One of the perils of modern living is the pernicious proliferation of power cords. Whether it's from your computer, monitor, printer or external hard drive, photo electronics are a breeding ground for that ugly mess of wires and cords beneath your feet. That's why neat freaks like us are happy there are companies out there like Bluelounge, which not only has created a way to put those cords "out of sight, out of mind," they've done it with style.

The CableBox from Bluelounge is a smartly designed plastic container—available in white or black— that does away with cable clutter by providing a discreet housing for all your cords. Though Bluelounge cites other benefits of the CableBox, including prevention of "dust accumulation, unsightliness and fire risk," this is really all about esthetics and that's fine with us.

The CableBox—15.6 (L) x 6 (W) x 5.5 (H) inches—can fit power strips and surge protectors either of the wide "double" variety, or the long, thin "single" type. Made of fire retardant HIPS (high-impact polystyrene thermoplastic) plastic, the CableBox also provides a handy lid to rest your connected devices on, such as a cable modem or an external drive. The box has open slots on both sides, letting you neatly align all your cords, while ten included twist-ties help you sew everything up ship-shape. A pair of rubber feet on the bottom keeps the container from sliding away.

Again, this isn't exactly rocket science but it is good industrial design and we're always suckers for good industrial design.

Cost: $29.95 Further information: www.bluelounge.com