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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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May 24, 2013

So Long Jack! How to Disguise Ugly Wall Fixtures

how_to_disguise_a_phone_jack atthepicketfence.com

I am convinced that unless you custom design and build your home you will have things that will make you say, “why on earth did they do that when they built this house??”

Am I right? You have those things in your home too, don’t you?

Outlets in the wrong place. Or no outlet where there should be one!

Or, for example, a phone jack in the middle of one wall with the outlet for the answering machine on the other wall?

And, I know, we are probably the only people left who still actually use our land-line and an answering machine but there you have it. We do.

phone jack

I made a half-hearted attempt at disguising the cord running across the wall by hanging up a bulletin board but frankly the entire area looked just pitiful. And if the kitchen desk was messy (which it usually is!) then it only added to the whole “dumping ground” affect going on.

So, when I found this metal organizer at TJ Maxx the other day a light bulb went off!

Would it work? Could it be the answer to my unsightly phone jack problem?

metal organizer

Why, yes it was! I just positioned it so that it would hang right over the phone jack and it worked like a charm. The phone now sits comfortably in the bottom rack and there is still plenty of room for all of our “stuff”.

hiding_wall_phone_jack www.atthepicketfence.com

Plus, it forced me to spruce up the desk area. Which lasted oh…just long enough to take these photos!

hiding_a_phone_jack atthepicketfence.com

Mason jars make cute holders for pens and scissors which I still have to keep out of reach of my youngest thanks to the “cutting-of-hair-right-before-Christmas-incident-of-2012”.

mason_jar_organization www.atthepicketfence.com

Unfortunately, a cord still stretches across the wall from the phone to the outlet on the other wall. Wouldn’t life be better if we could have electricity without cords? They really cramp my decorating style, you know? But, by painting it the same color as the wall I was able to disguise it a little bit.

painted phone cord

Don’t blink! This will probably be the only time this desk doesn’t have mail or homework or markers or Lalaloopsy dolls or Legos on top of it and you wouldn’t want to miss it!

kitchen_desk_organization www.atthepicketfence.com

Want to see some more clever solutions for disguising unsightly things in your home? Check out these ideas!

how_to_hide_wall_fixtures_outlets_vents atthepicketfence.com

 Disguise a wall vent AND create a display wall like Eclectically Vintage

wall vent

Hide Your Garage Door Opener like My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

garage door opener

Create a wall collage to disguise outlets and thermostat like Jones Design Company.

wall collage

Use a Tray to Hide Outlets from Organize and Decorate Everything

tray-1024x768

Why not disguise an ugly wall vent with a doormat like Debbiedoos?

repurposed-door-mat

And Tami from Curb Alert?

Return Air Vent After

From One Kings Lane a hinged painting hides control panels or other unsightly outlets.

EDIT_HINGED_OIL_PAINTING

And if you just need to change out an old and ugly outlet, Pretty Handy Girl can show you how!

ScrewIdentify

I love creative solutions to everyday problems, don’t you?

Thanks so much for helping me say farewell to “jack” today! 😉

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29 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, DIY, Good Ideas Tagged With: disguise phone jack, hiding outlets, hiding phone jack

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Comments

  1. debbiedoos says

    May 24, 2013 at 6:24 AM

    Awesome! I love all these ideas. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage says

    May 24, 2013 at 6:31 AM

    We still have a land line and answering machine (that I rarely check – sorry everyone that left a message 3 months ago)!

    Ah, the hair cutting incident. I found beautiful blonde curls in the toilet years ago — and a few chunks missing from my girls hair. Yes, one twin gave the other a haircut.

    Builders – stop putting these unsightly things in plain view!
    Kelly

    Reply
  3. Debra@CommonGround says

    May 24, 2013 at 7:06 AM

    very smart! love the idea of the hinged painting!

    Reply
  4. Judy says

    May 24, 2013 at 8:12 AM

    Great idea. Those other solutions are pretty cool too. Have a great weekend.

    Reply
  5. jp says

    May 24, 2013 at 8:27 AM

    Vanessa, your disguise is perfect! I always try and hide them, too…it’s great too see other unique ways that people come up with. I have one in my “Settling into Our New Home” post. I’m back with creations and décor in our new home in N.C. I hope you’ll have time to stop by! It’s feels great to be back in the “loop” again!
    have a great Holiday weekend!
    Janet/JP

    Reply
  6. Claire @ A Little Claireification says

    May 24, 2013 at 8:34 AM

    OMGosh – this is a great post full of great resources too. Your basket for your phone was the perfect find – I love it!! Thanks for sharing!
    xoxo, Claire

    Reply
  7. Ashley says

    May 24, 2013 at 8:34 AM

    Oh my! We have the SAME phone jack thingy in our kitchen! That sucker is huge and thick and STUCK. Thanks for the great idea!

