Hiding Thermostats, Radiators and A/C Units

Nothing we love more than an Apartment Therapy Roundup packed with tips! Sarah over at AT Boston helps us all hide that unsightly climate-control tech.

Thermostats, radiators and air conditioning units can be the toughest tech to hide, mainly because you have to keep them out in the open to work effectively. Thermostats need to read an accurate temperature and radiators and A/C units need to blast air your way.

Thankfully, AT Boston rounded up some helpful tips for "hiding" them:

Paint it the same color as the wall to keep it from standing out, like in the first image, from Maxime Masters a Rental.

Decorate it with framing features (like shelves) and stencils like in the second image, from Chris and Hannah's loft.

Hide it in plain sight by surrounding it with distracting photo frames, like in the photo wall from image 3.

Box it up in a custom-made cover, but remember to let the air flow! Check out the Ikea Hacked landing strip from image 4 or another Ikea Hacked hinged mirror in image 5.

Comments (4)

The first picture looks like this would be *terrible* for the tv. And dvd player. And vcr.

What about window seats over radiators? I have three I would like to cover up, making at least one a nice window seat. I realize I'd have to make sure there was adequate room for air/heat circulation out of the window seat structure but has anyone any tips on how best to go about building these?

Ah .. I love it when electronics are mounted over heated surfaces. We all know TVs, and Apple TVs, and cable boxes, and blu-ray players are rated for extreme temperatures. It says so right in the manual ... oh wait. I was reading in Russian. The Ikea Hacked hinged mirror in image 5 failed for the same reason. Too much attention to form without respect for function.

This is a terrible idea. These types of radiators are designed to allow air to flow behind and up through the fins. blocking them off ensures that the rest of room will receive inaddequate heating. Not to mention that radiators are often extremely hot, and putting them under desk could lead to leg injuries.