Switchplate Covers

Switch plate covers and wall plates

Switch plate covers carry a room's hardware finish onto the wall, so light switches and outlets read as part of the design instead of builder-grade leftovers. This category covers toggle, rocker, outlet, GFI, and blank plates, along with combination covers that put a toggle and an outlet under one plate. Edgar Berebi, Jaye Design, Carpe Diem Hardware, and Rocky Mountain Hardware are the brands represented here.

How to choose a switch plate cover

Start at the wall box, not the style. The cover has to match what is already behind it, so count the devices and note their type before you compare designs.

• Gang count. A single toggle takes a single-gang plate, a toggle beside an outlet takes a combination plate, and three switches in a row take a triple. Product titles spell out the layout, such as Single Toggle, Dbl Toggle, Triple Toggle, Quad GFI, or Double Outlet.
• Opening shape. Toggle switches use a narrow slot. Rocker switches and GFI outlets use a larger rectangular opening, so a rocker or GFI plate will not fit a toggle switch, and the reverse is also true.
• Plate size. Wider plates cover rough paint lines and oversized drywall cutouts around older boxes. Several listings, including the Jaye Design Accents plates, state width and height in the title, so you can check coverage before ordering.

Matching the finish

Pick the metal that is already in the room. Repeating the finish of the cabinet pulls, faucet, and light fixtures makes the plates disappear into the scheme, while a deliberate contrast, such as dark plates on a pale wall, makes them a visible accent. If you are working from a finish, the brass finish page shows what else is available in that metal, and the Edgar Berebi brand page shows coordinating pieces beyond switch plates.

Which brands lead this category

Edgar Berebi leads this page with the Glendale line, which runs from single toggle and blank covers to quad GFI and four-outlet layouts. Carpe Diem Hardware offers its Acanthus plates in single and double rocker or GFI. Jaye Design's Accents plates come in several sizes, and Rocky Mountain Hardware rounds out the page.

Not sure which layout or finish to order? Kayla, the Keeper of the Knobs, offers a free design consultation: pick a time on her calendar.