Premium Switches and Sockets: Enhancing Your Home’s Aesthetic Appeal

Premium switches and sockets can dramatically improve a room’s aesthetic, complementing other design features and adding style and colour. When replacing your switches and sockets, it’s important to consider style, design and functionality. In this post, we explain everything you need to know about replacing the switches and sockets in your home.

Assessing Your Home’s Design and Electrical Requirements

Before investing in new switches and sockets, it’s important to consider the design of your home and its existing electrical infrastructure. Several key factors should influence your decision-making. These are:

Are there any other metal or coloured finishes in the room?

When investing in premium switches and sockets, you must ensure they complement your decor. Consider whether you have any other metal or coloured finishes in the room and select switches and sockets that match these. Look to match the finish of your switches and sockets to any ceiling or wall lights. Ensure the switches and sockets you choose fit well with your home décor, flooring, soft furnishings, door and window handles, mirrors, and other decorative items.

The condition of the walls

Assess the condition of your walls before choosing new switches and sockets. Are your walls completely flat? If not, you should avoid choosing flat plate sockets and switches as these show up anomalies easily. Instead, choose an alternative style that’s more forgiving. Using a spirit level, you can easily check how flat your walls are.

Have your walls recently been plastered?

Newly plastered walls take months to dry properly. Depending on the material and finish, the drying process can sometimes stain switches and sockets. If you have newly plastered walls, check with the company you are buying your sockets and switches from to see if the particular ones you’re interested in will be affected by drying plaster.

The general style and feel of the property or room

Modern switches and sockets come in a variety of styles and finishes. To complement your room’s overall ambiance, select a full range that matches the property’s traditional or contemporary feel.

Achieve a cohesive look by maintaining a consistent style throughout your property. Explore various finishes for switches and sockets in each room, creating a perfect, tailored appearance for your home.

Earth wiring

Metal switches and sockets must be fitted with an earth wire. This can potentially be a problem if you live in an older property. Some older properties lack the appropriate earth wiring; if this is the case, you should not fit metal plates. Instead, opt for plastic ones, often available in various styles and colours.

Exploring Premium Switches and Sockets Options

There are so many different modern switches and sockets design styles and colours. When choosing the best ones for your home, to add that finishing touch consider the following :

• Do you want your switches and sockets to blend in or stand out?
• Do you have wallpaper on the walls? If so, what colour or style is this?
• What colour are the walls painted?
• What is the color of the floor, rug, baseboard, and doorways?
• What light fittings do you have? What style and finishes are these?
• What are the style, design and colours in your interior?
• Do you want a minimalist, contemporary or traditional socket design?

When it comes to switches, there are different styles to choose from. Consider whether you want to opt for the more traditional dolly switch, which has a toggle-like switch, a more contemporary rocker or a dimmer switch. Do you want your switches to match your sockets? Do you want raised plates, thin plates or flat plates?

There are many different colours to choose from too. Popular finishes include:

• Polished brass
• Antique brass
• Black
• Polished chrome
• Brushed chrome
• Silver
• Gold
• Nickel
• Bronze
• Rose gold
• White

Choose the style and colour of your sockets and light switches to complement your décor and the style of your home. Consider whether you want to be bold in your choices or opt for a more neutral colour that will complement future decorating choices as well as what you have right now.

This intermediate rocker switch is finished in a stylish antique brass with black trim. It’s perfect for a more traditional decor or to add warmth and sophistication to a room.

In contrast, this polished chrome single socket is ideal for more contemporary decors and adds a touch of brightness to a room.

Functionality and Convenience

As well as upgrading the aesthetic of your switches and sockets, there are further options that allow you to enhance the functionality and convenience of your home. Have you, for example, considered future-proofing your property with smart home integration? These types of switches and sockets are great for improving functionality and convenience:

Dimmer switches

Dimmer switches have been around for some time now, so you’re probably familiar with their appearance and function. Dimmer switches typically have a round push-in button that turns on the light that doubles up as a dial for adjusting the brightness of your lights. Dimmer switches are ideal for controlling the ambience and lighting for different occasions. Another benefit is that they can help you reduce your energy usage if you keep the lights down low.

The most contemporary dimmer switches even come with smart capabilities. Features with these vary but can include the capability to operate your lights using a smartphone or voice-activated assistant as well as programming capabilities allowing you to set your lights to automatically come on, off or adjust in brightness throughout the day.

When considering dimmer switches, it’s important to be aware that they may not be compatible with all light fixtures, so always check this first. Another downside to dimmer switches is that they can be prone to buzzing noises. To minimise this risk, invest in high-quality equipment and ensure a professional electrician installs it.

