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Home Decorating

Where do you plug in your table lamps....

13 years ago

...in a "center of the room" furniture arrangement? Floors are hardwood and I'll use a large rug to anchor the arrangement of sofa and chairs. There are skylights for daytime, but how do you light the area at night? Are the only options floor receptacles or those cord "tunnels"?

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Comments (10)

larke
13 years ago
What about an floor lamp against a wall, but arching over to the seats?
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lala girl
13 years ago
I have run a small size (so not the big orange industrial kind) extension cord under an area rug lots of times and then will plug it into an inconspicuous wall outlet. My rooms are not very large so this works for me.

(A huge pet peeve of mine is being able to see lamp cords so I will do lots to hide them) :-)
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I've had this oil rubbed bronze one from Lowes, for a few years. I keep it in the corner between my sofa and my love seat, as each of those have a small table on the opposite ends, that can be used to set down a glass, t.v. remote or phone. Normally the lamp is just used for regular lighting, but I when I want to read, I sit on the end cushion of either the love seat or sofa that is near the lamp, and just extend the arm out in my direction, which gives me perfect reading light. http://www.lowes.com/pd_216520-56253-JS1-2783___?productId=50088286&pl=1&Ntt=swing+arm+floor+lamp#img
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susanwrites
13 years ago
I feel your pain. Our problem has been not so much for lamps as it is for computers/laptops/etc.

In some rooms we got flat extension cords to run under rugs. In my office I'm waiting until I can replace the carpet and then, since it is on a slab, I'll have to have a trench made to run electricity to the center of the room because my desks float in the center space.
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Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
13 years ago
We had a floor outlet put in and I can't imagine what I would do without it. It's under the sofa.
Worth the money to have an electrician to install.
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mjsee
13 years ago
bumblebeez---I really REALLY want a coupld of floor outlets. Maybe I can convince DH to hire an electrician for my birthday...
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pfmastin
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks everyone! It looks like floor outlets are the best solution.

bumblebeez, what did you do about having an area rug under the sofas? How did you accommodate the outlet? Thanks again.
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Sophie Ingerslew
13 years ago
I agree with bumbleez. Before our house was built I was looking at a virtual tour of our floorplan online. In the family room you could see table lamp with its cord threaded underneath the sofa - but there was no outlet for it to plug into. We asked our builder to put in a floor outlet, which they did a few days after we moved in. It was quick, inexpensive - and completely worth it!
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Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
13 years ago
Pf, I don't have a rug that goes under the sofa. IF I HAD to work around that, I would very seriously cut out a small square for the plug.
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pfmastin
Original Author
13 years ago
It will take some thought about finding the right spot, but that's what I'm thinking, bumblebeez. :)
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nhb22
13 years ago
I'd be hesitant to cut a hole in a nice area rug, but if you were going to do so...

Mark the spot and then use Fray Check or some other sort of product to "mend" the underside of the area where you plan to cut. Then, I'd use a good carpet tape over the fray check once it has dried. Now, instead of a hole, make a small X with an Exacto knife for the plug to fit through. Push the plug through from the top, and then plump the rug up from underneath.

The X will not be noticeable, and the fibers will be reinforced if you use the rug elsewhere in the future.

I have a floor outlet and my rug runs underneath the front legs of the sofa, but ends before the back legs and the outlet. The sofa skirt just hides the outlet.

{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}
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