Outlet Art

We recently tiled our kitchen backsplash with a beautiful tumbled tourmaline stone. Having exhausted all the options I found for outlet covers, I was left underwhelmed.

white?

beige? 

copper?

stainless steel?

Nothing looked right. The outlets simple stood out too much. They commanded center stage. They were stealing all the tourmaline's thunder! 

So I made them disappear with a quick trip to my local craft store. With a half dozen different craft acrylic paint tubes, some small and medium sized artist brushes and a sponge, I transformed my outlets into faux tourmaline. And you can too! Just take a few samples of your granite or stone with you to the craft department and select several small acrylic paint bottles that are in the correct shades. Once home, lay the plastic outlet covers on top of any extra pieces of stone/granite/tile and paint your base coat color first. After that, try to mimic the shades and tones surrounding it. Using a dry brush will give you the best results. Now just pounce, streak and smudge your way to a disappearing outlet cover. Set aside to dry. Next, carefully paint the interior electrical part with a very dry brush as well as the cover's screws. (If this makes you nervous, you can always shut off the power to that room.) Assemble. Adding painted grout lines will complete the transformation.

Did you know there are artists/interior designers who offer this service and command $50* an outlet for this effect!

*source: my parents, who live in Florida, saw this advertised in several luxury home models.