Wires drive us nuts. That's why we were so happy to see this tip from Tyson. This how-to, Declutter Your Desk, is a helpful, cheap way to cut down on exposed computer wires and devices. Van Mardian has created this do-it-yourself system that completely hides everything under the desktop itself.
Pegboard is mounted to the underside of the desk, creating a field on which all external computer equipment is secured. Extra lengths of wire is secured here, too, leaving a clean and peaceful desktop. All for around $30, not including equipment, of course.
See the link above for lots of step-by-step photos of Merdian's project and shots of his readers' own renditions. The photo we're showing is one of his reader's solutions, complete with wireless keyboard and mouse. But this can be done without that fancy stuff, too.
(Thanks for the tip, Tyson!)
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
This is great, unless you have a desk that you care about. I won't be attaching pegboard to the underside of my Stickley library table anytime soon.
I've got a glass-topped desk. But I must be able to adapt this idea somehow. My efforts at cord control to date have been unsuccessful.
one thing to keep in mind- almost all of these devices produce a fair ammount of heat when being used- mounting them under the desk while cute will not only expose your legs to the heat but will also trap the heat thus raising the temperature higher and possibly shortening the life of the devices...
A clean desk is a happy desk. :-)
I'm building my own desk (with legs from hairpinlegs.com and 2 pieces of precut birch plywood from rockler.com). The two pieces are held 3" apart so all the cords, cables, drives, and surge protectors can tuck in between.
With additional air circulation (perhaps a small USB powered fan?), this could be a perfect solution. As Julian already noted, radiant heat is something to monitor carefully. I've burned out a Dish Network HD receiver due to poor air circulation once before, all in the name of aesthetics. Live and learn (and thankfully my unit was under warranty coverage).
The fan is a great idea. Though I wonder if adding more ventilation to the bottom piece might be enough? I had a similar set-up before, but it was only cords, not drives, in the middle area. Heat wasn't anything I had to worry about then. I'll look into some extra precautions! Thanks -- sB
thank you. i cannot wait to try this out.
("\(^_^)/")
why would anyone hide the beautifully designed mac mini, yet display those ugly speakers?