This weekend’s give away is a great one. Legrand is expanding its North American presence and has a wonderful line called adorne, featuring truly beautiful and well-designed light switches and wall plates. It amazing how doing something as simple as swapping out a light switch and plate for something special can really elevate a room. Design is in the details!
For our mudroom, I chose to replace our old school double toggle switch with a double sofTap switch. You can choose other switches that operate with motion sensors (walking by or waving your hand in front of the switch), whisper switches, dimmers, remotely-controlled smart switches – they’ve thought of everything. I liked the extra clean look of the sofTap and I love that there’s a tiny little light that very softly illuminates the switches when they’re off, which is shockingly helpful for supporting my midnight snack habit.
They’ve also covered the gamut of wall plate possibilities (above). You can go glossy modern (like the white I have in this post), mirrored, metallic, leather, all sorts of colors, or the customizable option I used here in the mudroom. That option comes with a paper mat template that you can use for wallpaper or any art project you want to create. (The tutorial for the marbled paper is after the jump.)
To enter to win a $200 shopping spree with adorne, visit the site and choose your favorite switch and wall plate combos. (PS This video really helps the switched come to life – worth a watch!) Leave a comment on this post with your choices and where you’ll use your new switches. Contest ends Friday August 16 at midnight. Winner will be emailed. Good luck!!
And don’t forget to click through for the marbling tutorial…
I’ve been dying to try a marbled paper DIY for a really long time. I LOVE marbleized anything so this felt like a natural choice for my customized wall plate.
You’ll need: a variety of nail polish colors (try the dollar store or CVS is having a 2 for $3 sale right now on some brands), water, a disposable container that’s bigger than the paper or item that you’re marbling, a toothpick or anything long and pointy (I used a long screw because our toothpicks are still packed away :)), paper or whatever you want to marble and a place to dry the items (I used a drop cloth). Also, you might want gloves, as my messy hands below will demonstrate.
By the way, I think most anything can be marbled with nail polish – the possibilities are pretty endless. Flower pots and vases, finger nails (obvs), picture frames, jewelry boxes, chair legs. There are lots of tutorials floating around the web that show all sort of cool ideas. I loved this one on Design Mom.
So, to start, fill your container with a bit of water. If you’re marbling paper, you’ll only need about an inch of water.
Take off all the lids to your nail polish to make the process go faster. You’ll need to work pretty fast so that the polish doesn’t start drying.
Pour your colors in rings, one on top of the other. There’s no right or wrong way to do this. Just pick colors and pour. If you pour slowly, the nail polish shouldn’t sink.
After pouring your rings, use a toothpick (or a screw) to pull the color. You’re not mixing it – you’re just going to move the colors around gingerly. Don’t over-swirl and don’t take too much time to do it.
Then drop your paper onto the pattern, press softly to make sure the surfaces fully connect, and then pull off the paper and flip it around quickly but carefully to make sure the paint doesn’t run. And then put it down to dry on your drop cloth.
Now, don’t swirl again – the new pattern will be soft and completely lovely, so just get your next paper ready and dip it. I got at least three dips from each round of pouring. And I usually ended up liking the second or third papers the very best. The paint will be thinner and more dreamy-looking.
I ended up doing three or four rounds of paint pouring (I’m swimming in marbled paper if anyone wants any:) ), but these were the ones I like the best for the switch/wall plate application. I had to pick ones that had more interesting perimeters since the middle was going to get cut out for the switches.
I ended up going with a darker pattern because I liked how it looked with the wall color.
The customizable wall plate comes with a paper template that I used to trace out the hole for the switch.
You just remove the sticker on the plate to expose the adhesive and then place your art paper.
I really love how the wall plate turned out. It looks so pretty with the orange chairs. :)
The manual on, auto off switch would be perfect for my boys' rooms (they never remember to turn off the light). I think the customizable plate cover would be fun option, too. Thanks!
I am a sucker for the white whisper switches for sure!
jessicarwarfield at gmail dot com
The adorne collection is fabulous….I would have a hard time choosing :)
Those are beautiful! I love the idea of colored wall plates. My being-built-nearly-finished-needs-electrical-finishes house has so much white the little pop of color would be amazing!
I love the aged brass wall plate! Thanks for the giveaway!
I like the titanium one
I would use any of them! But I really liked the Wenge Wood on and the paddle switch for the bathroom we just redid!
sofTAP switch with the satin bronze, 1-Gang wall Plate. I'd put it in our dining room. We just moved and eventually the whole room will be redone. Inspiration!
I would love the glossy white plates with soft touch. Considering all the plates are off our new home, we would have plenty of places to put these.
What a great post! Funny how you don't know you need something until you become aware of it :)
Love the look of the French Oak 2 Gang Wall plate. Would pair it with the Whisper Switch and sofTap Switch, Wireless Master.
