Do you see that light switch that is half hidden by the white framed canvas? It has been the bane of my existence for the last few weeks.
Since I moved the sofa into the corner, I’ve played around with what to do with the huge expanse of looming wall. Every time I had a good solution, that pesky 3bay light switch got in the way. And let me get on my high horse and wonder in the name of all that is logical, why in the WORLD would some man decide that it would be smart to put the light switch a full 39 inches away from the edge of the wall? It is so awkward.
My solution was to hang a bracket immediately under the light switch. Then on top of that, I leaned that framed canvas away from the wall so it would give me room to slide my hand back and turn on the lights. You can’t see that the frame is even attached to a nail in the wall so it’s secure. And I even put a large nail underneath {see that there?} to catch the frame if it tries to fall back. Luckily, my top nail is low enough that the frame sits tightly on the shelf and doesn’t move even if it hit it with my hand.
This wall isn’t my favorite wall in my house. If I were rich, I’d probably have a HUGE mirror here to reflect the large window across the room. But, it’s a result of using what I already have, grouping like things together, and incorporating things I love like silhouettes and plates. I’ll tell you about my dwell board and photo canvas of my boys later this week. For now, I’m enjoying not having to get up from the sofa to turn on the overhead light. Maybe that man wasn’t so dumb after all.
PS, I know it will bother you all to no end that I didn’t completely cover the switch by moving the whole wall decor over to the left 3 inches. I just didn’t have it in me. plus, then everything would be even more off center from the sofa. The things I sacrifice for laziness.
great solution, and the new layout looks fab, btw! :) Denise
Great, simple solution. I really dislike poorly placed light switches. I feel a kindred spirit with you with the lightswitch not being entirely covered. Everything I do is slightly off too!
That is brilliant! It looks great.
Brooke
WHAT IF…you collected smaller mirrors and did this wall like your white plate wall? You could paint all the mirror frames the same color. Oh, I think I like that, I am so stealing my own idea. Thanks fo r the inspiration!
Smiles,
Lisa
Lisa T, I really like that idea–I’ve got a small collection of mirrors that I’ve saved for that but never collected enough–even that framed canvas is a mirror underneath the canvas!
We used to have a mirror collection wall in our dining room and my husband said he felt like he was being watched. Weird.
Thanks so much, you might just see that up there one day!
That IS crazy! I hate when light switches get put in inconvenient spots. This is a clever solution, though. I wouldn’t have thought to conceal it that way.
I like Lisa’s idea about the little mirrors. Layla did something like that (Lettered Cottage) and it looks great.
I can’t believe how different your room looks with the new slipcover, window treatments, etc. So fresh and fun! I’m loving it.
I just had to say that I love love love that slipcovered sectional. That is my dream.
I’ve got a wall in one room with a light switch, thermostat and humidifier control thing-y right smack dab in the middle. In another room, there’s a wall with an electrical outlet, phone jack, and double light switch. I used a canvas to cover all but the light switch on that wall. Still, I shake my head and wonder out loud, “What were they thinking?”
Don’t cha just hate light switches in general? I wish we could disguise them entirely, in every room! That was a great solution, thanks for sharing.
I love that wall, a gazillion times better then any ol’ mirror!
I have been waiting for you to get to the photo! I so need to know. Deep down in my soul, need to know.
Nothing about that bothers me…it looks perfect the way it is situated above the couch. And the black and white picture of two little boys…have you mentioned that (and who it is) before and I missed it??….either way, I love it.
Oh look at the cute dog!!!
huh? light switch? Oh…oh I see it now!
I have the alternative problem. There’s no light switch in the living room-want to guess why? Gowon, guess! No?
There’s no light. There are, in fact, no lights on the entire north side of my house. Because the house was built in the 60s I suspect chemical interference of some sort as to the reason there are no lights on one entire half of my house.
…be patient for your mirror…i found a huge huge palladian mirror at the end of summer sale a few years ago at hobby lobby…i would not take anything for it…your mirror is there waiting for you…untill then..your wall looks wonderful…
This wall IS one of my favorites of yours! I love it!
