We all want to live in hi-tech homes, surrounded by the comforts that the most up-to-date gadgets can bring. Sound systems, huge flat-screen TVs, elaborate home computer set-ups and bulky air conditioners and dehumidifiers may enhance our lives, but such conveniences come at a price: ugly spaghetti junctions of wiring, switches and electrical sockets.
Experts say that with good planning, such eyesores can be reduced or eliminated. Renovating provides an opportunity to decide what's needed and where, and to conceal all the unsightly spaghetti.
Architects and designers can plan wiring and cabling in walls, under floors and in ceilings. 'Architects can also install recessed trunking in walls or allow wiring to run inside built-in desks and cabinets with access doors and covers,' says architect Hubert Un of Hubert Un & Associates.
If renovating isn't on the cards, a cable management system can help to tidy up your space. 'Bundling wires together with spirals or ties helps reduce mess and fixing these bundles to the undersides of desks or cabinets can get them effectively out of sight,' says architect Adrian McCarroll of Original Vision.
Plastic raceways (PVC covers) and baseboard cord organisers are available at most hardware stores and are great for hiding speaker wires and most types of low-voltage wiring from computers, TVs and phones. They come in a variety of colours and can be painted.
Michelle Koller, creative director of Tequila Kola, suggests concealing wiring and plug sockets with cloth tucked behind cabinets. 'If the cabinet is dark wood, use a black cloth. If it's white, use a light coloured cloth,' she says. 'The fabric will blend in and look like it's part of its shadow.'