Before You Spring Clean...Hide!

We’re all ready for this winter to be OVER, but with a little planning—and hiding—some of us can be more ready for spring than others.   So why should you think about what you can hide--BEFORE you pull out your spring cleaning supplies?  Here’s the scoop:

A big part of cleaning is deciding what to do with everything—especially those things that we need to keep our world powered up, like laptop battery cords, cell phone chargers, etc.  The Out of the Box Room Design solution:  hide them in plain sight.  By that, we mean...disguise, cover and contain the business end of your gadgets—and sometimes, even the gadgets themselves (For example, check out this printer hideaway.  Now you see it, now you don’t!)  Some of the things that we love to hide are...

*Chargers.  As much as we need them, we seriously don't want to see them.   A great way to keep them accessible, but as close to invisible as you can get:  incorporate them into a desktop file holder.  Genius!

*Flat screen televisions.  Okay--televisions were meant to be seen, not hidden away, but that doesn't mean that they have to take over the room's decor.   A great way to solve the dilemma is pictured" below.

*Awkwardly placed light switches.  You know the ones we mean--those light switches that seem to be "floating" in the middle of the wall.

Check out this blogger's solution to the problem:  http://www.ourfifthhouse.com/2012/10/disguising-bothersome-light-switch.html

And the pièce de résistance of those things we really don't want to see…        *Wireless routers.  Check out this DIY disguise for those ugly wireless routers that we can't live without (at left).  For directions, visit the following blog:

http://sweetsanitydesigns.com/blog/2011/04/24/hiding-the-wireless-routers/

For more interior design expertise, check out Out of the Box Room Design—and for regular bits of pure genius, be sure to “like” Out of the Box Room Design on Facebook.

And...do you have a genius "DIY disguise" idea of your own?  Let us know in the comment box below!

Before You DIY

“He who is best prepared can best serve his moment of inspiration.” --Samuel Taylor Coleridge

This quote from Samuel Taylor Coleridge  might be more than a century old, but it still holds true--especially for do it yourself-ers. So how can you make YOUR vision come true in a spectacular, fabulous way?  Here are a few tips to consider BEFORE you DIY:

• Consider your skill set.  Before launching a new DIY project. realistically assess the skills you're bringing to the task.  If you aren't comfortable with sewing, creating curtain panels from bed sheets might not be the best idea for you.  If you run into a project that you really want to tackle that requires skills you don't have, recruit a buddy to help you.  You can return the favor sometime.

• Make time for design.  Make sure you work design into your project schedule.  It’s easy to get so excited about starting a new DIY project that our first step is a trip to the hardware store to stock up on paint, appliances, fixtures—only to find out later that we've gathered the wrong materials, or forgotten something crucial.  
  
  Save yourself time and money, and...the next time you get that “Can’t wait to get started” feeling, take a step back—and breathe.  Remind yourself that a good design plan will not only help you save time (and ultimately speed up the DIY process)—it will help you avoid mistakes, including using the wrong color of paint, purchasing the wrong fixtures, etc.—and therefore save moolah (ALWAYS a good thing!).

• And our last tip?  Grit your teeth and read the instructions--that's right... Read...the...instructions.  Do this no matter how much you'd rather avoid it, and you won't regret it.  If you Really aren't in the mood for reading, check out youtube for a video tutorial-- and be sure to watch it in its entirety before getting started.  That way you know exactly what  you are getting into and how long each step will take!  

And remember:  All Out of the Box Room Design packages include a design board with a space plan, samples of fabrics and other materials, step by step instructions--and more!