This Fake Book TikTok Hack Is Perfect For Hiding Cords

Even if you're a master interior designer, there's one thing that's bound to ruin your design every time unless you get it under control: outlet cords. Because so many of our possessions, from the television to the alarm clock to the lamp, are controlled by electricity, all these exposed cords can easily clutter the aesthetic of a space. If you have solid furniture, this isn't typically an issue, as you can just tuck the cords behind the piece. But what if you have furniture that's open on the bottom, such as a nightstand with a lower shelf?

In this case, you'll need to hide your cords and to do so, you'll have to purchase a cable concealer, which could look like a stack of books. This is what TikToker Michelle Lei uses to hide her cords, which are all connected to one power strip inside the fake book exterior. Then, you can use small hooks like those made by Command (which can be purchased at Walmart) to redirect your cords along the sides of your furniture so that they aren't visible when you look at the piece straight on.

To make this hack work, start by placing your power strip inside a cable concealer. Then, direct the cords toward where they need to be located — for instance, something that's plugged into an outlet should face that direction. Next, put them into two neat groups so that they aren't in a jumbled mess, which you could zip tie or tape together to keep them orderly. Install your small hooks along the edges of your furniture and press the groups of cords inside.

As you continue directing the cords along the edge of your furniture, keep adding more hooks until the cords are no longer visible from the front of the piece. "When you're doing this for your scenario, think of it as, 'I don't want to see the cords hanging straight down, where can I direct them instead so that they're hidden?'" says TikToker Michelle Lei. If one of your cords is much longer than the others, you have two options: either wrap it around another hook at the top of your furniture piece or if you use it frequently, simply allow it to hang over the side.

TikToker Michelle Lei's cable concealer looks like two horizontally stacked books. If you want to use something similar to her piece, there are many fake book options on the market, such as one from Etsy and another from Amazon. However, these are made up of many vertically stacked books, and they're completely open on the back instead of having two holes for the cables to feed through. Another option is to DIY one out of a hollowed-out book, which you could buy on Amazon. To do this, you'd simply need to cut a hole in the back of the book so that the cables can reach the outlet and your devices.

You could also use a cable concealer that looks like a decorative container, which can also be bought on Amazon. Some solid-colored ones come with a phone holder slot on top or a place to put your phone while it's charging. Once you've bought the cable concealer, you'll also need to purchase a small power strip, which you can find at Home Depot. Make sure the power strip has enough connections for all your electronic devices before you buy it.