Guess what room I am working on today? Yep, the office.
I have been given a whopper of a challenge. I am wanting to add a skirt to the desk to dress it up and help it blend in better with the other furnishings. Like this:
So other than using the word “LAPTOP”, is there some special device that I don’t know about that can make at least some of these cords magically go away?
If not, I will have to drill into this beat up Ikea Liatorp desk and Mr. Décor is not thrilled at the prospect.
Laura
Sherri B. says
Oh, I hate them too and we have way too many!
I'm sure there are products out there that you can purchase at a price. We have used pipe insulation before, your hubby probably knows what it is. It is kind of like a foam hose that has a split all the way down that you can push your cords through and they are all in that…it is kind of bulky though, but better than all those cords showing.
Have a great weekend! xo
Julie Tucker-Wolek says
I wish I had a solution…. I like the skirt idea!!
Karena says
Laura right now my desk ( which I really do not like…makeover hopefully soon!) is in a corner position so most of the cords are in the space behind the desk.They are such a pain though plus sooo numerous!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
2012 Artists Series
It's All Connected says
I'm adding a fabric panel to the back of my glass desk, with two way tape, to hide the cords. That should trap dust bunnies and cat hair nicely! Zip clips at least group them into one bundle. I'd drill, if I were you. ~ Maureen
Pat@Life At Lydias House says
Laura, Have you thought about bundling them and putting them in a cord cover like your lamp cords? Anything would be an improvement as I share your dislike for unsightly cords!
marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says
Maybe turn the back of the desk against the wall on the left of the desk. Would open up the space more and still allow you to view down the hall. Just a thought. Hugs, Marty
♥ Sonny ♥ says
cords used to be the Bain of my Existance lol.. then I fixed my room and havent seen a cord since.
I have 2 desks – each with that many cords. I moved them cattycorned and added a loveseat in front of each one. looks great- functions better than the room ever did before.
yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa no cords:)
Jill Flory of Sew a Fine Seam says
I hate cords too. And a laptop won't be cordless – it has to be plugged in half the time to charge the battery. A wireless printer helps some – it's on my wish list.
I'd drill into the desk I think. The skirt idea is a great one but won't it look bulky if it's covering cords? Play around – I KNOW you will come up with something!
Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME/Doublewide Decor says
I hate them too….mine are saying hello to me right now….I try tucking them away and then they just come right back out!
Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says
The bane of every home office, Laura! I would suggest either taping them in place to the back of the desk or getting a chandelier chain cover {or two}. My hubby used clip pieces that attach to the back of the desk to control the cord clutter, but I'm using the chandelier chain cover by my desk for the few cords I have there.
Vicki says
My husband uses velcro wraps to gather the cords together and then some sort of little “hooks” that he buys specifically to hold them in place along the desk and the baseboard. You can still see the bundle of cords, but at least it looks neater. I like the skirt idea.
Whimsey Creations says
Not really unless you go wireless. And even then you still have to plug into electric outlets. I have a laptop, phone, and a wireless printer on my kitchen desk. Still have a cord from the phone, cord to the laptop, and cord from the printer. All three go into an outlet that is halfway up the wall. The best I could come up with was a rectangular basket laying on it's side with the open part to the wallthat I have the cords behind, the one coming from a tiny split in the basket front to the laptop. You can still see the three cords going into the plug but it isn't too bad. I have a few decorative things on top of the basket. You have a mess of cords there girlfriend LOL Like everyone said, bundling them with those computer cord wraps helps, then you could make covers for them out of cloth. Can't think of much else.
French Basketeer.com says
Like I said, now all you need is a little marinara sauce with that spaghetti! In the industry it's called cable management. I'd go with the velcro straps someone else also mentioned….just to get avoid a trip risk. Still, the office looks great!
Sandy says
If Mr. Decor is not objectionable you can attach a piece of pvc pipe, Velcro will do, and run the cords through that. I would attach it horizontally between the two towers. You can then use extra strength velcro to attach the power strip to the top back of one of the towers where the PC is and plug everything in, that way you only have one cord hanging down to plug in. If any cords or loose you can use a zip tie to bind them.
There is also an option of using cord clips, they are “u” shpaed pieces of plastic the you put the cord in and the tabs have small nails in them that you tap into your surface to secure the cords. Down side, taps holes in you furniture.
Vel Baricuatro-Criste, MD says
Amen to that! Just wondering though, can you put this table up the wall? If you can, you can just hide it by putting velcro-ed fabric on the back to hide the ugly cords. 🙂
Kelley Highway says
Love Sandy's suggestions.
And like Sonny suggested, I also thought HIDE with a) a love seat in front of a sofa table with framed photos, vignette, etc. to HIDE even more, or b) a folding screen. To add an even higher HIDE, add a shelf on top of the folding screen to display framed photos, vignette, etc. I've made folding screens with padded then fabric stapled to wood plus hinges. I added embellishments according to the seasons. Wow… Memory lane for me (about eight or more homes ago).
Like Marty and others suggested, backing that dude up to the wall is another option.
openid says
Laura,
Sorry I have no suggestions. We have a bushel of Apples at the Fairfield House — Mac Laptops, i-phones and i-pads. I am in love with a technical wizard.
Your Friend,
Deborah
FairfieldHouseNJ.com