    Reply
  8. L Bernard says

    May 24, 2013 at 9:02 AM

    I couldn’t stand the cords from telephone to phone jack. I found a solution that worked for me. Mine was in the kitchen. I used small subway tiles and tiled OVER the wires. Of course, I’ll never be able to use them again, but they are cheap. I cut a groove in the wall where the wires could rest flush with the wall and then tiled over them. I smile every time I see my handy work.

    Reply
  9. Ellen says

    May 24, 2013 at 9:03 AM

    Excellent idea! I forget about TJ Maxx for home items; must go soon. I recently covered up our (unused) land line jack with a coffee station. The old ammo box turned on its side is tall enough to hide the jack and still deep enough for the bean jar, etc.

    Reply
  10. Leslie Stewart @ House on the Way says

    May 24, 2013 at 9:42 AM

    What a great idea! Love it!

    Reply
  11. Angela says

    May 24, 2013 at 10:22 AM

    Awesome ideas!!! Love it!!~~Angela

    Reply
  12. Jill Flory says

    May 24, 2013 at 11:47 AM

    Great job! I love that organizer 🙂 And I’m with you on the whole cord issue. Even hidden behind the computer monitor i had the dirty dusty mess that ends up there in the tangle of cords.

    Reply
  13. Anne says

    May 24, 2013 at 3:04 PM

    Brilliant! Oh yes I have one of those too.Took me awhile to figure it out but finally my solution was a cabinet with a hole in the back for access to the outlet.Doors closed it has sa chalk board for notes :-).I drilled holes on the side for the cords.
    xx
    Anne

    Reply
  14. Linda @ it all started with paint says

    May 24, 2013 at 5:06 PM

    Wireless electricity sound like a dreamy idea … hmmm …

    Oh, and while I’m on it, how about universal chargers?

    I love your solution. I barely even noticed the cord in the “after” — until you pointed it out! LOL!

    Have a super fabulous long weekend holiday!!!!

    🙂 Linda

    Reply
  15. Anne@DesignDreams says

    May 24, 2013 at 7:25 PM

    Fabulous! I love that rack!! oh and I also still have the ol’ land-line-plus-answering-machine-telephone going on. I think it’s on its last legs though so I may be converting to cell only someday soon…

    Happy Friday!

    Reply
  16. Doreen@HymnsandVerses says

    May 25, 2013 at 8:16 AM

    I’m having the same problem with the phone jack in the kitchen. The metal rack certainly did the trick for you. I just need to find the right item for my space. Thanks for all the inspiration!

    Hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend!

    Reply
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  18. Kim @ Sand & Sisal says

    May 26, 2013 at 6:30 AM

    Seriously a great collection of helpful ideas! Love it!

    Reply
  19. Kelly says

    May 26, 2013 at 7:31 AM

    Boy could I relate to this post! I have a phone jack up high on the wall in my kitchen where we used to hang a phone. Now, we don’t use it anymore. I always have to hang a picture there to hide it. Also, I don’t have an outlet in my foyer behind the chest of drawers. So, I had to run an extension cord around the stairs to the dining room! Got to get creative. LOL! My husband used a sticky back cord cover to conceal it so no one really notices it lining the base of the wall with the trim. I love your wire organizer!! It’s so cute and looks perfect in that spot.

    Reply
  20. Jeanette @ Creating a Life says

    May 27, 2013 at 7:46 PM

    Genius fix for the phone wall! Love all these ideas, thanks so much for sharing this.

    Jeanette

    Reply
  21. Anita @ Cedar HIll says

    June 3, 2013 at 3:38 PM

    Love these great ideas. Since we are building our new house, I asked the builder to put our outlets sideways into the baseboards which are over-sized any way. I like the ideas for covering air returns so I may just have to try one of these. I like how your curated several ideas too. Have a blessed day.

    Reply
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  1. How to Hide that Ugly Vent on the Wall says:
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    […] Pictures: 1, 2, 3 and 4. […]

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