Nester, I have been following your blog for quite some time now, I really enjoy all your wonderful ideas! Just a suggestion for you….what if you just paint the light switch the same color as the wall? That way it would just blend in. We have done that in several rooms of our own. Thanks for all your inspiration ❤
totally true!
Haha, you are awesome.
They put it in that spot precisely for that reason – so you can turn on the lights while sitting on the couch. We had that in our last house. One switch in every living/sitting/dining room was connected to the bottom plug on each wall outlet – so you could flip one switch and the lamps all came on in that room. Perhaps yours are wired that way, too. I used to think it was silly, then we moved and now I’m like, “dang – I have to actually get UP to turn the lights on??”
Thank goodness for PB’s Frame Risers! They have helped me disguise all of the electrical nonscensical placements. However, it’s a pretty sad day when I find myself using the electrical gadgets as a starting point when I’m decorating a wall. Sigh…. We do what we have to do.
You could paint the light switch cover to match the wall…that might help disguise it, if it’s bothering you poking out from behind the frame like that…
I love what you have done in that room! It’s so fresh and up to date. Great job working with the lightswitch. I have one that hides behind a leaner in my kitchen. A girl just does what she has to do!!
I had 2 do the same thing with an old school phone jack that was smack in the middle of a kitchen wall. I just unscrewed the faceplate and hung some art over the rest! With internet-based phones now, these things will soon be obsolete (I hope)!
So, burning question…how are you liking the white sofa? Have you had to wash the slipcovers yet? You’re my gauge before I tackle it myself!
We have a similar situation with a thermostat smack dab in the middle of a wall that would have been great for some frames.
I propose that a woman-owned company should have to do a final walk through of all new construction before it’s legal and point out all the annoying placements of outlets, light switches, thermostats, cable & telephone outlets. We’d be saving future heartache of many home decorators.
I solved this dilemma by using a gallery-wrapped canvas that is thick enough to cover the outlet. Its kinda a pain because I can’t just reach under it like you can here, but not too bad. I like how your wall turned out! I am thinking of doing one of these gallery-type walls in my den–but I keep chickening out because I don’t want it to look schlocky, y’know?
You already came up with a great solution, I know, but have you thought about doing something nutty like finding a beautiful frame that is just big enough to frame a light switch cover? Then your light switch would become part of the arrangement? (It would have to be a deliciously awesome frame to work, I think.)
Ok Large Mirror idea, the dump. I know that sounds crazy i hear all of you gasping right now, only this is the thing, when people are remodeling bathrooms and what not they tend to chuck their large mirrors, we found one there in perfect condition and framed it ourselves, and since I like the tattered old look we used old barn wood so the total cost of such amazing mirror.. FREE. :)
and the light switch I hear you, in fact i have taken to painting them the same color as the wall, they fade away nicely this way. we are military, so renters as well and you will be happy to hear when we have to move we take the switches apart soak in hot water and poof white all over again!
I think you did a pretty good job. I bet that you’re the only one who notices it, except for us now, of course. I love the black and white photo of your boys. :)
I was just cursing the light switches at my house the other day. I am trying to hang more art work on my very sparse entryway wall that not only has two light switches in the middle but an alarm code box as well. I swear there is no thought as to where to place such things. I am excited that I can hang a canvas over the alarm box (I don’t use it- I have a very excitable chocolate that would guard our house with his life, not). Now I just need to paint a canvas and move my mirror and console table over to create some sort of balance, but laziness seems to persevere and I will just walk by daily and curse under my breath.
This is a great solution! (I wouldn’t have noticed that it was peeking out if you didn’t point it out). I have the same problem – thermostats and light switches SMACK DAB in the middle of a wall that would be a perfect spot for some art.
Can the “woman-owned company” doing the final walk thru also check for heating vents placed right under windows? All that warm air blows right up into the curtains!
Our thermostat was placed literally in the middle of 7′+ wall! It drove me absolutely batty that I had someone come out and relocate it closer to the end…. the problem after that was that I had a nice big hole in my wall and I had already painted so I decided to hang a picture over it and now the thermostat makes sense and you can’t see the wall… :) Not sure what to do when we decide to move! Love the way your room as turned out! Wish I had a group of amazing sewers to come and recover some of my stuff!
