Decorating Guides
9 Clever Ways to Disguise the Uglies
Check out these nine ingenious ways to conceal or distract attention from some common eyesores around your home
Whether it’s unsightly wiring, a bad outlook or a laundry that opens onto your living space, nearly every home has the odd awkward feature. But if you’re not looking to renovate your home any time soon and know you’ll be stuck with the uglies for a while, fear not – here are nine nifty tricks to disguise them.
1. Hide clutter under the stairs
Bulky items such as the vacuum cleaner and broom are a necessity in every home, but finding a way to keep them out of sight but within easy reach can be a challenge. If your home is over two levels, consider adding a built-in cupboard under the stairs with custom storage to accommodate awkwardly shaped cleaning items.
Bulky items such as the vacuum cleaner and broom are a necessity in every home, but finding a way to keep them out of sight but within easy reach can be a challenge. If your home is over two levels, consider adding a built-in cupboard under the stairs with custom storage to accommodate awkwardly shaped cleaning items.
2. Soften an abrupt transition
It would have been all too easy to paint over the exposed brick wall in this open kitchen so it matched the white walls. But in the process, the owners would have lost a little piece of their home’s character and history.
Instead, they’ve retained the original brickwork and detracted attention from the abrupt transition between the two differently coloured sections of wall. How? By positioning a retro colour-coordinated fridge and adding open shelves filled with a curated selection of bright cans and jars.
It would have been all too easy to paint over the exposed brick wall in this open kitchen so it matched the white walls. But in the process, the owners would have lost a little piece of their home’s character and history.
Instead, they’ve retained the original brickwork and detracted attention from the abrupt transition between the two differently coloured sections of wall. How? By positioning a retro colour-coordinated fridge and adding open shelves filled with a curated selection of bright cans and jars.
3. Consider a strategically placed green wall
Most gardens can’t do without a shed to house the lawnmower, outdoor furniture and tools, but the reality is that, very often, they are an eyesore. If this is the case in your outdoor space, consider concealing your garden shed behind a vertical wall of lush greenery, as the owners have done here.
Does your garden need a makeover? Find a local landscape designer on Houzz to help
Most gardens can’t do without a shed to house the lawnmower, outdoor furniture and tools, but the reality is that, very often, they are an eyesore. If this is the case in your outdoor space, consider concealing your garden shed behind a vertical wall of lush greenery, as the owners have done here.
Does your garden need a makeover? Find a local landscape designer on Houzz to help
4. Show your laundry some love
If your small laundry is located in a hallway or can be viewed from the living spaces in your home, chances are you’ll want to find a way to conceal it when it’s not in use, while making it as workable as possible come laundry day. Here’s a solution: specify built-in cupboards that hide the washer and dryer away and include a pull-out ironing board and benchtop.
If your small laundry is located in a hallway or can be viewed from the living spaces in your home, chances are you’ll want to find a way to conceal it when it’s not in use, while making it as workable as possible come laundry day. Here’s a solution: specify built-in cupboards that hide the washer and dryer away and include a pull-out ironing board and benchtop.
5. Squeeze in a slender butler’s pantry
Dreaming of a butler’s pantry that keeps all your kitchen mess hidden away but don’t think you have the space? Consider a slimline design that’s tucked behind a feature tiled splashback. Go door-free, like the owners have done here, to make traffic flow as comfortable as possible…
Dreaming of a butler’s pantry that keeps all your kitchen mess hidden away but don’t think you have the space? Consider a slimline design that’s tucked behind a feature tiled splashback. Go door-free, like the owners have done here, to make traffic flow as comfortable as possible…
…Here’s a view of that clever kitchen from the front.
6. Detract from a boring wall
If you’re looking to jazz up a bland frontage, consider timber battens – they add warmth, dimension and interest to your home’s exterior and, being open in design, they won’t prevent the light from flowing into your home’s interior. Ticks in every box.
If you’re looking to jazz up a bland frontage, consider timber battens – they add warmth, dimension and interest to your home’s exterior and, being open in design, they won’t prevent the light from flowing into your home’s interior. Ticks in every box.
7. Office as art
No room for a dedicated home office? No problem. Consider a customised joinery wall with a desk where you can work and cupboards and shelves to tuck everything away when you’re done, from your laptop and paperwork to folders and stationery. Take it next level by dispensing with plain cabinetry doors and opting for eye-catching ones that resemble a work of art when closed.
No room for a dedicated home office? No problem. Consider a customised joinery wall with a desk where you can work and cupboards and shelves to tuck everything away when you’re done, from your laptop and paperwork to folders and stationery. Take it next level by dispensing with plain cabinetry doors and opting for eye-catching ones that resemble a work of art when closed.
8. Hide it behind sliders
Looking for ways to make your open-plan kitchen sit comfortably alongside the adjoining living area? One clever solution is to keep the working parts of the kitchen tucked away (but easily accessible) behind large, sliding doors. When closed, they’ll simply look like joinery; when open, they make the kitchen ready for use.
Looking for ways to make your open-plan kitchen sit comfortably alongside the adjoining living area? One clever solution is to keep the working parts of the kitchen tucked away (but easily accessible) behind large, sliding doors. When closed, they’ll simply look like joinery; when open, they make the kitchen ready for use.
Sliding doors work a treat in other parts of your home too – here, they’re used to hide the television when it’s not in use.
Browse more gorgeous Indian living rooms on Houzz
Browse more gorgeous Indian living rooms on Houzz
Another way to detract attention from an ugly television is to hide it in plain sight against a charcoal-painted wall and let it blend in.
9. Celebrate your home’s quirks
From wiring casing, awkwardly placed walls and brickwork that’s seen better days… older homes often have features you’d rather wish they didn’t. If you’re not in a position to alter them, why not change your mindset and celebrate your home’s eccentricities instead? Here, the owners have made a feature of the exposed wire casing along their living room ceiling, opting for attention-grabbing cherry red to harmonise with the rug.
Read more:
How to Design a Modern Indian Home9 Indian Homes That Celebrate Vernacular Architecture & Design
Tell us:
What’s your best hack for hiding the less-than-perfect features in your home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
From wiring casing, awkwardly placed walls and brickwork that’s seen better days… older homes often have features you’d rather wish they didn’t. If you’re not in a position to alter them, why not change your mindset and celebrate your home’s eccentricities instead? Here, the owners have made a feature of the exposed wire casing along their living room ceiling, opting for attention-grabbing cherry red to harmonise with the rug.
Read more:
How to Design a Modern Indian Home9 Indian Homes That Celebrate Vernacular Architecture & Design
Tell us:
What’s your best hack for hiding the less-than-perfect features in your home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
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