Would you love to have an uncluttered spot for charging your electronics? That’s exactly what I was looking for when I created my simple DIY charging station. It’s been a game-changer at our house!
Our charging cords now stay there 24/7 and our electronics all have a home for easy charging. Ready to make your own? I’ll show you how! (post includes commissionable links; for more information, see my full disclosure statement {here})
DIY Charging Station
I created my charging station with an inexpensive open desktop wood organizer that I scored at HomeGoods. I wanted one where I could fit four iPhones across the front row and an iPad in the middle. Another great option that you can order online is {this desktop storage set}.
The first step in this DIY is to figure out where you want the holes for your cords, which will be coming up from the bottom. I drilled small pilot holes first to make sure they were in the right place and then drilled bigger holes that would fit the smallest sized end of each charger cord.
My charging station was right in front of my outlet so I used short charging cords similar to {these}. They stay in the charging station full time so there’s no more searching for cords!
You’ll also want to add circular felt pads such as {these} to the bottom of your organizer. They create just enough space for the cords for go underneath the charging station and plug in at the outlet behind it.
And I typed up a little “Recharge” label to add to the front:
Consider a USB Outlet
If you peek behind the charging station, you’ll see the other part of this project: an outlet that we converted to a 4-port USB charger:
My husband and I rarely mess with anything electrical but this project was as easy as it comes. We used {this 4-port USB charger}. The faceplate isn’t included so add one of {these Decora wall plates} to your shopping list if your existing cover is the more traditional two hole type.
For installation, we followed the instructions included with the USB outlet. First we turned off the power to the outlet at the circuit breaker and tested it to be certain that the power was off. We then removed the faceplate from the old outlet, pulled the outlet out of the box, and removed the wires from it.
The USB charger comes with three colored wires connected to it – we connected these wires to the same colored wires coming out of outlet box, twisting the strands tightly together. We then screwed on the plastic connectors, secured them with electrical tape, and mounted the USB charger device in the wall box. Done in under five minutes!
A few things about the installation:
1.The Leviton USB charger is fairly deep and fits into standard electrical wall boxes but some older boxes may be too shallow to accommodate it. Make sure your wall box measures at least 3″ x 2″ x 2.5”
2. I am NOT an electrician – our install was very simple but your wiring may be different. Read the instructions included with the USB charger and consult an electrician if you are not sure about any part of them.
There’s also an option to have your regular outlet plus two USB ports that you can find that {here} (again, don’t forget to buy a wallplate too!).
I’m so glad to have one of our little daily dilemmas solved! It really is the simplest of DIYs but if you don’t have the time or interest in doing your own DIY project, we have {this bamboo charging station} in our office and it’s also a great option:
If you want other ideas for whipping your workspace into shape, be sure to check out my post on favorite desk organization ideas.
Another option to consider is adding an outlet to the inside of a drawer for hidden charging of your electronics – we did that as part of our kitchen remodel:
We ordered ours as part of our new kitchen cabinets but you can also buy {this in-drawer docking outlet} to add to an existing drawer in your kitchen. Check out my post on kitchen drawer organizers for more ideas of smart storage solutions for your kitchen.
And one last idea… if you’re looking to charge your phone easily at your bedside, consider a lamp with a built-in USB outlet in the base – both beautiful and functional! We have a pair of these USB lamps in our guest room and guests really appreciate how easily it is to charge their phones bedside:
Our exact lamps are no longer available but you can find several options for table lamps with built-in usb outlets {here}.
Thanks for stopping by everyone! If you’re looking for more ways to get your home organized, be sure to check out my other home organization posts {here}!
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Ivory says
BEAUTIFUL!!! I am ordering the USB Charger today, and my husband will install it as soon as it comes in. Thank you for this gorgeous idea.
Sylvie Jobe says
Thank you for the idea. The color of the box is exactly what I was looking for. Love DIY project ! I am buying a brand new home, and looking for way to have everything “super organized” No clutter…. I am already very organized… but never enough ….. So one more thing I want to tackle in the new house… Thank you !
