How to Put an Outlet in a Drawer: Step-by-Step Tutorial to Hide the Ugly Cord
If you have been wondering:can you put an outlet in a drawer? Well, the answer is absolutely YES! In this post, I will be showing you the step-by-step process on how to put an outlet in a drawer or add a nightstand power strip. It’s simple to follow and will give you a clean and tangle-free power strip in your drawers.
Why should you install a drawer power strip?
As someone works in the tech field, I enjoy having technology and gadgets to improve my life.
But I have mixed feelings about them. They are usually not the prettiest, and it is hard to match my home interior style. So whenever possible, I’d love to hide them!
A drawer power strip can be a useful addition to your home or office, as it provides a convenient and safe way to access power sources while keeping your workspace organized and free of clutter.
Here are some benefits of installing a drawer power strip:
- Space-saving: A drawer or nightstand power strip can help you save space on your desk or tabletop by keeping the power cords and outlets hidden in a drawer. It also helps you keep your workspace organized and free of tangled cords and clutter.
- Safety: By keeping power cords out of the way, a drawer power strip can help reduce the risk of tripping or electrical accidents.
- Convenience: A drawer power strip can provide easy access to power sources for your devices without the need to reach behind or under furniture to find an outlet.
Overall, installing a drawer power strip can be a practical and aesthetic solution to help you manage your power sources and optimize your workspace.
DIY Nightstand and Drawer Power Strip: Step-by-Step Process
As an avid Pinterest user, I have seen a bunch of great ideas of inside-drawer power outlet – what a genius invention!
People have them inside drawers of kitchen island, bathroom vanity, desk, you name it. So when I got my nightstands, I knew that I want to add power strip inside the drawer!
My husband and I both do a lot of charging in the bedroom for our phones, laptops, fitbit, etc. As I’m trying hard to keep our master bedroom feel calm and relaxing, I really don’t want those black cords to mess up the look.
With this technique, you can literally install power strip in any drawer: maybe a charging station inside entry way console table for your guests’ phone and ipad, maybe a charging station inside vanity cabinet to charge electronic toothbrush.
The possibilities are endless, sky is the limit!
Add power outlet in a drawer video overview
Before diving into the detailed instructions, here is a short video to give you an overview of the process. This video consist of two parts: apply contact paper to drawer and install power strip, start at 1:30 to watch how to add put an outlet in your drawer.
Materials and tools you’ll need
- Desktop power strip. I used this one from Amazon as it has 2 standard socket and 2 usb, and is at a pretty compact size. The price is super affordable too.
- Bolts and nuts
- power drill
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how you can install the power strip inside your drawer.
Step 1. Decide on location and power strip type
Measure the size of where the desktop power strip will sit inside the drawer. I placed mine on the bottom of the drawer towards the back. So the power cord that will be plugged into the wall outlet can glide freely.
If your drawer was encased on the bottom, choose a power strip that does not sit flash to the surface, but rather sit on top. like this power strip. And instead of create an opening to slot it in, you’ll want to create a hole on the back for the cord to pass through.
Step 2. Create an opening for the power outlet
Use a drill and a jigsaw to cut an opening so the power strip can sit comfortably and securely inside the drawer. It is easier to do this step after taking your drawer out.
Place the power strip inside to check if it fits well and mark the screw holes of the power strip.
Remove power strip then drill the marked holes for screws
Step 3. Install
Place the drawer back to nightstand and then fit power strip inside. Secure it with bolts and nut. If your drawer’s bottom is more than ½ in thick, you can probably skip the drill hole part and just secure the power strip to the drawer using a short screw.
That’s it! Simple but impactful right? I’m so addicted to this now that I will keep adding those inside-drawer power outlet everywhere to hide those not-so-pretty technologies! What’s best is that it also has USB ports so you don’t need those bulky charging converters anymore.
Related posts
How To Line Drawer With Contact Paper (Video) | Nightstand Drawer Update Part 1
Nightstand Makeover | How to Update an Old-looking Furniture
How to Hide Modem and WIFI Router in A Stylish Way
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i really want to make one of these but i’m concerned that the cord will get pinched when the drawer closes. how do you prevent that?
In my case, the cord come out from the bottom of the drawer. And my nightstand doesn’t have any board under that drawer due to its design. If your nightstand doesn’t allow that, you might need to cut a hole on the back of your drawer and nightstand to allow the cord to come out.
Love this idea so much. I am currently repainting some nightstands for my husband and I to have in our remodeled bedroom. I can’t wait to try to install one of these gadgets. Thank you so much for sharing this!
happy to hear this post is helpful! I use these power extensions everyday haha