Thermostats, while useful tools to help control the efficiency of your home heating and cooling system, can also become unsightly when they break up the flow or decoration of your home.  I spoke with our service manager, Kevin, about what we need to know when approaching this conundrum.  He said, “Thermostats won’t work correctly without proper air flow around them.  A frame around it would be alright but a box with no holes for the air to get through may cause problems with readings, especially if your thermostat is also monitoring humidity.”  With that advice in mind, I’ve been tracking down some great creative ways to help blend your thermostat into your décor.  Here are my favorites.  (Note: I’ve included links below each image so you can easily get more details.)

1. HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT

Collect photos and various wall art to place around it.  I love the example below, a simple theme of the letter “L” keeps it interesting, eclectic but still cohesive and you really have to search to find the thermostat.

{Found on jonesdesigncompany}

2. FRAME IT

Simple and elegant, choose a color that matches your thermostat or add contrast to make it pop.  This idea can also easily be incorporated into the idea above, especially if you are using similar or matching frames.

{Found on the2seasons}

3. ADD DEPTH

A block of wood, hinges, and a framed picture, add depth and create easy accessibility.

{Found on apartmenttherapy}

4. REVERSE SHADOW BOX OR ARTIST’S “WOOD CANVAS”

This one is a little bit bigger project but I love the idea.  Free hand painting of letters can be really difficult, so I recommend using letter stickers, like those used for scrapbooking with Mod Podge to seal them on. Also, with all of the holes around the outside, there should be enough airflow without the holes in the front, if that doesn’t work with your quote of choice.

{Found on Frankfully}

5. SHELVE IT

Installing a series of floating shelves with knickknacks and leaning pictures is a wonderful way to add texture and depth to a wall while camouflaging your thermostat.

{Found on myloveofstyle}

BONUS!

I came across this one and loved it so much I just had to include it, even though I’d already found my top five.  This one is a bit more labor intensive but I love that they are repurposing wood from around their property to create it.

{Found on Vin’yetEtc}

While I was doing my research I came across many great looking ideas, old distressed boxes with doors for access and canvas pictures with hinges among others.  While these kinds of things are great for hiding your thermostat, don’t forget to take airflow into consideration.  You may find you will need to drill holes in the bottoms of boxes or use a block of wood to bring the canvas far enough out from the wall for air to still get through.

I hope this helps give you some simple and creative ways to camouflage your thermostat.