The "before" picture of a loose wire
How hard is it to keep all your cables neatly organized in your office. Nearly impossible, right? Power cables, external hard drive hook-ups, USB cables to connect your camera and printer. The list goes on and on.
Tools needed for this project:
When re-working my office last week, I desperately tried to keep cord clutter to a minimum. There were some that I was able to manage quite well, but one in particular gave me quite a headache. When we moved in to Santa Cruz, I was in a hurry to get the internet connected, and the easiest way was to use a coaxial cable for my ATT Uverse connection. And the only port for the coaxial cable in my office was under the only window.
Windows are key. In any room. And I especially want lots of great natural light (and a good view) in my office. So I move all the furniture around to highlight the window from my desk. I’m still working on the perfect window treatment Hint: think shoji screen, but for now I am simply using the standard mini-blinds that have been there since the end of time.
Anyway, the internet comes into my office right below the window. And attached to the cable is a wireless router/modem, and a uninterruptible power supply to keep me connected even if we get a blackout. Two super ugly boxes with blinking lights. Not design friendly, and definitely not clean looking. So the first thing I did was find a place for them in the closet, hidden away, and then I found a coaxial cable just the right length to reach the boxes now hidden in the closet.
But the problem is coaxial cable is difficult to manage. It’s thick, and wiry, and never lays flat. And since it was coming out from the wall right next to my chair, I was always bumping into it, hooking my chair on it, and it was just getting in the way.
It was impossible to hide the cable without going into the attic and pulling the cable down the wall and creating a new drop box (which I’ll end up doing someday). Ideally, I’ll climb up in the attic, and wire it right. But for now it’s on my honey-do list.
But today I did a 5-minute fix that cleaned up the loose wire, and made a 100% improvement. During one of my monthly trips to Ikea I saw the Montera cable management kit. I think it was about $10 bucks, and so I picked a couple of them up. They are full of little cable management clips, straps, and holders. You can see a a bunch of them in the photos below. The kit is great for hiding TV cables, managing stereo cables, and general wire management.
All I did was take some of the white clips with pre-installed nails and used them to hold the coaxial cable flush against the baseboard and carpet. 5 clips, spaced 8 inches apart, and my job was done. you can see the before and after pics. Don’t you think the after is better? I do.
What do you do to manage your cables? Tell us your tips in the comments below.
Ikea cable management
The Ikea Montera cable management kit has different compartments for the pieces to stay organized
There are different clips and cable holders in the kit.
These cable holders are great for phone lines
These cable holders are the perfect size for coaxial cable.
I love the Ikea Montera cable management kit. As I use the different pieces, I refill the box with new items from Home Depot
The cable is almost invisible after using these techniques.