Ooh – these are neat! I'd replace the three switches in my dining room/kitchen with two regualr paddels, and one dimmable paddle.I love the look of the mirrored white plate – it would be perfect!
gloss white, 2 gang, touch switches! just discovered this company and I'm in love!
I would use the sense switch for my kids bedroom and bathroom because they NEVER remember to turn off the lights. I would love to try the custom wall plate with white trim. This would be so FUN to win! casidyanne at hot mail dot com
Turquoise plate with soft touch switch :)
Awesome timing on your giveaway! I am needing new plates in our bathroom, and was wanting to use the Adorne! I would use the GFCI outlet, paddle switch and dimmer. Cream I think.
Wenge Wood with the Touch Switch!
I think I'd do soft touch with aged brass, I wish I could update my entire house!
Oh! We still have those large clunky safety outlets in our living room from when our tweeners were babies. Time to change those suckers out! Basic, classic gloss white outlets and Softouch switches for me. Thanks!
You are seriously genius! I love what you did with the switch plate! I don't know how you come up with these ideas, but I'm so glad you do because they are hugely inspirational for me! Very cool. Loving that room.
Love your marble look! For my kitchen I would install a Whisper Dimmer Wireless in magnesium finish and a Brushed Stainless Plate. Will be great to be able to control lighting of multiple rooms with a remote control.
Love these switches and outlets! Definitely would choose the white edge customizable plate double with soft touch switches. Also in love with the pop out outlets and usb outlets, this would solve so many charging problems! I would start with our entry and work my way around the living/dining/kitchen eventually.
These would really perk up a bathroom: whisper switch and plum wall plate.
I would pick the sofTap switches with brushed stainless steel plates. It would be perfect in my kitchen/pantry area.
Love the soft touch, I just bought my first house and have some original 1978 faux wood grain switch plates in places…Would love the upgrade. Seriously.
I've been looking for an easy way to marble paper without a lot of products/steps and this seems perfect! Thanks for sharing!!
Totally cool. Whisper switch with satin nickel plate for me.
love the sensaswitch with the cherry wall plate. that would be great in my living room!
The sofTap Wireless Master switches and Gloss White plates look amazing! They would be perfect for replacing our current switches (installed in the 40s, I think), which make me feel like I'm flipping a breaker switch every time I need to see down our hallway.
-Arielle
Oh fun! I like the glossy white a lot, it would help spruce up my new apartment. Great tutorial!
I love the glossy white and the soft touch looks awesome! It would be great in my entryway where there are SO many switches!
I think a blast from my past with a push button switches are in my future. Customizable wall plates. These are great looking. Thanks for the new source!
The Sensa Switch
Really liking the brushed brass with whisper dimmer. My house could really use these!
1 gang pop out outlet with glossy white plate. I love their products
love the plum plate with the paddle switch
Would love to add the white whisper switch with brushed brass or customizable plate throughout the first floor of our new home – small details help put my stamp on a new place!
I would love the custom wall plate with the whisper switch. So pretty!
I love this! what a beautiful tutorial and I love that the lightswitch becomes art…you're a genius. :)
I think I like the softap in black leather. My husband would just love this!
Thanks for the chance, Jenny, have a lovely weekend!
I never thought about decorating with switch covers. it opens a whole new world of fun ideas
The wireless options are pretty great, with minimal flat-coloured plates. But it's the pop-out outlets that set my heart aflutter!
The wireless options are pretty great, with minimal flat-coloured plates. But it's the pop-out outlets that set my heart aflutter!
Sesna manual on auto off for my girls walk in closet…with a boring flat plate!
I would want the design your own plate in the soft tap! Thanks Jenny!
We just moved into a 1930s stone cottage and all light switches and electric sockets in the whole house have to be replaced. Glossy White please. Beautiful design.
August 9, 2013 at 2:10 PM
dark burnished pewter 2-gang with pop out outlet and nightlight … perfect for bathroom for senior … outlets as necessary and nightlight for safety … plus motion for lights.
I can't tell you how much time I've spent prying painted-over switches and switch plates off the walls of our new home. O would LOVE to replace them with something attractive.
I'm totally fascinated by these twitches, I like the custom plate you used and could see using a beautiful paper inside it and for switches I like the whisper ones.
antique bronze wall plate with the Paddle switch. i would love a few in the bedroons
I'd love the stainless steel 1 Gang Wall Plate for my kitchen to go with my appliances. There's such a great collection of choices! Thanks for the great giveaway!
Leslie
House on the Way
http://www.houseontheway.com
Just what our new house needs!!!
I'd choose the soft tap switch with the aged brass wall plate.
Great giveaway and I love your
marbled plate!