Hide Living Room Eyesores: 14 Clever Tricks That Make Cords and Clutter Vanish Before Holiday Guests Arrive

If you want to hide living room eyesores before the holidays, you are not alone. Every home has them: the tangle of cords behind the TV, the blinking router, the beige thermostat right in the middle of a nice wall, and the toys that seem to multiply overnight. You stop seeing them after a while, but guests notice the second they walk in. The good news is that you do not need a renovation to fix any of it. A few baskets, a can of paint, an old picture frame and one free afternoon can make your living room look calm, tidy and ready for company. These fourteen clever tricks are cheap, renter friendly in most cases, and so simple you will wonder why you waited..

Hide Living Room Eyesores Like the Router in a Woven Box

When you set out to hide living room eyesores, the router is usually the first thing people spot, with its blinking lights and nest of cables. A lidded woven box on a console table hides it in seconds and looks like a pretty storage piece. Pick a box with a loose weave or cut a few small holes in the back, because routers need air to stay cool and work well. Add a framed print, a plant and a strand of fresh pine, and suddenly that corner looks styled on purpose. Ready to find the right basket for your router..

You will need: A lidded woven or wicker box a little bigger than your router, a craft knife, a framed print, a small plant.

How to make it: 1. Measure your router and choose a box with at least two inches of space around it. 2. With an adult using the craft knife, cut a cord hole and a few vent holes in the back. 3. Set the router inside, close the lid, and style the console around it.

Paint a Cord Cover to Match the Wall

Wires dangling below a wall mounted TV can ruin an otherwise lovely room, and this is the easiest way to hide living room eyesores like them. A paintable cord cover channel is a cheap hardware store fix that sticks to the wall and snaps shut over the cables. The real trick is painting it the exact color of your wall, so your eye skips right over it. A small sample pot is all you need. Your TV suddenly looks like it was installed by a pro. Is there a dangling wire in your home right now?

You will need: A paintable adhesive cord cover kit, a small sample pot of wall paint, a mini foam roller, a level, scissors.

How to make it: 1. Measure from the TV to the console and cut the channel to size. 2. Paint the channel with your wall color and let it dry. 3. Stick it on the wall with a level, tuck the cords inside and snap the cover closed.

A Fake Book Box for Ugly Gadgets

This one makes guests do a double take, and it is a fun way to hide living room eyesores with things you already love. Thrifted hardcover books with their pages removed become the front of a simple wooden box, and it looks just like a stack of old classics on your shelf. Inside, you can tuck a router, a modem, or a tangle of chargers. Leave the back open so air can move freely. Old books cost pennies at library sales, and the faded spines look wonderful in a cozy room. Which old books would you use?

You will need: Three or four thrifted hardcover books, a small wooden crate or box, wood glue, a craft knife, clamps.

How to make it: 1. With adult help, cut the pages out of each book, keeping the covers and spines. 2. Glue the spines across the front of the box and clamp until dry. 3. Glue one cover on top as a lid, leave the back open for air, and slide your gadget inside.

Hide Living Room Eyesores With a Gallery Wall Around the TV

A big black TV screen can feel like a hole in the wall when it is off. Surround it with a gallery of frames, and it becomes just one more dark shape in a pretty arrangement. Mix black and natural wood frames, and use free printable botanical art or your own photos. If cords run down the wall behind the frames, the frames can cover them too. Lay your layout out on the floor first so you do not make extra nail holes. What would you hang around yours?

You will need: Eight to twelve frames in mixed sizes, art prints, kraft paper, painter’s tape, picture hooks, a level.

How to make it: 1. Trace each frame on kraft paper, cut out the shapes and tape them to the wall around the TV. 2. Adjust until the spacing looks even, about two inches apart. 3. Nail hooks through the paper, tear it away and hang the frames.

A Hinged Frame Over the Thermostat

Thermostats always seem to land in the middle of the best wall. Of all the living room eyesores, this one needs the cleverest cover. A deep shadow box frame mounted on two small hinges hides it behind art, and it swings open whenever you need to change the temperature. Leave a small gap at the bottom and sides so the thermostat can still read the room air correctly. Guests will only see a sweet framed print. This is one of those weekend projects that makes people ask who your decorator is. Would you hide yours behind a botanical print or a family photo?

You will need: A deep shadow box frame, two small hinges, a magnetic catch, screws, wall anchors, a drill used by an adult.

How to make it: 1. Remove the glass back and check the frame clears the thermostat by at least an inch. 2. Screw the hinges to one side of the frame, then to the wall with anchors. 3. Add a magnetic catch on the other side so it stays shut.

Hide Living Room Eyesores Like the Power Strip in a Box

Power strips on the floor collect dust and look messy, especially by the sofa where everyone charges their phones. A simple wooden box with a lid and a hole at each end hides it completely. You can build one from scrap boards or paint an unfinished craft store box. Keep the lid loose and the ends open so heat can escape, and never pile blankets on top. It is a tidy fix that also keeps little fingers and pets away from plugs. How many power strips are hiding in your living room?

You will need: An unfinished wooden box with a lid, a hole saw or large drill bit, sandpaper, white paint, a brush.

How to make it: 1. With an adult, drill a cord hole about two inches wide in each short end of the box. 2. Sand the edges smooth and paint the box white. 3. Set the power strip inside, feed the cords through the holes and rest the lid on top.

Peel and Stick Panels on a Dated Media Cabinet

If you want to hide living room eyesores like game consoles and remotes, an old media cabinet does a great job, but it may look tired. Peel and stick fluted wood panels turn flat doors into a designer piece that looks like it came from a pricey furniture store. Add round brass knobs and the whole thing feels new for a fraction of the cost. It is a perfect project for a renter or anyone on a budget. Hide the clutter inside, and the cabinet becomes the star. Does your media cabinet need a makeover?

