How can you make an HVAC unit look at home in your house or apartment?
Photo by Dewi Karuniasih on Unsplash
It isn’t easy, as these products are designed for function rather than to look great. Fortunately, there are a lot of methods that can be used to hide the unit or even make it look more natural within the house.
An air conditioning contractor will take care of the difficult part, the installation, but this leaves you to think about how it actually looks and whether you can still create the décor you want in your house in spite of having to have an internal, industrial-looking unit.
How to integrate air conditioning into the architecture of the house
If you are in the early stages of designing a home, and you are able to have conversations with an architect regarding the way your house is going to look, then you might be able to integrate the air conditioning better. This could mean building a specific area for the unit so it doesn’t have to take up space in your living space.
This isn’t easy, and doing so retrospectively is very difficult, but if you’re building your own home this could be an option.
How to make air conditioning an integral part of home decor?
If you’ve already got your home and an air conditioning unit is going to be integrated, then it can be a bit tougher to find a way to integrate it and reduce the impact on the look of your home. Here are some ways to do so:
Surround it with wall decorations
Wall decorations are one of the ways in which you can hide the HVAC unit so it isn’t so obvious. It’s not as easy to spot if you have wall decorations around it that give you more of a focal point. Your eyes aren’t as drawn to the HVAC unit itself.
Place it inside an open bookcase
A bookcase isn’t something that you would find unusual if you saw it within a home, and it is a way to hide away an HVAC unit and potentially upcycle an old bookcase. The unit needs to still have plenty of airflows so you can’t totally hide it away, but a bookcase can make it much more subtle.
Paint your air conditioner
It may be possible to paint your air conditioner to fit the look of your home decor. Make sure you are using the right paint types, as you will need something that can specifically paint the outside of your air conditioning unit and the material it is made out of.
Choose the right color for the AC unit
This can reduce the need to paint it at all. If you are able to buy the right type of air conditioning unit, in the right color to start with, then it will be much more subtle and won’t stand out against your design.
If your room has some dark colors, and suddenly you have an HVAC unit that is bright white or another light color then there is every chance that it will stand out much more. Try to choose a color that fits with your decor.
Build a Cabinet Around Your AC
This is a similar method to the bookcase idea of hiding a lot of the HVAC unit away and making sure it doesn’t become the central focus of your room. You can build a cabinet with a specific design that suits your own room.
Opt for a Decorative Box
You can buy or make a decorative box or a cover for your HVAC unit, as long as the air can still flow then you are free to cover up the unit, and this can be a way to improve the way your home looks, even with a new HVAC in it. This can even add a feature to your house.
Cover it with a curtain
A curtain can be another way to section off an area of the room and hide the HVAC unit away. Air can still flow, but people won’t be able to see the unit as easily. If you have a specific area you can block off with a curtain, and the HVAC is installed here, this can work well.