How To Hide Cords in Your Kitchen — 5 Styling Tricks for More Minimalist Countertops

Hiding cords on kitchen counters can help maintain a clean and organized look. There’s nothing more jarring when appreciating a stylish, well-thought out kitchen design than a bundle of cords on the kitchen counter from small appliances, phone chargers and more.

It’s a very simple thing that can easily be avoided if you know how to organize a kitchen properly, so here are a few suggestions to hide cords effectively.

1. Cable Management Clips

The odd cable or two is forgivable but it’s often the way they look that feels cluttered. You can organize your electrical cords by using cable management clips to tidily attach them to your work surface. 

Professional organizer Di Ter Avest suggests that you ‘use cable management clips or organizers to bundle and secure cords together. These clips can be attached to the underside of the countertop or the back of cabinets’. 

Using cable clips isn’t the most seamless solution but it definitely reduces the look of clutter on your kitchen countertops.

2. Hidden Storage

(Image credit: Julie Soefer. Design: Marie Flanigan Interiors)

Coming up with innovative storage solutions is a great way of disguising unsightly cords. Shelagh Conway, Principal and Founder of Triple Heart Design says ‘hiding cords in the kitchen can be a challenge with the many appliances we all have. We like to plan our outlets to keep the counters clutter-free! A pop-up mixer shelf that has an outlet in the cabinet is fabulous - pull it out, use it, and put it away out of sight’. 

Alternatively, choose kitchen storage ideas that can be designated to store any loose cords or plugs. A stylish rattan basket would be a fabulous addition to any contemporary kitchen. 

Or, if you simply don’t want cords anywhere near your kitchen counters then store your appliances away after using them. If you have a pantry area or a kitchen island that incorporates large drawers, then these are ideal for keeping small appliances stored.

3. Cord Concealers

If the design of your kitchen can’t be altered in a way that can easily hide cords, coming up with a compromise is a good idea. Professional organizer Di suggests cord concealers as a way of neatly disguising them. ‘Cord concealers are plastic channels that can be mounted on walls or underneath surfaces. They are designed to hide and protect cords. Choose a color that matches your countertop or kitchen cabinet color for a seamless look’. 

If your worktop is marble or a marble-like quartz, then white cord concealers will work perfectly. It’s all about distracting the eye, so making sure cords are concealed will do the trick.

4. Use Clever Styling

(Image credit: Joshua McHugh. Design: McKay)

This idea may not work for minimalist kitchens but an effective way of hiding cords in a kitchen is to decorate in front of them. For example, lean a chopping board against the wall to cover a plug socket, or create a floral display in a vase that can be moved around to disguise unsightly cords. 

Although this isn’t a permanent solution, it’s a great tip for homeowners that can’t rearrange the layout or design of their kitchen but still want to create an uncluttered looking space.

5. In-drawer Outlets

(Image credit: Madeleine Harper. Design: Triple Heart Design)

If you’re redesigning your kitchen and have the budget to rearrange your electrics, then it may be worth investing in in-drawer outlets. Di says ‘if possible, install in-drawer outlets to keep charging devices and cords inside drawers. This way, you can close the drawer when not in use, as your charging station while hiding the cords’. 

Another term coined by designers for storing away appliances in cupboards or drawers is ‘appliance garage’. This simply refers to a designated space in your kitchen that can be hidden away to store all of your countertop appliances. Shelagh claims ’in-drawer docking stations for small appliances work well, as do outlets in appliance garages or cabinets’. These are effective ways of keeping your cords out of sight and out of mind, resulting in a decluttered kitchen.

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