adorable!!!

For $250, I think I'll stick with the "bland and ubiquitous" plug that costs me a couple bucks and doesn't require starter kits or special tools.

You people do this article every year!

Agreed: it is cute.
But if you've got an electrical problem, doesn't this mean the wall has to get opened up? So much more destructive than taking the face plate off.
Any electricians out there? I'd love to hear their take on this.

I want to see the contractor's face when asked to drywall around these plugs so it looks even. Based on my experience with drywalling contractors, that's just not gonna happen.

I think it's a neat idea to consider if building a home or redoing a wall, but I don't know if I could bring myself to put up new drywall just to accommodate this product. I like the look of it, though!

Looks nice, waste of money. Even though I'm imagining how cute it would look to have little surprised faces all over my apartment :)

Maybe in a kitchen, as part of a backsplash... maybe.

But I'm with the previous commentors - cute, but $250 and the risk of having to pull out wall if there's electrical issues? Not okay with me.

they look unhappy (all the fuss + still can't turn their frowns upside down).

@lazy_lurker & otherminds: the thing they don't tell you is that there is, indeed, a type of face plate that already has the drywall attached to it, so installation is trickier than a normal outlet, yes, but not THAT much more difficult, if your electrician is competent. If there's a problem, you're not removing a 4'x8' piece of drywall or cutting a ragged hole in a large sheet, you're removing an 8"x8" square. Yes, you have to repair the plasterwork/joint compound around it, but if you can afford these plugs all over your house, that's probably not that big an issue for you.

I don't know about the other commenters but I've never had an electrical problem that required me to replace an outlet. They're just not the kind of things that wear out.

And even if you did need to replace the outlet, that starter kit comes with a removal tool, that allows you to take out the outlet "without disturbing the surface finish of the wall".

But I like cover plates.

@Zytkiewicz - we've had to replace several outlets or junction boxes. In fact, we replaced our washer because we thought it was going out. Turned out to be a faulty outlet. And anything that costs $250 and the (dis)pleasure of mudding just to have little faces on my walls? Um, pass.

Very nice. For $250 they better give out free electricity.

If they weren't round... and I were a millionaire.... I would be all over this!

This product has been posted before...

...and while it may work for a paneled wall where it's relatively easy to get a perfectly smooth cut - It's near-to-impossible to get a perfect cut in drywall, much less a hole that's not going to flake & peel over time.

And the idea of spending $250 for a dual outlet (not including installation and therapy for your drywall contractor and electrician) when you can get nice Leviton outlets & covers for under $15 is Sheer Madness...
...especially considering you'd still have to have plate fittings for cable outlets, lightswitches, etc.

Just saw these in a Dwell article and thought it was a horrid idea. If we're talking functionality, this is an epic fail. Most contractors (and even committed DIY'ers) aren't going to be able to get the clean look required. I, too, have replaced outlets. GFCIs in particular tend to go bad. I'll take my easily accessed boxes with coverplates any day!

I love this idea. practical no--but it looks bloody amazing.

The redundant posts...

Hate smiley faces. These look like smiley faces. And I agree, the contractors I've dealt with would strongly resist these. I have no problem with utilities looking like what they are, but maybe these will be the style we all have in the future... who knows.