Kris Jarrett says
Good luck knocking it out!!
Aaron says
Love the idea. Another way you can do it without messing with anything electrical is to buy a 5 port USB charging station from Amazon or another online retailer. Most of them as well can smart regulate each device so no worries about over charging or under charging the device. I have ordered one of these in case anybody is interested in which one I purchased. Again great idea. Going to have to build one myself instead of having devices laying on top of a desk.
Kris Jarrett says
Thanks for the idea Aaron!
Dan Medina says
Thanks so much for posting. I love the idea and easy way you’ve explained it. I also love the rule of no electronics upstairs during the night. My girls may not love it but we will do it. Great for guests to use as well.
Anonymous says
I’m curious as to how well the outlet works? We got a different type of outlet but the USB part charges for crap. Don’t want to invest in something that doesn’t charge more than one thing at a time!
Kris Jarrett says
It seems to charge just fine – I haven’t noticed any difference in rate of charging between the USB outlet and a regular outlet plugged into the wall.
Theresa @DearCreatives says
I so need to make one of these. Such a great idea and makes it so organized too! Pinned for later.
Adel says
Thank you
Nick says
How did you go about charging the 5th device?
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Nick, we keep five cords threaded through the charging station and when we charge our fifth device (the iPad), we just unplug one of the other cords and plug this one in to the USB charger in the wall. Our iPad holds a charge for a long time so we only charge it once or twice a week and it’s during the day (unlike our other devices that charge at night) so it works well for us.
Anonymous says
Can you make me one? No clever people in my house!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
You can do this! It’s so, so easy – if you can drill a hole, it’s a snap!
MB says
Are you selling these on etsy??
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
No, actually I’m not! Thank you so much to alerting me to this link. They took my images, removed the watermark, and are claiming to sell this identical charging station. I have reported it to Etsy. Again, I appreciate you letting me know.
MB says
im glad I could help. People like that don’t deserve sales! Ugh!
Kirsten says
I have been looking for a solution for all those wires for ages. Bought my box at TJ Maxx yesterday, the pads from Michael’s and I’ve ordered the outlet from Amazon. My thing is the excess wire at the bottom of the tray and nearly all our devices charge from the bottom. But anything is better than putting those cables away 25 times per day!
emily@everydaymom says
Super cute! Love it!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks so much Emily! It’s one of my all-time favorite projects!
Tami says
I just made one of these a couple of months ago that looks exactly like this. Got my mail organizer at World Market. But I drilled in from the back with a long spade bit. LOVE your idea from the bottom with felt to raise it up to accommodate the cords. So much easier. And since we have a family of six, we needed a few more USB outlets. I just bought a 10-port family sized desktop charger. It plugs into a standard wall outlet. Haven’t had any problems charging any of our Apple or Samsung devices. And since we set ours on a bookshelf in the kitchen surrounded by cookbooks, the outlet, cords and USB charger all hidden from view. We love our charging station!
Mark says
Does the circuit shut off power when unplugged. I know some chargers still draw power even when the charger is not connected to a phone etc.
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Sorry Mark, it’s a good question but I don’t know the answer to it.
Chris says
What are the measurements of the box?
Thanks
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Hi Chris,
My charging station box is about 12″ long, 6″ deep, and 6.5″ tall.
Dolly says
Kris,
I really love this idea and the look!. I have some grey barn wood that I think I’ll try my hand at making the holder. The only change I would make, would to put kerfs into the the bottom of the box that correspond to each cord, but still use the felt pads to prevent scratches. I have seen these type of organizers at TJMaxx, and could go buy one, but I enjoy wood working. I also love a challenge too. I love your Ideas and enjoy seeing and reading about the projects. Keep up the great work!!
~Dolly
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
A barnwood organizer that you create yourself will be fabulous!!!