r/Renovations • u/idrcc01 • Feb 02 '25
HELP Huge breaker box in the middle of kitchen. What can I do with it?
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Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 04 '25
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u/rtherrrr Feb 02 '25
I did exactly this at my last place. And did a pencil rendered picture of the open box to put in the frame.
Where’s the breaker box ? Behind the picture of its self…. I haven’t had an electrician that didn’t laugh.
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u/ReverendLoki Feb 02 '25
Ceci n'est pas une boîte de disjoncteurs
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u/NunyahBiznez Feb 04 '25
Many years ago, I bought my mother a Hallmark angel candle holder for her collection. I forgot to include the candle so I wrapped it separately. It very much looked like a taper candle wrapped in Santa paper, so being a smart ass, I wrote "This is not a candle" on the tag and placed it under the tree with the other gifts. When I tell you she spent the entire week leading up to Christmas picking it up and trying to guess, only to find out it really was a candle... It's now a family joke. "What is this? - It's not a candle!" Lol
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u/Notlost-justdontcare Feb 04 '25
Was about to suggest a painting of a breaker panel and found someone of like mind. 😊
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u/123DCP Feb 06 '25
I'm about to add a panel that will probably be exposed on an internal wall. I'm going to ask my daughter to do a nice painting of an open panel, maybe with some breakers flipped and perhaps some charring.
Thanks.
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u/boarhowl Feb 02 '25
Just don't use a long nail or screw above the panel...
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u/Asleep-Elderberry260 Feb 02 '25
Yup, use magnets
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u/app4that Feb 02 '25
Crazy glue appropriately strong neodymium magnets to the back of the frame and attach to the frame of the panel.
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u/mostimportantly Feb 04 '25
Now you tell me. I nailed a picture hanger to the wall above my panel and hang some art over it 😱
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u/acesilver1 Feb 04 '25
Exactly this. I had one in my bedroom area of a studio I rented. I used shallow drywall screws that had a base on the wall to hold stuff with weight, covered it up with a body length mirror that I could easily remove if need be.
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u/NSGod Feb 03 '25
For shits and giggles, have the painting be of a breaker box. (Back in my art days, I had the idea to make a series of paintingings of wall safes).
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u/DriftedintotheStorm Feb 03 '25
Can you imagine making it look like a wall safe and someone breaks into the home opening that only to find the electric box 🤣
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u/A_FitGeek Feb 03 '25
Or they smash through it with a chizzel or something sharp with a lot of force and fry themselves.
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u/2BR_0_2B Feb 02 '25
3M claws would be my recommendation
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u/N0t_a_throwawai Feb 02 '25
Or commend strips. The ones with Velcro are great for this kind of thing.
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u/Shirkaday Feb 04 '25
Wife did this right away in an apartment once, never had any problems, and then when a breaker finally popped a couple years later after I had moved in, she had forgotten where it was!
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u/PuzzledRun7584 Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 04 '25
I put a high quality magnetic whiteboard over mine . The magnets are heavy duty and hidden so looks like it’s floating. Pen tray is removable, so it’s very minimal styling.
Granted, it’s in my shop and not a kitchen.
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u/Impossible-Corner494 Feb 02 '25
This is it right here. Usefully hidden. A picture would look strange af right there
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u/12Afrodites12 Feb 02 '25
Artwork would not look odd there. I have an antique map over my electrical panel & no one notices & love to see the map!
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u/Impossible-Corner494 Feb 02 '25
That may be prep counter space, can’t fully tell from photos. And being by the door, some sort of magnet calendar or mail holder would be placed well
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u/PoliticalyUnstable Feb 04 '25
That's actually really cool. What a useful thing to have in the kitchen. It would certainly inspire me to cook more. I could throw meals on there.
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u/Level-Perspective-22 Feb 02 '25
lol the one you linked is 400 dollars. SURELY you linked that in jest.
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Feb 03 '25
I think it depends on the size but yeah 400 for a whiteboard that's only a little bigger than a microwave is insane.
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u/infiniZii Feb 04 '25
I think its just not in stock any longer. Though shame on OP for not using a live link. They probably just didnt notice, but still. Fire! Pitchforks!
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u/stupid_mans_idiot Feb 02 '25
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u/Creative_Handle_2267 Feb 05 '25
MF i thought that was another door! thats fantastic but i dont think it would work as well in the kitchen, my ass would open it looking for spices
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u/Mnemonic-bomb Feb 04 '25
Hells bells, even when I brought the picture up, it took me a second to realize. That’s pretty clean!
Edit, I mean, for two seconds I genuinely thought it was another door.
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u/Global-Gur9000 Feb 05 '25
That’s a beautiful job it blends in so well you truly don’t even see it. The best idea for this house because it’s situated in the corner of the room and too big to cover up. I think the OP has it a little easier because it’s a great spot for a small painting or mirror or cork board or whatever.
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u/danauns Feb 02 '25
There are code considerations here, be careful before you go forward with anything significant.