You will need: Peel and stick fluted panel sheets, a measuring tape, a sharp utility knife, a ruler, new knobs, a screwdriver.

How to make it: 1. Remove the old knobs and wipe the doors clean. 2. Measure each door, have an adult cut the panels to size with a ruler and knife, then press them on firmly. 3. Drill through the panel at the old holes and screw on the new knobs.

Hide Living Room Eyesores With a Storage Ottoman

Toys are the eyesore that comes back every single day. A large storage ottoman doubles as a coffee table, a footrest and a giant toy box. At the end of the day, everything goes inside and the lid closes on the mess. Put a wooden tray on top so it can hold drinks and books. Look for one with a lid that stays open on its own, so small fingers do not get pinched. When guests arrive, your living room looks grown up again. Could this end your nightly toy cleanup?

You will need: A lidded storage ottoman with a soft close hinge, a wooden tray, a few fabric bins for sorting inside.

How to make it: 1. Sort toys into two or three fabric bins by type. 2. Place the bins inside the ottoman so things stay tidy. 3. Set a tray on top for drinks and make cleanup a quick nightly habit.

A Folding Screen for a Cluttered Corner

Every home has that corner where the vacuum, the gift wrap and the laundry basket live. A folding screen is one of the prettiest ways to hide living room eyesores, and it covers the whole thing behind something beautiful. Carved wood screens look rich, but you can also make your own by hinging three hollow core doors or framed fabric panels together. Paint or stain it to match your room, and it becomes a piece of decor rather than a cover up. During the holidays, it can even hide the stash of wrapped gifts. What is hiding in your messy corner?

You will need: Three hollow core doors or tall wooden frames, six door hinges, screws, paint or stain, fabric (optional).

How to make it: 1. Paint or stain each panel and let it dry. 2. Lay the panels side by side and screw two hinges between each pair, alternating sides so it folds in a zigzag. 3. Stand it up in a gentle zigzag in front of the corner.

Curtains on an Open Shelf

Open shelves look great in magazines, but in real life the bottom shelves fill up with board games, cables and odds and ends. A tension rod and a simple curtain panel hide the busy part while the top stays pretty. Sheer fabric keeps the room light, while a heavier linen hides more. You can even switch to a red plaid curtain for December. No tools, no holes, and it takes five minutes. Which shelf in your home needs a curtain?

You will need: A tension rod, a curtain panel or a piece of fabric, clip rings, scissors, iron on hem tape.

How to make it: 1. Measure the opening and set the tension rod just under the shelf you want to hide. 2. Hem the fabric to length with iron on tape. 3. Clip it onto the rod with rings so it slides open easily.

A Tray to Corral Coffee Table Clutter

Remotes, coasters, lip balm and mail tend to spread across the coffee table like a slow flood. To hide living room eyesores on the coffee table, one good tray gathers it all into a single spot, and suddenly the clutter looks like a styled vignette. Wood, rattan or a thrifted silver tray all work. Add a small plant or a candle style battery light, and you have decor rather than mess. When company comes, the whole tray can lift away in one move. What lives on your coffee table right now?

You will need: A large tray, a small plant or bowl, coasters, a little dish for small items.

How to make it: 1. Clear the coffee table completely. 2. Put back only the daily items, all inside the tray. 3. Add one pretty piece like a plant, and give everything else a new home.

Hide Living Room Eyesores Like Chargers in One Spot

Charging cables snake across side tables and sofa arms all day long. Pick one drawer or a lidded box near an outlet and make it the family charging spot. Drill a small hole in the back for the power cord, put a short power strip inside, and label each cable. Phones charge out of sight and nobody hunts for a cord again. Leave the drawer slightly open while charging so heat can escape. There is a great video tour of genius ways to hide wires and cords if you want more ideas. Where would your charging spot go?

You will need: A drawer or lidded wooden box near an outlet, a short power strip, cable labels, a drill used by an adult.

How to make it: 1. With an adult, drill a hole in the back of the drawer or box for the plug. 2. Set a short power strip inside and plug in the charging cables. 3. Label each cable and keep the drawer cracked open while phones charge.

Baskets on Open Shelves

Baskets are the oldest trick in the book because they work. A row of matching baskets on open shelves turns a jumble of remotes, game controllers, blankets and papers into a calm, cozy look. Use the same color and texture so the shelf feels planned. A small tag on each basket helps the whole family put things back. Thrift stores often have great baskets for a dollar or two. For even more clever cover ups, see how we tackled kitchens with these ideas to hide kitchen eyesores. How many baskets would your shelves need?

You will need: Matching woven baskets, small tags, string or ribbon, a marker.

How to make it: 1. Empty the shelves and sort everything into piles. 2. Give each pile its own basket. 3. Tie a small tag on each one and slide them back onto the shelves.

A Plant to Soften an Outlet Cluster

Some outlets and cable plates sit at awkward heights where furniture cannot cover them. A leafy plant is the gentlest way to hide living room eyesores like these. A plant on a dresser or stand right in front of them hides the plate behind a burst of green. Choose an easy plant like a pothos or a snake plant, and use a saucer so water never drips near the plug. Faux plants work just as well and need zero care. A little greenery always makes a room feel fresh and welcoming. Do you have a spot that needs a plant?

You will need: A leafy real or faux plant, a pot with a saucer, a small plant stand or dresser top.

How to make it: 1. Place the stand or dresser so the plant sits in front of the outlet. 2. Set the pot on a saucer, well away from the plug. 3. Turn the pot every week so it grows full on all sides.