18 Simple And Stylish DIY Ways To Hide Common Eyesores Around The House

Even with the perfect decorating plan, every home has its share of eyesores. Many of those unattractive areas are essential to your home: electrical panels, trash cans, plumbing pipes, AC units. Others are a product of modern life — chargers, remotes, and electrical kitchen appliances make life convenient but not very pretty. Homeowners often just ignore those eyesores and accept that they're necessary. But there are many clever and easy ways to hide those fixtures and features of your home to help them blend in.

The key to finding solutions when covering up unattractive clutter is to keep things accessible and usable. After all, there's a reason you don't just get rid of those items to eliminate the ugliness they cause. For example, if you're trying to hide your outdoor trash cans, you need a solution that still lets you throw bags of trash away and move the trash can to the curb easily. Meanwhile, mechanical features, such as your AC, breaker panel, and plumbing, still need to be accessible for routine maintenance and repairs. We've rounded up several easy and attractive ways to keep those essentials functional but out of sight.

Custom appliance garages are pricy, sometimes costing more than $1,000, and building one yourself is a complex job. This idea hides those countertop appliances with a no demo, no reno solution for an appliance garage using simple curtains. Grab a set of cafe curtains (or hem a set of curtains to the correct length), and install a curtain rod underneath an upper kitchen cabinet. Hang the curtains, and pull them closed when you're not using the appliances. This DIY job works best in a small nook.

Budget-friendly ways to hide outdoor garbage bins can boost your home's curb appeal. Instead of building an enclosure from scratch, grab some premade panels, like these Enclo white vinyl privacy screens from Amazon, to surround your trash cans on two or three sides. The panels have stakes that go into the ground, and you can combine multiple panels to make the size you need. You can also attach premade privacy fence panels or lattice panels to wood posts. Paint the panels any color you want to help them blend in.

A simple lattice surround to block the view of your AC unit allows you to grow vining plants for a lush look. Build a lattice panel on each side by attaching thin boards horizontally and then installing vertical boards with the same spacing. Leave at least 1 foot of clearance around the unit, but 2 to 3 feet is better for air circulation and accessibility. Place vining plants at the base of the lattice, and train them to grow on the slats. Prune vines that grow into the AC unit.

If your home has radiators, build stylish covers starting with a bookshelf for a radiator makeover that will upgrade your space. Starting with the bookshelf simplifies the process by creating the cover structure, but a simple handmade wood frame also works. Remove the back and shelves from the structure, and make sure it fits around the radiator with enough clearance. Then, cover the front with whatever material fits your home's vibe, such as a piece of rattan, cane webbing, lattice, or wood slats attached vertically to the front with gaps between for airflow.

Your gallery wall is the best hack for hiding your thermostat. A framed piece of art with a hinge attached can act as a door, which you can swing open to reach your thermostat. Screw small pieces of wood that are the depth of the thermostat to the wall (you can paint or stain them to match the frame). This gives the picture enough clearance to fit over the thermostat. Add hinges to one side of the wood to make the swinging thermostat cover. Or, hang a gallery-wrapped canvas over the device, and lift it off the hooks to access the thermostat.

Phones, tablets, smart watches ... The number of electronics that need to be charged is always growing. You can buy stylish charging stations that double as home decor, or use a basket as a charging station by pushing the cord of a power strip through the basket weaving (or cut a small hole). Zip tying it in place keeps it from shifting. Then, put your chargers inside the basket. To hide the cords even more, make a simple lid by cutting cardboard slightly larger than the top and covering it with fabric. 

The cost of a new fence ranges from $6 to $50 per linear foot, so if replacing an ugly chain-link fence isn't in your budget, cover it with bamboo instead. It's one of several affordable ways to cover a chain-link fence for more privacy, and the fence will look more attractive. Grab rolls of bamboo fencing in the height you prefer, being sure it fully covers your fence. Attach it to the chain-link fence with either zip ties or galvanized steel wire ties until it's stable and secure. 

Add privacy to your home with window film options that also block unattractive views outside. You'll find a range of decorative window film options, from basic frosted to colorful stained glass looks. Always start with a clean window before installing the film. Then, follow the specific manufacturer's instructions. The installation often involves spraying water on the glass and smoothing the window film to remove any bubbles or ridges. Make sure the film is level when you install it.

