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In this modern age of technology, it is not uncommon to have a large jumble of electrical cords peeking from behind a desk or even strewn across the counter.

Not only is this an eye sore, but it can also be a safety hazard.

But is there a solution for hiding these cords and keeping the messy look at bay?

Toshia Noye has a few tricks up her sleeve.

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Noye was an interior decorator for five years before opening her business, Tosh Co. Home Store in Charlottetown, P.E.I. Through her shop, she sells home goods, including sells everything from decor to lighting and furniture.

Although she doesn’t do design work directly for clients anymore, Noye is always willing to help customers with selection and advice while they are in the store. This includes helping people create an aesthetically pleasing place — which also involves hiding electrical cords.

“You could have the most beautiful set up, but, if there are cords hanging everywhere, it takes away from the overall look of your space,” said Noye.

Here are some of Noye’s ideas for hiding cords, not only from electronic devices, but also appliances and lamps.

When decorating a console table with lamps, or a desk that is in the middle of a room, Noye says it is important to guide the cords along the back of the table (or side, depending on what is visible), so they aren’t hanging everywhere and become distracting.

Use cable clips with a sticky adhesive as they are perfect for guiding your cords along the back of your table, and down a leg to reach the outlet. These cable kits are available through places like Amazon.

Find a basket and cut a whole in the back.

You can place your tv modem or power bar in the basket, string the cords through the hole in the back of the basket and plug them in. You then have perfectly hidden cords in a pretty basket, said Noye.

When decorating an open-concept space, most people have their furniture off the walls and centred in the middle of the room. This is beautiful, but can create a challenge when wanting to add a table or floor lamps, said Noye.

For her 30-year-old split entry house, Noye hired an electrician to add floor outlets to their living room. They strategically placed them where they wanted floor lamps and side table lamps to be, so they wouldn’t have long cords running to the wall outlets.

This option may not be in the budget right now, but it’s definitely something worth saving towards, suggested Noye.

Another console table fix is to find large baskets that fit under it and hide any outlets or cords behind the baskets. You just want to make sure the baskets are tall and wide enough to fill the space and hide anything you don’t want to see.

Make sure you measure the space and bring a measuring tape with you when shopping, so you get your basket purchase right the first time. This will save some frustration of running back and forth to the store.

“One of the biggest eye sores, in my opinion, is hanging wires from a mounted TV,” said Noye.

This can be intimidating for some people, but there are kits available that make hiding these cables super easy to deal with. Hiding those cords can be as simple as drilling a hole behind your TV and another hole below where your outlet is. You then fish the wires through the hole behind your TV, down the inside of your wall and out the hole below where your outlet is.

Your TV and TV stand will disguise where the wires come out. Using a kit from Amazon makes the process easy and it even includes the right drill attachment for the perfect sized hole, Noye said.

Noye has some really cute options in her store for containing chargers and remotes in a living space.

This could include having your remotes on your side table in a pretty wooden tray.

“It’s nice to have them accessible, but keeping them contained to one space and in something pretty helps,” she said.

Another option is using small boxes with a lid if you don’t want your charging cords and remotes seen. They are still easily accessible but are hidden in a cute way, she says.

Anyone wanting more ideas or to pick up some décor items to help in the process can find Tosh Co. Home Store on Facebook and Instagram. Noye provides lots of advice and decorating tips in her highlight section on Instagram.

Soon, she will be launching her website, toshco.ca and will be shipping across Canada.

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