Why do electricians pick the worst places to put these things?
nice! we have a few annoying light switches in our very old house too. One of them is surrounded by wall sticker branches and birds, so I just kind of made it fit into the design.
But I like the idea of hiding it better.
Fabulous! I am in love with your sense of style.
I LOVE that you put “what was a MAN thinking, putting the lightswitch a good 39″ in on a wall”. This is my PET PEEVE! I have SEVERAL of these obnoxious light switches and plugs that are in the middle of walls! Clearly, we don’t have enough women electricians in the world to think of placement!!
Great idea… and I’m loving the wall decor. I just absolutely adore the chalkboard. My wheels are spinning now… ;)
Great idea! I’ve got an ugly phone jack that we don’t use in the middle of my dining room wall that I’ve been trying to figure out how to hide. Thanks!!!
I love the solution! And the wall looks awesome :-)
Here is my idea for a cheap (free even!) gigantic mirror:
go on freecycle (freecycle.org) or craigslist and see who is getting rid of the giagantic plain boring hideous mirror from above their 1980′s double vanity sink in the bathroom, and then attach it to your wall and frame it out with any kind of fun trim you want from Lowes–they even make mirror edging pieces SPECIFICALLY for that purpose that you can buy at Lowes or HD. we got one of those mirrors (it is GIANT, like 6.5 feet long) and hung it vertically on our playroom wall for the kids-they LOVE it and everyone always asks where we scored such a big mirror-free on freecycle, baby!!!! :)
love it! you could always plop Jack up on the sofa and then everyone would be looking at your chocolate lab on a white sofa! That would deter from the light switch…doncha think?
Love it- looks great! And yes, please tell us about the photo canvas and the curtains!!! You said a long time ago you would tell us about the curtains and I’ve been patiently waiting. :) Please. :)
GREAT idea!!!!
At our last house, the bedroom switches were all about 18 inches away from the door and I thought that distance was annoying. You did a good job decorating around the problem. I didn’t even notice the switch in the first picture!
☺ Celeste
LOL-I had to comment on Lee’s post-OMG I am so with you on the heater vent placement! WHY!??! Why are they under the windows? How does that help in any way?!?! Naturally it’s a concrete slab too, so there’s no moving them.
Nester,
Your wall looks great! One idea to make the switch plate less noticeable, (that you have probably already thought of) is to paint it the same color as the wall. I have done that in my house and it looks great. I even painted the little switches. So far, the paint hasn’t rubbed off and if it does, I will just touch it up. :)
Just a thought.
Love the canvas print of your boys. Precious!
Traci
What a great idea!
I have several of those ‘what were they thinking’ light switches in my house too. Seriously – in the dining room the switch isn’t even on the wall where the door is so you have to walk all the way into the room (and unfortunately, around the dog crate, but we won’t go there) before you find the switch that is nearly in the middle of the side wall. Good thing we never use the dining room.
It looks great! Sometimes I think you forget the very thing you’ve been telling us for so long: It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful! Your room looks awesome!
Looks great! So, I have to ask “did you photoshop a beret on your son’s silhouette in the one pic?”
You can move that switch quite easily. Lutron has a tape-product with electrical wiring in it. You connect it to the existing wires, run it along the OUTSIDE of the wall to where you want it, then smear joint compound over the tape, sand, and paint. You can also get really shallow switch boxes that are the depth of sheetrock. This is an easy peasy project.
I did that on a wall that houses the doorbell and AC switch. It was a huge wall and they put that smack in the middle. Clearly a man designed this house! But it’s cute now!! :)
Try going to a Lowes or a Home Depot for a large mirror – look at the mirrors that you would normally hang in a bathroom. I just got a large mirror to go above my fireplace for only $89 when all others sold elsewhere were $400+!
I’m just laughing because your dog totally has this paranoid/annoyed look, like, “Am I really being photographed right now?? You mean, I have to STAY here?” lol. my labs do that same thing with their ears when they’re told to stay in a picture!
I like how you arranged your wall, and who cares that the light switch isn’t totally covered! Maybe you can just decoupage or paint the switch cover?
Always love your wall arrangements! I think I am inspired to get some silhouettes of my kiddos! :)