One of the small issues that drive me absolutely nutty in an otherwise well put together room is when I can’t get the furniture to push all the way up against the wall.  That big gap is just as ugly as leaving your toilet seats up.

The fact that I can not push this bookcase in Emma’s room up against the wall wears me out.  Perhaps I pay way too much attention to things like this, but it is what it is.  Nearly 100% of the time, this problem is due to those pesky AC plugs.  When plugged into the wall, those plugs and their protected bases stick out almost 2 inches.

I finally decided that enough was enough, and I needed a low profile plug solution.  All it took was a quick trip to Home Depot.

We bought a flat plugged extension cord, and I am now able to push the bookcase nearly all the way back to the baseboard.  What a difference!

You have several different options for low profile solutions in your home.  They are easy to use and make a world of difference.  Here are some of my favorites:

Low Profile Plug and Cable Solutions

1.  Flat Plugged Extension Cord – As shown in my example above, this option is the easiest and quickest way to work with traditional AC plugs.  The profile of the flat plug is less than 1 inch, whereas a traditional AC plug takes up nearly 2 inches when plugged into the wall.  This cord can be purchased at home improvement stores – mine is from Home Depot and cost $9 for a 3 grounded outlet cord.

2.  Triple Cube Swivel Plug – This is a cheap and useful plug when you are dealing with non-grounded plugs (i.e. 2 pronged or flat plugs).  You plug the triple cube into your wall and rotate the 3 non-grounded outlets to point down.  The profile of this plug is 1 inch, so it takes up about an inch of space less than just plugging a traditional AC plug into the wall.  This plug can be purchased at home improvement stores for about $3.

3.  Recessed Outlet – If you are electrically inclined, replacing your standard outlet with a recessed outlet is another option.  Traditionally used for home theaters (like recessing your power cords behind a flat screen TV), this outlet works great behind a piece of furniture.  The recessed portion is almost an inch deep in the above recessed outlet ($8 at Home Depot), but you may be able to find deeper recesses if you look online.

4.  Male to Female Right Angle Adapter – Another cord issue you may have behind a piece of furniture is the annoying coaxial cable.  Your cable signal is greatly effected by how tightly you are able to screw in the cable to the receptacle.  With a right angle adapter, you can screw your coax into the receptacle in such a way so that your can get it tight and there is no pressure on it from trying to push a piece of furniture back to the wall on top of it.  We used this same adapter (purchased for under $2 at Altex) in our bedroom, and we were able to push the dresser where our TV sits about 2 inches closer to the wall.

Do you think any of these options help you keep a low profile behind your furniture?  What other solutions do you use?

I hear a lot of people say that they shy away from color because it scares them.  I understand that concern.  No one wants their living room to look like a Mexican restaurant or Barney’s sound stage.

Color doesn’t have to be scary.  Start by picking one bold piece to paint, and you’ll see how much fun it can be.  You can select any color of the rainbow.

If you had zero inhibitions, what color would you paint a fun piece of furniture?  What are you waiting for?

Photo credits: pink dresser – Making It Lovely;  red hutch – Desire to Inspire;  orange dresser – Cococozy;  yellow dresser – Living With Lindsay;  green desk – Natty by Design; blue table – Sweet Home Style;  purple dresser – The Decorista.