apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

There is a solution, but why bother. You are a renter and it would cost a lot of money. Do you like that mirror that much? Alright, pay and electrician to move the circuit breaker pannel. If you don't like the pannel, get a frame with a hollow back to cover it. Good luck!

yeah, speaking from experience - its a fire hazard. Local FD and landlord will get pissy if they find that you've covered it. they are an eyesore and rarely placed in pleasing way.

A previous employer tried to do this at the office and could have been fined for it.

maybe they is a clever way to disguise it w/o totally covering it. Shelf with a tall plant? Sheet of translucent plastic?

Hang a picture frame over it and put the mirror beside the picture frame.

Perhaps you could center a large wooden panel on the wall, just a few inches shy of the wall edge on every side, and put an unobtrusive hinge on one side so it could open like a door when necessary. Then you could hang the mirror on the wooden panel.

This isn't what you're asking for, but it might be nice, anyway:

Have that wall be a little arrangement of mirrors -- put the one you have to the right of the box; put a different one below the box; and then, to cover the box, buy a ready-made shadow-box picture frame like they sell almost everywhere these days (Target and Crate & Barrel leap to mind) in a size just a tad bigger than the box and just change out the glass for a piece of mirror, which wouldn't cost all that much.

Then just install the mirror with some cardboard behind it and some glazing points, or small brads, and then take out the original back-most backing to accommodate the depth of the box, and then just put a saw-tooth hanger on the edge of the back of the frame and hang.

VERY easy to take that down whenever you need to.

I hung a ceiling mounted drapery panel in front of mine (hung so it was not totally flush against the wall). Do that, then hang the mirror from eye hooks (or similar) and monofilamant from the ceiling

Or just find a wider mirror you love. :)

I think the fabric is a great idea! It could bring in some color and hide the hideous box!

Did your box not come with a door? Mine has a door, so I just painted right over it and it blends in pretty well.

As for Thrillhouse's warnings...in over 15 years of renting, I've never had "local FD" or my landlord have a need to check my circuit breakers. Maybe I'm lucky, but it's not something I would worry about.

You could always use removable curtain rods (hang the mirror from the rod somehow??) so that the fabric could be lifted for easy access.

i guess this would depend on the rest of your apartment, but i would put the mirror somewhere else. it's a lovely mirror, and even if you took maxwell's suggestion it still might not be shown off to perfection.

what i would do here to take the edge off the box is this: hang a picture ledge. you could lean a framed piece of art against the box, which you could easily remove if you need to fool around in there or if the landlord is coming over.

I like P(2)'s idea.

I'm lucky in that mine is behind my bedroom door--but it also helped that my landlord painted it. Why is there no cover on that? Sheesh. At least it could have a cover that you could paint. This is one of those examples of something that doesn't have to be ugly really, but is.

I just bought 2 pure silk chairs in a very light color. However, now I am afraid that they are going to get stains on them which will be tough to remove. Anyone here has had experience with silk chairs - if scotch gaurd works on them or any other suggestions...please help

question - can you hammer in nails above (or around) the circuit breaker panel? i was thinking of hanging a picture over mine but was worried I would be hammering into wires and either damaging them or electrocuting myself....anyone know?

Maybe try hanging a very shallow box of plywood or drywall, painted to match the wall ... think of a deep artist's canvas, only stronger, that can be removed like a painting. Then hang the mirror on that. Since the shallow box would blend in with the surrounding wall color, your mirror remains the focal point.

Why is everyone getting so complicated? Simply buy a pre-stretched canvas at your local art store. Make sure it is large enough to:

a) cover the panel while remaining centered on the wall;
b) accommodate the mirror.

Paint the canvas your favorite color or wrap it in fabric. Hang it on the wall with a couple of nails. Hammer a nail through the canvas into the drywall behind and hang your mirror.

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

My landlord is a contractor, so I have no idea why he didn't paint the panel when he painted everything else, and unfortunately, there's no door. The paint is new, so I doubt the box was added after the fact (unless it was by a couple of hours).

