Tips & Advantages of Implementing Floor Outlets
Whew, we made it to Friday, friends! It has been a wild week over here. Anyone else? From a power outage to multiple trips to the doctor, and some rough days in between, I’m definitely ready for the weekend ahead! The weather is supposed to be in the 70’s and I can’t wait to get outside. Today’s topic is a highly requested one as of late… I’ve had multiple messages asking for additional details on floor outlets. Most recently, I shared some IG stories of the floor outlet in my home office. I thought I’d cover the basics here in a permanent post on the blog, if anyone would like to save or reference this later on. Click through for my design tips, some advantages of floor outlets, planning, resources, and ideas for installing these handy electrical components…
First let’s talk about the pros to implementing floor outlets in your home. You know I’m a big fan of layered lighting and the biggest perk, in my opinion, is better cord management… especially for floor lamps. I like a floated floor plan (no main furniture pushed against a wall), but rather positioned in a centric location in a space. This means floor lamp cords have to find the closest outlet to be functional, which in turn can lead to a cord eyesore. The solution for a clean, less obtrusive cord look? Floor outlets!
The same goes for rooms that include electronics- like my home office, for example. My desk is in the center of the room, looking out the glass doors, and my computer obviously sits atop my desk. Rather than having a cord jungle connected to one of the perimeter walls, we opted to install a sleek brass floor outlet behind the front leg of my desk.
I ended up using a few basic things we already had on hand to make my computer cord look less noticeable: black electrical tape, black zip ties, and velcro.
I taped the lower portion of the computer cord black to blend more seamlessly with my barley twist desk. Monochromatic tape that matches the background is your friend in these scenarios!
Next, I used a few black zip ties to secure the cord to the back of the desk leg… along with some velcro to hold the excess cord underneath the desk top. From there, it plugs directly into the floor outlet.
I’ve got some quick cord hiding & floor outlet tips for you:
- Use zip ties or velcro to keep cords in place, out of sight.
- Try using electrical tape to wrap cords in a monochromatic non discreet color.
- Don’t be afraid to layer a rug over a floor outlet, cutting a clean small hole for easy access.
- If you’re worried about your rug fraying, surge the edge or have it done professionally… you can also run a bead of fray check around the perimeter to keep it from unraveling.
- Choose an aesthetically pleasing floor outlet or one that easily blends with your flooring & functional needs.
- Plan ahead and integrate floor outlets into your design & floor plan prior to starting a project (though they can also be added after the fact- it’s just more work).
We landed on this particular model floor outlet– it has two standard plugs and two USB ports, but I only cut my rug to accommodate access to one outlet. I use the charging port and my computer on the desktop to plug in additional items… like charging my phone, external hard drives, wireless mouse & keyboard, etc. It’s nice to have the option to expose more of the outlet though, should I ever need additional plugs. For now- my computer cord is all I need. I’ll link a variety of floor outlets, zip ties & electrical tape (in common colors), and supplies for you below. Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below, and have a fantastic weekend ahead!