This vintage dimmer in matt black adds a striking design element to your room. Unlike some dimmer switches, it’s compatible with LED lights.

USB A+C charging ports

Traditionally, you would find USB charging ports on laptops, computers and other electrical devices such as game consoles. However, it is becoming increasingly popular for USB A+C charging ports to be integrated into sockets for added convenience. Installing USB A+C charging ports in your home allows you to easily charge your devices without needing separate charging adapters.

Increasingly, devices are being sold without adaptors as a means for companies to reduce their carbon footprint. Having USB charging points on your walls removes the stress of purchasing separate device adapters. With the increasing reliance on technology and devices, it makes sense for many people to have USB charging points on their walls. These are especially beneficial if your household uses a lot of different devices that need charging, if you have a large family or children, or if you regularly invest in new devices.

This double USB A+C socket has two conventional plug sockets as well as one USB-A and USB-C charging port. Its sleek satin nickel finish complements a wide range of design schemes.

Smart home integration

WiFi sockets and switches allow you to connect to the internet, so you can control them from a smartphone even when you’re not at home. When you are at home, they can often be controlled by voice commands via a smart speaker. Depending on the product, they come with different features but can include timers, schedules, automation, countdown function and in-built energy monitoring.

Smart switches and sockets are ideal if you like to keep up with the latest technology and want to future-proof your home. They can provide the ultimate convenience and comfort by allowing you to control your lighting and electrical devices from anywhere.

Installation and Safety Considerations

Because changing or installing switches and sockets involves working with electrical systems, it can be potentially dangerous. It’s extremely important that you know what you’re doing, feel confident and follow safety guidelines.

Legally, you do not have to be a professional electrician to replace electrical outlets in your home. However, it’s worth checking whether it may invalidate any insurance policies or warranties if the work is not carried out by a professional electrician.

Hiring a professional electrician is always advisable for electrical work. For simple electrical jobs like changing sockets and switches, the job should be relatively inexpensive and quick to complete. By hiring a professional, you know you are safe, and the job has been done to the right standard.

Before installing new switches and sockets, it’s important to ensure you switch off the mains supply, switch off the appropriate circuit breaker and remove the appropriate fuse. Ensure that nobody else can reconnect the power supply while you are working.

Maintenance and Longevity

Premium Switches and sockets endure regular use and can quickly become dirty or experience faults if improperly maintained. Follow these cleaning and maintenance tips to take care of your switches and sockets and ensure longevity.

Cleaning

When cleaning your switches and sockets, it’s really important to follow safety precautions and switch off your power at the circuit breaker before you start. Once you have done this, check that the power is off by testing several switches around the house. Once you are satisfied the power is off, you can clean your switches and sockets without risk of electrocution.

For the most thorough clean, consider removing the plates from the wall so you can get into all the crevices. You can do this by simply unscrewing the plate using a screwdriver. Be sure to carefully place all the screws together so they won’t get lost.

Consider what material your switches and sockets are made from, as this will impact what you can clean them with. For plastic plates, use a microfibre cloth and everyday cleaning solution or dish soap. Apply this to the cloth first and never directly to the plate, as this could pose a risk when the electricity is switched back on later.

If your switches and sockets have a metal finish, you’ll want to be extra careful not to use anything abrasive for cleaning or any solution that could tarnish the plates. Use a microfibre cloth and warm soapy water, and buff the plates gently.

Once the plates are clean and dry, carefully screw them back onto the wall before turning on the power again.

Maintenance

When it comes to maintenance of your switches and sockets, the most important thing is to inspect them regularly. Look for any signs of damage, such as cracks, burn marks or discolouration. These could indicate potentially hazardous damage or issues, so always consult a professional electrician if you notice any of these things.

Regularly test your switches and sockets so you can detect any minor issues early and have them resolved. Ensure you replace any old or damaged wiring as soon as possible. Rodents can damage wiring, so ensure you deal with any problems of this nature promptly.

Avoid electrical overloads by using the main socket and not plugging many devices into an extension lead. Only purchase reliable electrical products, as many fake electrical devices sold online can be dangerous or damaging to your electrical systems.

Is it time to upgrade your switches and sockets? Choosing smart switches and sockets to complement the look and décor of your home can dramatically enhance your interior aesthetic. Before investing in new switches and sockets, consider which options are right for you and your home. Consider what design and functionality you want. Follow all safety guidelines when installing new switches and sockets, and if in doubt, contact a professional electrician to carry out the work for you!