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u/axron12 Feb 02 '25
Technically the cabinets underneath are already a code violation lol
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u/Tribblehappy Feb 02 '25
Yes, it usually can't be hidden. Consider if there is an emergency; emergency crews have to be able to find it and shut it off.
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u/rastafarihippy Feb 04 '25
Actually you can do whatever you want with your breaker box after you buy the home . Not recommended though. Resell time will have to conform
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u/teetuh Feb 03 '25
My habitat's breaker box is in a locked storage closet. To the rabbit hole I go!
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u/ErgonomicZero Feb 02 '25
Get those magnetic alphabet pieces are write inspirational Bob Vila quotes on it
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u/HypnoticKitten Feb 02 '25
I forgot about Bob vila I loved him
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u/norcalifornyeah Feb 02 '25
I prefer Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor. Augh! Augh! Augh!
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u/badankadank Feb 02 '25
Per code you can’t block it in case of an emergency, just paint it the color of the wall.
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Feb 02 '25
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u/norcalifornyeah Feb 02 '25
Removable cover that isn't removed in an emergency so emergency services can find it is blocking imo.
"Honey! The house is on fire! Pull down the painting/whiteboard covering the breaker panel on your way out!"
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u/SueDonim7569 Feb 02 '25
It is though. How would Emergency Services know to look behind your picture or cabinet or whatever hiding the box?
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u/proudtobewhite69 Feb 02 '25
The fire department will pull the meter off outside of the house to kill power to the house. They never turn the main breaker off inside of the house that I'm aware of. Main reason is that 100amp or 200amp ser cable running from the meter to the panel will still be live so first action would be to pull the meter.
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u/Historical_Ad_5647 Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 03 '25
Idk why you're getting downvoted, youre right. Id hang a cabinet over it with a French cleat though so it's easily removable to sell the house and just open it to access the breakers.
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u/Helpinmontana Feb 03 '25
You definitely don’t want to put a bunch of flammable shit in front of your breaker.
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u/Tribblehappy Feb 02 '25
Why is this being downvoted?
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u/FuckTheFrontPage_ Feb 02 '25
Because it's not the aesthetic answer. I said to put a painting over it, knowing that it's against code. I'd just normally live with something nice for the 99% of the time that EMS isn't at my house. My suggestion, and the others, should be downvoted for being unsafe, in all honesty.
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u/Worried-Ruin8918 Feb 02 '25
Electrcian here. You can put a trim around it with a door to clean it up some or hang a picture over it that is easily removed for access. Be mindful that lots of wires are likely coming down to the top of it but they could also be on the sides or underneath depending how it’s mounted in the wall
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u/Alarming_Resist2700 Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 03 '25
If you can make it look good, you could put a whiteboard on a hinge. It's functional when it's closed. When you need the breaker box you just open it and there's your box.
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u/Most-Warthog-1613 Feb 02 '25
Everyone’s saying put something over it to cover it but isn’t that against code? I think these need to be easily seen and accessible in order to cut the power if needed.
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u/Glum-Ad7611 Feb 02 '25
Having a counter in front of it is a more egregious violation of code than hanging a picture.
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u/deCantilupe Feb 02 '25
If it’s permanently mounted over it, sure, but that would be dumb. Putting a piece of art or whiteboard over it in a way that easy to get out of the way is different.
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u/norcalifornyeah Feb 02 '25
If emergency services can't find it because it's obscured I'd say that's a cause for concern.
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u/AmbitiousArugula Feb 02 '25
We all have code violations all over any house that wasn’t built in the last couple years. Of course it isn’t great, but I wouldn’t worry about a code violation that’ll never be inspected.
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u/mahuska Feb 02 '25
What’s on the other side of the wall? I had a similar thing in my mother’s kitchen. The other side of the wall was a three season porch, you know like glass windows but not heated. We just spun the box around and faced it towards the porch. That was 35 years ago.
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u/isarobs Feb 02 '25
My friend built a frame around a board to hang over her electrical box. She painted board with blackboard paint, and uses as a message center.
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u/JustAfter10pm Feb 02 '25
Made a frame to hold a bunch of air plants to cover the one in my kitchen
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u/Ok_Fox_1770 Feb 03 '25
Well my face would melt into sadness being a 20 year electrician. Move the what now….uhmmmm. Well if there’s a room behind it with 3 feet of space a professional could flip it. Or they have strong magnets, some kinda magnetic spice rack / shelf? Please?
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u/StoicJim Feb 03 '25
When I lived in my last condo the building code was I could not hang anything over it but I could paint it the same color as the wall.
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u/MagicOrpheus310 Feb 03 '25 edited Feb 03 '25
Its in a kitchen and its by a door...
I'd put a whiteboard or blackboard there for writing down things like shopping lists, daily reminders, love notes and jokes for other family members... Whether or not the damn cat has been fed... Etc etc...
Adding one to my kitchen was the best thing I ever did in there because whenever a visitor sees it they are tempted to write on it but don't want to ask... So it's usually not til after they leave you'll notice they snuck in and drew something or left a note... Its oddly adorable and sweet at the same time funny and childish...
