Clever Ways to Hide Ugly Spots in the House

Small things count when it comes to home staging. In addition to decluttering, removing personal mementos, and painting the walls a neutral color, anything you can do to smooth over rough spots or ugly spots in the house could help you to make a better first impression. Check out this round up of ideas culled from clever DIY bloggers who know how to make something from nothing.

Hide an object that protrudes from the wall: Kristen from My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia posted a very clever and good-looking solution for hiding an unsightly garage door opener. She made a cover for the protruding garage door cover from a thrift store picture frame. She painted the frame and the small piece of wood that fit perfectly as a hinged door a fashionable antique white. Kristen is converting her garage to a mudroom and craft room, and her garage door opener cover fits right in to her design scheme. This idea would totally work to hide a thermostat.

How to hide the cable box: A DIY Phoenix-area carpenter came up with this very cute cable box within a box concept. Jeanette from the blog Homa Style posted step by step instructions. She built a creamy white wooden box to hide her cable box. She added decorative trim to the box to give it a pretty front. The box hides the ugly cable box, and actually adds a harmonizing element to the room.

Hide an air conditioner with a mosaic screen: Whether you have tiling skills of your own, or if you need to enlist the help of a tile contractor, a tile mosaic screen to hide a central air conditioning unit is a lovely addition to a carefully designed landscape. Bliss R. from the blog Bliss Ranch built a mosaic screen panel into a wooden fence. It totally obscures the view of her air conditioning unit, and provides a beautiful focal point by her patio.

Hide a kitty litter box: Cats are sweet, and cats are adorable, and some cats can even use the toilet. However, if your cat has not been trained to use the toilet (seriously, it is possible and a lot of people do it), there is the issue of where to put the litter box, and how to obscure the litter box from view if you happen to be showing your home to potential buyers (or if you don't like to look at the litter box). Amy from the blog The Blissful Bee built a very attractive skirted table to hide her cat's litter box. It's an inexpensive solution that could be accomplished by an advanced beginner.

Hide your TV with a sliding shutter: While a nice, big, flat screen TV could make a living room look more attractive to buyers, an old, bulky TV might work against you. Kim from Today's Creative Blog built a television cover out of a sliding shutter. It looks simple like a window is hiding behind the shutter. It's an inventive way to hide outdated electronics.

Hide the remote: Building a custom coffee table with built-in storage is a stylish way to create space to store odds and ends that could distract buyers from the overall look of the room. Of course, this does not have to be a DIY project, as there are plenty of affordable storage ottomans and coffee tables on the market at almost every price point. Props to Lisa from Recaptured Charm for building it herself.

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