Two weeks ago, I came out swinging with a post entitled “Design Hot Take: Can Designers Stop Trying to Hide Everything Useful?” In that piece, I went off about hiding things like thermostats and doorbell chime boxes behind art, routers, and remotes inside faux boxes, photoshopping things like outlets and cords out of images…the home utility tech stuff. And don’t get me started on the should-we-or-shouldn’t-we TV discussion. The comment section was alive and well, with many agreeing with my sentiment that perhaps we’ve gone too far in our quests for “aesthetic” homes, and that we’re spending too much time and energy trying to cover up things that someone decided along the lines didn’t need to be hidden because they were ugly.

But many of you also brought up a good point: We wouldn’t want or need to hide these things if their design were even remotely decent. Could a someone okay-looking smoke detector exist out there? What about a chime box someone could actually classify as striking or interesting? While I’m not willing to die on the hill of having good-looking home utility items or bust, I would be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate something that looks better than it should.

With that in mind, I decided to research items that are nicely designed (or at the very least, good-looking), such as thermostats, doorbells, chime boxes, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and cord management boxes. Most are available in the US with two exceptions (I’ll call them out, don’t worry). Some are custom, and you’ll need to inquire about the price (also noted). But in general, I think all of the below are vast improvements on the cheap or basic options we tend to find in our homes. If the finer details matter to you—and cheesy alliterative subtitles—keep scrolling.

Tempting Thermostats

I’m not sure what a “tempting” thermostat is, but to jazz up a post with somewhat clunky items, I decided to have some fun with silly section headers, and there are few words I could use to describe thermostats that look good. Word smiths out there: Add some ideas to the comments.

OKAY, enough of that nonsense, “pretty” thermostats are a rare breed. I did find a company called Polar Bear Design (#4) that makes a very pretty bespoke thermostat with Lutron tech, though keep in mind this specific product isn’t available in the US (check their list of installers on their website if you’re an international reader and interested). Lutron itself, though, has a premium thermostat face with lots of color and metallic options. This is going to be the priciest pick here, of course. As for ready-to-buy products, it’s really just the Google Nest (#1 and #3) and Ecobee (#5) that have the most streamlined, small interfaces. And if you have baseboard heating units, be sure to check out the brand Mysa, which has this simple and unobtrusive thermostat (#6).

1. Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen) | 2. Customize Palladiom HVAC Control | 3. Google Nest Smart Programmable Wifi Thermostat in Sand | 4. Alisse Thermostat | 5. Smart Thermostat Premium | 6. Mysa Smart Thermostat for Electric Baseboard Heaters

Sexy (Well…Passable) Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors

A reader in that post I mentioned earlier talked about hoping to find a black smoke detector for a room they were working on with a darker hue on the walls and ceiling, and they found nothing. I tried really, really hard to find a black smoke detector that was nice, and did, indeed (#2). BUT, did you know that smoke detectors are often white both to blend in with white ceilings and walls, but also because the white plastic is fire-retardant, thanks to the addition of bromine (which causes yellowing over time).

And look, I know nothing here sparks creative inspiration, but frankly, they’re not supposed to. They’re supposed to be easy to warn of us disaster, but all the below are fairly slender and flush and look a touch more “elevated.” I have one from X-Sense (#1) in my bedroom and in our downstairs office space, and we like that the battery lasts 10 years, so we aren’t concerned with incessant beeping happening at 3 am anytime soon. Note that #5 and #6 are from a Scandinavian company called Jalo, and are only available in the UK and the EU. They should not be used in the States due to different regulations. (But I sure wish someone would make something that fun or different.)

1. XP02-AR AC Hardwired Smoke and CO Alarm | 2. Owl Wired Smoke, Carbon Monoxide, Motion, Sound, Temperature, Humidity & Air Quality Detector | 3. SimpliSafe – Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector – White | 4. SC5 Hardwire Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm | 5. Jalo Smoke Alarm Kupu 10 – Scandinavian Design | 6. Jalo Smoke Alarm Kupu 10 – Scandinavian Design – Chrome

Darling (& Techy) Doorbells

Growing up, we had one of those half-inch-thick wide, three-inch-tall plastic white button doorbells. I kind of thought…that’s all there was. Nowadays, there are tons with all the bells (ha) and whistles (see #1 by Google or #5 from Ring). Cameras, LED lights (#2, #3) so you can see where to push at night, and even just upscale standard non-tech ones (like all the ones from Rejuvenation – #4 and #6).

1. Nest Doorbell | 2. Touch Doorbell Button Round – Bronze | 3. Wired Metal Square Surface Mount Doorbell Chime Push Button with LED Button Light | 4. Patterson Round Doorbell Button | 5. Video Doorbell Wired | 6. West Slope Square Doorbell Button

Charming Chime Boxes

First came doorbells, then came the chime boxes. While many of the high-tech doorbells either come with their own plug-in chimes or offer a compatible one to purchase, older doorbells or more low-tech versions will work with traditional chime boxes. The thing is, every one I’ve had has either been completely forgettable or just a clunky white or cream plastic box stuck on the wall nearby. BUT! It can be much better than that, I promise. This category of items is less about being inconspicuous and more about being seen in a way that adds some flair. I’m really into the wood chime box covers from Etsy (#1, #2, #7), one being fairly modern, another craftsman style, and the bottom one riffing off Frank Lloyd Wright style. Of course, you can go all out with something bold and brass like this organ-like option from Rejuvenation (#4) or add some color with #6 from Lumens. If you’re about metallics, there are some choices in traditional nickel, modern nickel, and brass.

1. Modern Doorbell Cover | 2. Aged Iron Door Chime | 3. Nickel Door Chime | 4. Craftsman Door Chime | 5. Mission/Craftsman/Arts and Crafts Style Doorbell Cover | 6. Big Ring Doorbell Chime | 7. Frank Lloyd Wright-Inspired Inside Doorbell Box Cover | 8. Conroy Door Chime | 9. Brushed Nickel Door Chime

Cute Cord Management Boxes

And finally, some cord and cable org. While I’ll never see the need to guinea rig a stack of books or a rattan basket to cover a modem or cable box, I do sign off on these types of boxes to house power strips and excess cords because those can quickly become a tangle of spaghetti and collect so much dust. In the past, I’ve had plastic ones like the Yamazaki one at #3, but there are even beautiful wood versions like this walnut box from Etsy (#2) or this cherry one (#6), also from Etsy. For the maximalist, this cobalt blue little house from Finnish Design Shop is so much fun. West Elm even sells this very beautiful appliance cord box for things like your coffee or tea stations (though warning: it’s pricey).

1. Yichuhaoxi Cable Management Box | 2. Personalized Walnut Desk Wire Organizer | 3. Yamazaki Hidden Cable Box | 4. Cable Management Box | 5. D-Line – Large Cord Organizer Box – Black | 6. Solid Cherry Cable Organizer Box | 7. Minimalist Cable Management Box | 8. Reds Wood Design Appliance Cord Box – Medium | 9. Cable House Cable Management Box in Ultra Marine

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And there you have it: 38 cool or, at the very least, somewhat decent home utility tech items for your home if you don’t want to live your life either with ugly/builder-grade options or hiding things behind picture frames and inside boxes like social media has convinced us is the only way to a beautiful home.

Until next time…

Opening Image Credits: Design by Emily Henderson and ARCIFORM | Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: The Farmhouse Entry Reveal (+ How To Hang A Gallery Wall On Wallpaper)