Illusion wallpaper looks like power outlets

Those modernist lines and homogeneous planes designers and critics rant and rave about were once considered bleak, boring and oversimplified by the design community. That same tendency, however, to celebrate function and use it to drive form is readily apparent in this creative wall of sockets – a way of wallpapering that gives greater control to users and reveals what we usually hide.

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fake and real power outlets

Don’t worry, it is not as impractical as it first appears – short of wiring the entire wall with electricity you would naturally have to limit the number of outlets that are actually live. You could even take it a step further and simplify the production process (almost a necessity time-wise) by purchasing sheets of sockets rolled up like synthetic tiles to create a uniform surface.

It’s actually a great way to frustrate the heck out of people who are desperate for an outlet to charge their gadgets in a public place. Imagine watching them as they repeatedly mash their plugs into the wallpaper, over and over again, before finally finding an outlet that’s real. (You sadist.)

“Instead of hiding your outlets behind furniture and worrying about the mess of wires tangled behind your entertainment center, consider making an entire wall that’s nothing but outlets. Then you can artfully plug in your appliances wherever the cords look pleasing to you.”

“Imagine no more crowded outlets or multi-plug adapters. Of course you don’t have to actually wire all the outlets on the whole wall for electricity, but you’d better come up with a good way to remember which ones are live.”

Creator David Friedman is a professional photographer “who sometimes gets ideas for photos, designs, gadgets and other projects,” he writes on his website. “When I’m not writing the blog, I make a living as a photographer and filmmaker. This is my business website.” Check out his entire archive at Ironic Sans.