To hide remotes and other small items, grab a wooden crate and cover it with the covers of old books. Thrifting books is a good option for this — find spines that look pretty, or cover them with paint or decoupage. For the middle books, cut off the spine, leaving a little on the edges. For the end books, you'll also need either the front or back cover, based on the position. Hot glue the spines to the front of the box, and put your hidden storage on a shelf.

Keep the litter box accessible but out of sight by hiding it inside furniture. You can buy top-rated cat litter cabinets to keep your kitty's business private and hidden, but DIYing it can also be an affordable alternative. Use a cabinet you have, or thrift one to save money — it needs a door for you to access the litter box for cleaning. Remove shelves to create a compartment large enough for the litter box. Then, cut a hole in the side, and add a cat door. If you're worried about it being dark, install a motion-sensor light inside. 

You may be able to fix scratches on stainless steel appliances, but sometimes the damage is too much. Or, maybe you just want a fun look. In that case, grab a fun wallpaper and cover your fridge with it. Peel-and-stick wallpaper is easy to apply and remove if you change your mind. Cut it into sections and apply. Remove the handles, and cut Xs in the wallpaper where the handle fasteners go. For smooth results, peel a little of the backing off at a time, smoothing the wallpaper as you go.

Builder-grade wire shelving is unattractive and often causes smaller items to tip. For an easy upgrade without potentially spending over $2,000 on custom closet shelving, build simple covers that fit over the wire shelves. Cut a piece of plywood or other wood that fits the shelf and a smaller piece to serve as a front shelf cover. Use wood glue and brad nails to attach the front to the top, and stain or paint it to your desired look. You can also use laminate closet shelving and molding to create the covers.

If you have pipes in your yard, use an artificial rock, like this Emsco Group landscape rock, to cover them. Help that cover blend in by building a rock garden around it. The rock covers come in a range of sizes, colors, and styles to mimic the look of natural materials. Find smaller rocks and boulders that coordinate with the cover to anchor the area around it. Then, fill in any gaps with smaller rocks or gravel, making sure you can still easily lift the cover to access the utilities.

If you have a finished basement, you may have not-so-attractive poles as supports. You can box them in, but that takes a lot of work and tools. An alternative is to use a column wrap product that you can pair with cap and base pieces for a finished look. It's a relatively straightforward DIY that involves cutting the wrap to size and gluing it to the pole. Once it's secure, you can add the caps and bases, and you can also stain the cover to adjust the look.

There's never a pretty way to stack all those random board games on a shelf. You can get book-shaped board games, like Sorry!, but you'll spend over $40 each. Instead, make your own using these Mouyat book boxes or a similar linen-covered book-shaped container and the board games you already own. To decorate the boxes, brush the linen cover with dye, and make vinyl cutouts to add the name and a few graphics based on the game. Place all of the pieces inside to stow your games neatly on a shelf.

Small plastic storage containers keep items contained on a shelf, but you can still see the random contents. To block this view, grab a wood plank sign — something like a YOUFU DIY wooden plank sign. Remove the rope hanger if required, and the plank becomes the perfect front to a small plastic bin. Glue it in place upright, and add any decorations or customizations you want, such as painted or vinyl designs or labels. Adding a small knob or handle to the wood makes it easier to pull out the bins and retrieve items.

No matter how much kitchen storage you have, there are always a few items that need to stay on your countertop. With this DIY hack, you'll use three wood cutting boards connected by hinges to create a flexible screen that blocks those items from view. Choose the cutting boards based on the size of screen you want. You can leave them as-is if you like the finish, or paint or stain them and add embellishments to customize the look to your kitchen. Align the boards and use piano hinges to connect the panels.

Beautify your TV by adding a simple frame using 1-inch-by-2-inch boards. To get mitered edges without a miter saw, pick up a device like this Wonglea miter box and saw set to get those angled corners. You may need to cut out notches for any raised areas on the TV screen. For a custom look, paint or stain the frame and add a smaller trim piece along the interior. To hold the frame in place, use Velcro pieces or attach elastic straps to the corners.