You spend all your time poring over every detail in your home, but no matter what you do, that ugly clunker taunts you. And that ugly clunker is your Wi-Fi router. With its bug-like antennae and neon-glowing display, your Wi-Fi router tells you that no matter what you try to achieve with interior design, it will always, always, be there.

Chuck it in the closet, and don’t bother signing in to your next Zoom session because you’ll be frozen anyway. Hide it in a box, and it’ll heat up faster than a sauna. No, keeping you router out of sight is going to take some more out-of-the-box thinking than that. Here’s where you should really keep that dastardly device.

Hide it like an interior designer

Leave it to the professionals to know where to hide your Wi-Fi router. New Orleans-based interior designer Maureen Stevens is always having to find ways to make sure routers are out of sight but still working at peak performance. “I’ve always done it this way: somewhere inconspicuous like a space between a cabinet or chest and a wall,” Stevens says. “Most times, putting them inside cabinets or storage furniture with openings — like a mesh or perforated doors — is the best solution.”

Anne Carr of Anne Carr Design does the same. “I would suggest putting the router in a cabinet or console table with a whole cut out for the wires to go through the back,” Carr says. “It can be a console or a side table but the secret is to have doors on the front.”

Not all boxes are the same

If you look carefully at a router (which you probably don’t), you’ll notice it has air vents. Like most electronics, routers get hot, and they need a way to stay cool. Throwing a router into a box may seem like a good idea design-wise, but doing so will suffocate the router and lead to a hot, malfunctioning mess. Instead, opt for a well-ventilated box, like something made of wicker. The open-weave design will give the router room to breathe, but it’ll still keep the device out of sight.

A box without a top will give more than enough breathing room, and it’ll keep the router out of sight 360-degrees around. It’ll also ensure you don’t have to cram all the cables through a tiny gap in the lid. The only downside is the opening won’t protect the router from collecting dust, but that would’ve happened if you let it out in the open anyway.

Some brands make storage solutions specifically for keeping routers out of sight. Yamazaki, the Ikea of Japan, makes a cable box that can hold a router and keep cables neatly tucked away. And Amazon sells a variety of storage boxes. This one, a wall-mounted wood option, keeps the router’s antennae exposed, but also doubles as a shelf for other accessories.

Out of sight, out of mind

The best solution might be the easiest, too. Just chuck some nicer-looking things in front of your router, and none will be the wiser. Have a really nice plant? Use that. Build a fort out of pictures and be reminded of your memories, not that eye sore. Told you it was easy.

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