When you think about all of the things to upgrade in your home, a fresh coat of paint, new flooring, updated cabinets, new light fixtures, and your décor might come to mind. Something that probably doesn’t leap to mind is your electrical outlets. After all you probably don’t give a lot of thought to the outlets in your home, except maybe when you are looking to plug something in and can’t find one!
While it is extremely important to make sure the outlets in your home are up to code (i.e. GFCI or TRR where needed), this blog post is going to focus on some unique and simple ways to upgrade your existing outlets or things you may not have thought of for installing new ones.
Color and Style
The most basic colors that outlets come in are white, light almond or ivory. But you can also get them in other colors such as black or brown. Also, there are two styles you can choose. There are traditional or “snowman” outlets and there are decora outlets. If you purchased a home and don’t like the existing color or style, it can always be changed. If you are building a home, make sure you talk with your electrician so the color and style of your outlets will blend in with your décor.
Nightlights
There’s no need to plug nightlights into your outlets when the outlet itself can be your nightlight! There are several options for this but a very popular one is a motion nightlight where the light automatically turns on when you walk near the outlet and then automatically turns off when you walk away. This can light a path for you on your way to the kitchen or bathroom without having to worry about turning anything on or off or having a constant light on keeping you awake at night.
USB Ports
Why take up an entire outlet to charge your phone when you can have a USB port built into your outlet? This is perfect for outlets near your bedroom nightstand, mail center, office or anywhere you charge your devices.
Hidden Outlets
Outlets don’t only have to be in the wall. They can be hidden in some pretty unique places. Do you plan on putting Christmas decorations on a high ledge? Your electrician can hide one up there. What about putting an outlet inside a drawer in your bathroom so you can leave your curling iron and hairdryer off the counter? How about on your kitchen island? Code requires them to have an outlet but it’s often hard to find a good place to put them. You can have them hidden so they literally pop open when you need them and are hidden away when you don’t.
Faceplates
Something that may get even less consideration than the outlet itself is the faceplate that covers it. But you do have options. You can opt to go with screw-less faceplates for a cleaner look. You can choose to do this in one room or the entire house but regardless this is a great way to upgrade your outlets without needing to change much of anything.
Hopefully, this has allowed you to think differently about the outlets in your home. They can be much more than just something that provides power for your lamp or vacuum cleaner. And if you are building or remodeling, it is worth thinking about them ahead of time because it is much easier to move or add an outlet before construction is finished.
If you have any questions or comments, contact Sasha at sasha@inthelitellc.com. As always, we hope we’ve made your day brighter!
That’s a good idea to get a USB port put directly in your outlet. I would think that would be a good way to charge your phone when other things are taking up the outlet spaces. I’ll have to consider getting someone to install some of those for me if I decide to renovate my bedroom.