Switchplates have been around since the days of indoor electricity. They cover an open area in a wall where a light switch is in place, making the area look neat as a pin as it covers the exposed wires, all while assisting in a hazard free area. The originals were quite hideous, usually made of a boxy style wood block, not meant for any sort of decorative purpose at all, just for practical use.

We’ve certainly come a long way, as the days of your grandmother’s tarnished, brass switchplates, with the preamble to the constitution engraved on the top seem like a past dream (or nightmare) . They can really be quite a beneficial art form, for everyone with electricity needs to have a switchplate for safety reasons, so why on earth would you want to have the same exact, boring one that everyone else has?

Traditionally, decorative switchplates have been found in children’s bedrooms, nurseries, and the occasional bathroom. But why stop there?

There aren’t many things more boring than a plain, drab wall. A solid, eggshell-colored wall with a plain white switchplate- I need to get an espresso just for thinking about it. You need a splash of color and some decorative art to give your home the character it needs- it should reflect the personality of its resident- it should reflect you. Why not combine the color and the art into a snazzy, un-boring switchplate cover?

A bathroom full of frogs or a kitchen accented with wine bottles and grapes can both easily have the finishing touch of a not boring switchplate. If you can’t find the exact pattern to match what you already have, please, at least change the color of the switchplate to coordinate or compliment the rest of the room… don’t leave it white.

At any rate, switchplates are a quick, simple addition to turn a dull and dreary room into a dazzling den that’s as easy as flipping a switch.