisible to the eye. In our case, these are various kinds of wires, but it can also be used, for example, to hide a curtain rod.
The cable cover can like a chameleon blend into the color of the wall or, on the contrary, attract the eye with an interesting design. White skirting board is a popular model, often seen on Polish walls, but there are also masking panels available on the market in a wide range of colors and designs. It all depends on your idea of interior design. You can choose a shiny trim, matching high-gloss furniture, or a wooden one for a room dominated by nature.
The cable cover can like a chameleon blend into the color of the wall. A white masking panel looks aesthetically pleasing and is popular in Polish homes
Photo by Devon Jense van Rensburg © UNSPLASH
What can be hidden under stucco?
Stucco is a special form of wall moldings that build up the style of a room. If you arrange them along the walls and ceilings in a thoughtful way, you will not only get an original decoration, but also a method to hide unsightly details. Stucco can help disguise TV cables on the wall if you run them exactly in the line of panel placement. It's also a great way to aesthetically hide all the pipes, wires or irregularities that run along the ceiling. An ornate cornice can really hold a lot of secrets, while at the same time attracting the eye as an interesting detail of a classic-style room.
The stucco can disguise the cables from the TV, if you place them exactly in the line of the run of the panels
Photo by Max Rahubovkiy © Pexels
Cladding the entire wall behind the TV
However, let's return for a moment to the wall behind the TV and the proven ways to hide the power cables of RTV devices. If you are not afraid of original solutions that change the appearance of the entire room, you can choose to cover the wall with panels or wood. In fact, there are many more ideas for covering a representative wall in the living room (concrete, tiles, decorative stone, brick), but not all of them guarantee easy access to the wires hidden underneath. Panels or wooden laths can be easily fixed on the slats a few millimeters away from the wall, which will create space to hide all the wiring. Also remember to opt for an easy-to-work-with material so that drilling holes for outlets and switches won't pose a problem. Covering an entire wall gives you endless possibilities for its arrangement, and it's also a great way to emphasize the style of the interior.
Ways to hide cables on the floor
In many photos and visualizations of modern interiors you can find minimalist floor lamps, with not even a trace of connection to electricity. And yet they shine. Is all this photomontage? Not necessarily! The absence of unattractive cables littering the floor may indicate a thoughtful way of camouflaging them.
In such cases, a good choice is to install a skirting board, which has a hollow channel in its interior. Flexible skirting boards of this type can be opened along their entire length with a tape-like cap. In contrast, wide skirting boards made of rigid materials have an opening on the side of the wall or floor, large enough to hide anything that should not be conspicuous. The only detail betraying the lamp's clever connection is the plug, which is stuck in an electrical outlet.
If you are looking for ideas for atmospheric lighting in your home, take a look at the lighting section and get inspired by our suggestions!
A good way to discreetly plug in standing lamps is skirting boards with a channel for the power cord
Photo by Jana Heinemann © UNSPLASH
Is cable masking always necessary?
Every interior style has its own rules. In some rooms all the details should be perfectly planned, in others you can afford a certain nonchalance. Industrial style is one of the few conventions that allows you to expose technical elements of the interior, show some imperfections and create a „back room” atmosphere. However, all this must be intentional and thoughtful, and above all — safe.
In the event that we expose raw concrete or original brick on the walls, we can also afford to leave in plain sight the bundles of cables running under the ceiling. Here, instead of a decorative cornice, it is advisable to use clips and brackets that will secure the wiring and maintain its proper course. In lofts and industrial living rooms you can afford a certain intentional disorder — so meticulously hiding every cable would look a bit artificial. However, also in this case, the safety of the household members should be a priority, and the proper protection of all devices connected to the current is the absolute basis.
Hanging lamps on expressive cables are one of the hallmarks of industrial style. In this case, it is worth highlighting them
Photo by Brennan Burling © UNSPLASH
However, if for some reason you are discouraged by the struggle with home wiring and do not want to compromise — consider switching to wireless technology. This way you will eliminate at least part of the problem, gain more freedom in using electronics, and avoid many interior dilemmas. WiFi modules are now standard in almost all everyday appliance and they are meant to serve your convenience. Let them also serve beautiful interiors.
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