Our household has more than the average amount of electronics and wires. In my work I have a lot of data that needs storing, and when we did our renovation we put in ethernet access for all rooms (for TVs, gaming and faster speed in the office). We are also a musical household, so having a good sound system also adds to the mix. Suffice to say, there’s a LOT of wires and adapters.
Our main “hub” is in the great room. I had shelves built with outlets so components could go easily near the main television and audio system.
MY BIG BEEF: What’s with all those big klunky adapters?!
I debated about whether to add cabinet doors, but since some of the components need “line of sight” access, meaning, the remotes won’t work if there’s a door between them and the component, we decided on open shelving.
I bought two rattan baskets from the Container Store and we cut out the back to accommodate the mess of wires. Believe me when I tell you, we tried several different ways to lessen the cabling, but many of the cords are long, plus we needed to have an ethernet switch and power strip to accommodate all of the gadgets.
On the second shelf, it was still annoying to see the wires, the tivo box and the Sonos box. That other black box is our Drobo (our network attached storage) which backs up the family computers and stores my bigger work files like video and photos. I knew it wasn’t a great idea to enclose the Drobo due to possible heat build up, but the other equipment needed to disappear. So…here’s where a genius solution revealed itself:
Enter the COVOBOX! I ordered it on Etsy and was able to customize width and size. These are REAL books that have been cut and framed to create space for the things you want to hide! GENIUS! Right?! This family-run business is rescuing books from hitting landfills, so it’s another bonus ordering from them. Since I needed a custom size, 8.5″ x 18″ wide), the cost was about $200 which included free shipping. I have to say, it was well worth the price, getting a custom made piece that fits perfectly and it’s very well made.
The box is incredibly sturdy, and because they are real books, they look great on the shelf. And you know what? Some of these are authors I’ve read! I can’t say enough about how genius this handy product is. Covobox also has some “ready-made” items that are less expensive if you don’t need a very specific size. They also work in other places beyond shelves, if you only need to hide a router or components that sit on a table. Some people use them to hide valuables. Since they look and feel legit, I can see why this is a great solution for valuables.
No matter how much you plan, there will always be some sort of wiring to manage, adapters to hide, but one way to at least minimize the headache of costly wire runs is to plan ahead. If you are undergoing a renovation where walls will be open, you definitely want to take into account any wiring (ethernet, speaker, coax, HDMI) installed. Here are my recommends:
Even with wire runs ahead of time, you still may run into the same conundrum I did with all the various components (and their ADAPTERS). There are some cases where it might even make sense to house all of that in a closet nearby. We considered that option, but closet space was at a premium, and for things like the router, television connect, etc, it just made more sense for us to house everything in one place, and make it accessible.
Real books hiding all your wires, so you get to look well-read and cover up the mess! Find them on Etsy or Amazon.
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Got wires?! Me too. And routers, components and cables, OH MY. Here are two awesome solutions for hiding them on bookshelves!
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