I think I'll do some experimenting with different ideas to see which I like best in application. This is the only narrow stip of wall in my apartment, so it's really the best place for the mirror. And it was a gift from my mom specifically to help me fill that space, so I think I owe it to her to find a way.

P2 - I think that's a great idea, but I'm a little wary of hanging anything off the wall even slightly because I'm in CA earthquake country.

Maybe you could try a coat rack above it and hang your jackets or purses, that way you can get to it if you need to.

Get a large leaning mirror and lean it against the wall. The extra visual will open the space up creating the illusion that there is more room and light there there really is, and you will always be able to see how fabulous looking you are just before you leave out each day.

KT--
How is hanging something (securely) but slightly off the wall any more risky than hanging it on a nail on the wall?

Since you don't have a (metal, and therefore fireproof)door on that circuit panel, hanging fabric over it would be a major fire hazard (circuits can throw a spark when you get a surge). Leaning a mirror against the wall in that location would create a tripping hazard. If, however, you stretched a canvas on extra-wide bars (so that the surface of the canvas stood away from the wall more than normal), you could safely "cap" that breaker and cover it at the same time. The primer and paint on the canvas would make it somewhat less flammable, but you might want to back it with a layer of fireproof insulation or a fire retardant fabric spray just to be safe. (As for what to paint, a single color, or a montage, or a commercially-done canvas transfer from a photo...). The thing about a stretched canvas is that it can hang from two small nails, or a hanging bar. Very little intrusion into the wall, and easy to remove to service the panel.

SW, about banging nails into walls around electrical works, you need to know that wiring will always be up against the wall studs, and will generally take the shortest route to the floor or ceiling (so will sometimes go sideways for a stretch). So you would never want to poke nails in right above or below the breaker panel -- or even an electrical outlet or a light switch. I suggest you buy an inexpensive stud finder (no jokes, please). You run this device horizontally over the wall and wait for a beep and light to tell you where the studs are. And you make sure you aren't over an electrical outlet, etc., just to be on the safe side.

KT, I forget to say that I think your pretty mirror would show up better on another wall anyway. It's a little narrow for that wall.

I actually love the size/shape of that mirror on that wall. The outlet is definitely (to me) the only problem.

(and by "outlet" I mean "fuse box") :(

P2 -

It's probably just me being overly concerned. In an earthquake, the mirror could swing back and forth against the wall causing damage to both. From my experience, a nail seems to keep stuff on the wall in place (unless it's really shaking).

This won't help KT, but it is appropos of what people do with a circuit breaker box.
Mine is in the kitchen, with a door, and located kinda high up on an oddly curved wall near a big window.
It's a big step up from the days when a blown fuse meant a trip down, down into the cellar. The breaker box is a big improvement. But ugly battleship gray! I painted it white to help camoflage it.
More recently I took a plain canvas shoe bag (the kind with lots of pockets?) trimmed it with red fabric and fashioned a way to hang it from the top of the box.
In the pockets I have stashed kitchen gadgets like the lemon zester and measuring spoons that used to lurk in a basket in a cabinet and which were always so hard to find.
Now they are right to hand, tucked away in the canvas thingy which is hiding the ugly box.
It's easy enough to take down on the rare occasion that I have to get to the box.
So for me in my funky old kitchen this was a good solution.

I do think you need to notify the landlord and get the circuit breaker box door put back on it. I am sure it is supposed to be enclosed in by a metal door and I have never seen one exposed before! Once you have the metal door on it you can hang or hinge or cover anything you want over it as long as it is easily removeable for an emergency.
don

What about a free standing screen?


Susan

I am faced with the "hide the circuit breaker panel" problem also. Mine does have the door. There were some good ideas posted. I am thinking of hanging an old family quilt. Wiil hide the problem and display a treasure.

Ok...here is what I have done in the past. Go to hobby store and get stretched canvas with fram (the kind that artists paint on) The froma will allow coverage over the breaker box. From there spray paint the canvas any color or style you want. Make sure the framed stretched canvas is big enough to cover the entire box and allow for the mirror mounting. Hang the canvas once the paint is dried with sturdy hangers. Mount the mirror onto tha canvas frame. Thats it.