It started because overhead lights at rental apartments just don”t always give off the most appealing light.

At our last apartment, I kept a power strip just behind the couch–the floor lamp plugged into it so I could easily switch it on and off. When we moved the stereo next to the couch, we plugged it in there, too, but that meant that the lamp and stereo were either both on or both off… Suddenly it wasn’t a very convenient arrangement.

I was searching online for a power strip with individual switches when I found a dj’s power strip–it’s designed to mount on a rack so djs can easily switch up light and sound equipment. Perfect! But we didn’t have a rack to mount it, and I didn’t particularly want one. Our stereo had been sitting on an Ikea Lack side table–on of those cheap and ubiquitous laminate tables college kids are always throwing out.

the 8 channel power strip, designed for djs
the ubiquitous Ikea Lack side table

I measured our Lack table and was delighted to find that the power strip would fit perfectly. When it arrived, I just screwed it directly into the legs of the table, right under the tabletop.

Suddenly we have a place to plug in our cell phones and laptops, and of course our stereo and floor lamp, and turn each on individually. The switches are super accessible, but the cords are out of the way. For the record, we don’t usually have the speakers stacked next to the receiver–we’re preparing to move and selling off furniture left and right, so I’ve been consolidating everything.

Switch #1 controls the stereo, switch #8 controls the floor lamp on the other side of the couch, and the various switches in between handle everything else.  Plugging and unplugging cables isn’t the most streamlined thing, but it works well for us. Most importantly, it means we can keep our chargers plugged in without them pulling any electricity.

Now that we’re getting ready to move and downsizing our stuff, we’ll probably get rid of the side table, but we’ll definitely do this little project again. Next time, I think we’ll opt for a black Lack table and maybe paint over the power strip model name/number. It might not be the most elegant solution, but for the tiny amount of time & money it took, and the convenience we’ve found with it, I love it.

October 18, 2011

Comments

That is genius. I just bought my first Lack table (somewhat belatedly!). It is bright green and accommodates a few potted plant occupants. I want to hack it! Hack it with an irrigation system!

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