What To Do With Just One Outlet?

updated Dec 19, 2019

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Q: My bedroom in my rented apartment only has one set of electrical outlets, which is very inconveniently placed given the layout of my room and amount of gadgets I need to plug in…

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

I currently have one extension cord plugged into a power strip where everything I need is connected.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

This horrible set of cords is hidden behind my mirror, and is always a tangled mess! I would really like to arrange my room differently but feel like I can’t because of the outlet placement and how close my nightstand needs to be to it.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Any suggestions for how I can arrange my room the way I want without having a bunch of extension cords running through it? I would love to put another lamp or lighting fixture on the right side of my bed but don’t see how this would work!
-Sent by Alicia

Editor: I wonder how old Alicia’s home is, as my parents’ 130-year-old house has a similar One Outlet Only Per Room philosophy. Sure, that’s plenty for the gramophone or whatever, but what about lamps, chargers, stereos, string lights, and disco balls? Modern Readers, any advice for how Alicia can bring her home into the wired age, without tripping over wires everywhere?

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(Images: Alicia)