Good Questions: Hiding a Window Air Conditioner? Los Angeles

SydneyBristow asks:
I'm interested in tips to hide my air conditioning unit that juts out of the window. It's so ugly! right now i have a plant in front of it. Any other suggestions?

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Although we've covered the issue of in the wall AC units before, window mounted units are a more difficult matter since they need to be coordinated to compliment not only the room from the inside perspective, and also the window structure and window treatment surrounding it. There's also the issue of allowing enough air flow when in use.

Hiding a window mounted AC from the exterior view may require using a trellis if you're on the ground level or large planters of tall shrubs/flowering plants; multi-story mounted units pose a more difficult challenge and would likely require an expert to build some sort of structure around it. We take out our window unit during the winter months to get rid of the eye sore for at least part of the year, but perhaps another reader out there has come up with a smart solution to hide window AC's from view?

Comments (12)

At least it's not one of those horrendous floor-standing units with the flexible dryer-ductwork...

I say just live with it as-is and expend your energy in removing it from the window during the winter months.

Curtains, Maybe a double rod curtain as the depth sticks out more and would cover the unit consipicuously. Ivory curtains in a Belgian linen fabric would look nice.

if you have room on the window sill, I put a picture frame in front of mine during the winter. And when I need to use it in the summer, just lean it on the floor right below it. It hides enough of it without much hard work.

During the summer's heat wave, I really don't mind much the window mounted AC, to be honest. Curtains are good, but when the cool-breeze beast is on, the curtains just fly all over the place.

There are slightly less-offensive window units out there. I installed "low-rise" units as they do use up less window space and look less bulky. Instead of using the "accordion" feature to fill in the spaces on each side of the unit, you can have plexiglass cut to fit the space you need, allowing a little more light in and maybe even providing a better seal, as you can use clear caulk to close up some of the gaps.

I don't have an answer for you, but I do have a question. Would you please tell me what your paint color is? I really like it.

Curtains like the others said, since they can be opened and closed. You could also stick a plant in front of it and try to ignore it, which is what I do. Bonus: if the plant smells nice, you have an instant air freshener :)

~Amanda
http://onehappypanda.blogspot.com

What about cafe curtains? You could mount it right above the AC (you might need them slightly longer since they probably won't hang straight down due to the AC jutting out). It might be a bit obvious that you're hiding something, but who cares. Also, since the fabric is short, even if the unit blows the fabric, it shouldn't be too bad. But if that bugs you, you could pull them aside and keep them in place with a hook on the wall or a tie. Here is a pic I googled if you don't know what they are: http://www.creativehomemaking.com/articles/041804b.shtml

I would say a vented folding room divider, but it would probably block your window, depending on the height, and you'd have to move your furntiure around a bit.

A tall attractive plant is not a bad idea either.

Here's an article from NY mag with some ideas:
http://nymag.com/homedesign/features/48311/

top down/bottom up blinds. Just pull them up enough so they cover the unit.