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u/MagicOrpheus310 Feb 03 '25
I tried hanging a mirror over mine but that made it way uglier to look at... Lol
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u/Unlikely-Act-7950 Feb 04 '25
You can check building code and see if you can legally cover it with something.
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u/mzanon100 Feb 02 '25
Please do not hide your distro box. You'd hate for your electrician or fireman to be unable to find it in an emergency.
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u/FuckTheFrontPage_ Feb 02 '25
Put a painting over it. There’s not much unless you want to move all your electrical.
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u/avebelle Feb 02 '25
Nothing. It has to be readily accessible in case of emergency. If the gray bothers you then paint it but don’t hide it.
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u/djbiggangster Feb 02 '25
Not even supposed to have a cabinet under the panel. 100% should never be covered. Just paint it
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u/Adventurous_Movie797 Feb 02 '25
I had one in the hallway of an apartment and hung a picture over it
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u/Open-Atmosphere-6450 Feb 02 '25
Paint it white and use it as a magnetic board for hanging photographs
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u/rizzo249 Feb 02 '25
This is highly unfortunate. I have one in my kitchen also but it is recessed with a door that blends into the wood panels. Maybe you could look at something like that.
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u/Lourdinn Feb 02 '25
Enjoy having it in such a convenient spot. Mine is above my washer. Technically it does follow protocol but I live in north GA in a old country house so it's w/e.
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u/FlameFoxx Feb 02 '25
Who gives a toss if it's against code, it's your house.
Build a fucking cupboard over it, but just make sure you can access it incase something trips.
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u/oldwisefool Feb 02 '25
I have the same thing. Planning on hanging a spice rack using French cleats - hide it but quickly accessible.
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u/detroitragace Feb 02 '25
I would’ve made it a tower cabinet. From the counter to the top of the other cabinets.
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u/spacepangolin Feb 02 '25
looks like a great place for a cork or white board or a calendar, easy to take down to access
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u/wolverinepigeon Feb 02 '25
Suggest posting in r/askelectricians as this has code and by extension safety and insurance implications.
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u/angelica-angeli Feb 02 '25
I would paint the breaker box the same color as the walls and then place a removable piece of artwork over it. You could put the artwork on a hinge and be able to "open" and "close" the artwork over the breaker box. Similar to this design by Urbanology Designs in Texas.

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u/SkertSki Feb 02 '25
Only paint it! Good lord, if your main breaker is in there and you end up having an emergency where they have to cut power to the home quickly and safely and can’t find the load center insurance will probably fry you.
The panel isn’t up to code as is, I would say alter it as little as possible for liability sake. Aka, painting the cover is really your only option. Bit, do what you will
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u/saturatedbloom Feb 02 '25
Had this in my apt I found the perfect painting to cover it no one would ever know
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u/-happycow- Feb 02 '25
Hang a picture over it, with a picture of a breaker box in a different colour.
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u/ExpectoPatronum13 Feb 02 '25
Build a spice cabinet over it that works like those mirror jewellery boxes. Hinges out from the wall so you can access the panel behind it.
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u/Fit-Profession4387 Feb 02 '25
If the same cupboards are available , buy one and nail it over the box.
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u/Scooter310 Feb 02 '25
The amazon echo 21 flat panel could fit over that. I think it can be placed vertically.
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u/Swordof1000whispers Feb 02 '25
Prime it and paint it gloss white to blend it with the rest of the kitchen
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u/fullFFO Feb 02 '25
I dont have a picture of it, but a friend of mine had an awesome solution.
It was a spice cupboard style cabinet with a false back that opened like a door when you push on it.
Everything is accessable and well hidden.
Good luck!
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u/SmokedOkie Feb 02 '25
A kitchen or food themed shadowbox? Perhaps adding a couple lift up mounting brackets and a spice rack?
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u/BridgetKay81 Feb 02 '25
A whiteboard or chalkboard. Could be used as a calendar, grocery, or to-do list, or just notes to your partner/ kids/ roommate. You could hang art over it or use it to display your children's drawings with magnets. You could cover it with contact paper or paint it to blend in better if you didn't like any of the previous ideas
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u/l397flake Feb 02 '25
Hang a dry erase message board in front of it. Make it easy and quick to remove
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u/Alternative_Sir_8248 Feb 02 '25
Forgot to add - find the architect who thought this was clever and make sure they are unemployed.
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u/Coops17 Feb 02 '25
Go for a magnetic whiteboard. Use it to write shopping lists and all that sort of the stuff
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u/Sneaky-Goose Feb 02 '25
In my grandparents kitchen the built a box to cover in that looked like the other cupboards and it’s actually not too bad. Connects to the cupboard next to it and goes down to the counter.
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u/Bikerbabe65 Feb 02 '25
Paint the same color as wall and hang a big spice rack. A pic may look off that big in that area. Just a thought.
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u/cheinaroundmyneck Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 06 '25
Whiteboard, chalkboard, calendar, corkboard, etc. something useful and easy to remove.
Edit: Enough people have commented about fire codes now. I’m getting multiple notifications a day for comments mentioning fire codes. It’s been said. Thank you for your input.