Double Blanking Plate - Plum

Plum is a deep purple that reads almost aubergine in low light, and here it covers a double-width position with a plain, unbroken face. The screwless style keeps the front entirely flat, with nothing to break the colour across it. It is a blanking plate and nothing more: no rockers, no apertures, no markings.

We reach for one of these where a position has been left over from an older layout and the hole is better closed than looked at: a television point that moved when the room was rearranged, or a spare gang beside a run of sockets that was never wired through. It suits anyone working a coloured plate scheme through a room, since a blank in the same finish keeps a wall reading as one idea rather than a patchwork. Kitchens, hallways, studies and bedrooms are the usual homes for it. Being an indoor fitting for dry rooms, it is happiest away from splashes, steam and anything outdoors.

The plate is moulded in polycarbonate, a tough plastic that takes a deep, even colour and shrugs off the odd knock. Dust lifts off with a dry cloth. For finger marks, a cloth barely damp with warm water and a drop of washing-up liquid does the job, and a dry buff afterwards stops streaking; solvents, abrasive creams and polish sprays will dull the surface and are best kept well away from it. It carries a ten year warranty. Set among plum switches and sockets it vanishes into the run, while against a pale wall it reads as a small deliberate block of colour, which is why we would place it where the eye already goes.

What does a blanking plate actually do?

It closes off a position that is no longer in use, giving a flat, plain face where there would otherwise be a gap. There are no working parts behind the front and nothing to switch.

How big is it?

It measures 146mm across by 88mm high, with a depth of 25mm, so it reads as a standard double-width plate on the wall.

What is it made from?

Polycarbonate, a rigid moulded plastic finished in plum. It is light at 0.07kg.

How should I clean it?

A dry cloth for dust, and a barely damp cloth with a little washing-up liquid for marks, dried off afterwards. Avoid solvents, abrasive creams and aerosol polishes, which take the sheen off plastic plates.

Can I use it in a bathroom or outdoors?

No. It is rated for indoor use only and belongs in dry rooms, away from steam, splashes and the weather.

Is there a warranty?

Yes, it carries a ten year warranty.