How to hide your air conditioning? Tips and solutions to camouflage your outdoor air conditioner

Air conditioning is no longer reserved for hot regions and many are now considering installing air conditioning to be able to enjoy a temperate temperature in winter and summer in their home, office or business.

But if the air conditioners are more and more efficient in terms of power and efficiency, we cannot say that the manufacturers have greatly improved the aesthetics of the devices. We manage to find indoor air conditioning units with a slightly elaborate design, but Daikin, Mitsubishi, Atlantic and the other manufacturers have not changed much the look of the engine block located outside, on the facade, on the balcony. or in the garden...
Whatever the brand, it is clear that none has succeeded, for the moment, in ensuring that the outdoor air conditioner is not … ugly.
In fact, we inevitably end up with a device that obstructs the view and spoils the landscape.

Fortunately, there are design solutions to camouflage the outdoor air conditioner so that you can forget about it. The ideal is of course to buy a real outdoor air conditioner cover designed especially for this purpose. But that's not the only possibility...

Constraints: what to do and what not to do with an outdoor air conditioner

hide air conditioning on balcony terrace

First an important caveat. The air conditioning outdoor unit contains essential parts like the motor and the fan, so you should not do anything under the pretext of aesthetics.

  • Be careful to ensure good ventilation of the air conditioning

Whatever the solution considered, you should know that the outdoor air conditioner must be well ventilated in all circumstances.
Forget immediately the ideas which consist in burying the air conditioner, burying it, or locking it in a box, a garden shed or an airtight crate which would not allow enough air to pass around the device, or good at hiding it by covering it with objects that would prevent it from dissipating its heat, such as fabrics or cushions.
This would heavily penalize the performance of the device, leading to both overconsumption and less refreshment.

  • Be careful not to block access to the air conditioner

Also remember that the camouflage solution you choose should allow easy access to the air conditioner because it requires regular maintenance, at least every year. In the event of a breakdown, it will also be important to have provided easy access to the device for maintenance.

  • Take into account the location of the air conditioning

Another criterion to take into consideration: the location of the air conditioning. Some solutions sometimes make it possible to hide the air conditioning in a certain location but not in another. Placed in the garden, on a terrace, or hung on the wall of the facade, keep in mind the place where your air conditioning is installed in order to choose the way of hiding it that will be the most suitable.

These important considerations clarified, here are the possible solutions to hide your air conditioning elegantly according to its location.

How to hide an air conditioning placed outside?

If your outdoor air conditioner is placed against the front wall, placed on the floors, there are multiple options offer to you:

Pergolas to conceal outdoor air conditioning

Pergolas are elements designed to blend into outdoor spaces. You can have one or more, choose models with more or less openwork, climb climbing plants, but be careful to regularly monitor the growth of climbing plants so that they do not enter the grilles of the air conditioner.

Pergola to hide the air conditioning
@Pinterest

A hedge of shrubs or bushes to hide the outdoor air conditioner

If you prefer natural settings, you can also place a plant hedge in front of the air conditioner so that it disappears completely into the landscape of your garden. This can be a hedge planted in the ground or trees in pots for a removable hedge.

vegetable hedge to hide outdoor air conditioning
@pinterest

A wooden or mosaic palisade to completely hide the air conditioning

If you really want to completely remove the air conditioning from your view, you can opt for a palisade. Several models exist on the market, in wood, plastic, or with more elaborate decorations such as mosaics. But be careful to provide a side to allow maintenance of the device without having to disassemble everything to access it.

palisade to hide outdoor air conditioner
@ bliss-ranch.com

Placing the air conditioning in a garden shed: good or bad idea?

If you have a well-ventilated garden shed, you can also consider installing the air conditioner indoors. But make sure that the air circulates properly and that it can evacuate its heat properly. Otherwise, the device may malfunction and over-consumption.

DIY tutorial: the homemade wooden palisade to hide the air conditioning

If you're a handyman, you can finally make a homemade wooden palisade yourself to hide your home's outdoor air conditioner by following this video tutorial.

The disadvantage, however, of palisades, pergolas, etc., is that if certain sides are well hidden, other sides of the air conditioner will remain visible to everyone, like the top side.
These solutions are therefore not as successful as a real aluminum air conditioning cover or a wooden air conditioning cover which will cover and dress all sides of the device, including the top, while allowing easy access to the device when needed.

hide the air conditioning on the terrace or balcony @Decoclim

How to hide an air conditioning placed on the balcony or on the terrace?

When the outdoor air conditioning unit is placed on a balcony or on a terrace, the space is more limited than in a garden and it is therefore essential to find solutions that allow the unsightly air conditioner to be hidden without occupying too much space.

Use a “sight breaker” to no longer see the air conditioner

Originally, the privacy screen, also known as a privacy screen, was used to protect your balcony or terrace from view from the outside, from neighbors or passers-by, for example. But you can easily divert it to hide an ugly air conditioner that you would like to hide from view. There are different models, in wood or synthetic most often.

canisse sight screen to hide air conditioner on

Use plant dressing (Planter with or without trellis, flower pots, etc.)

You can also use planters or flower pots to camouflage the air conditioner as much as possible. This will also allow your terrace to flower. But be careful that leaves or branches do not fit into the grilles of the air conditioner as they may interfere with its operation.

Afterwards, if you are looking for an aesthetic, safe product that takes up a minimum of space, the best is obviously the real air conditioner cover because it is designed exactly for this use. It will allow you to make the most of your balcony or terrace and to take care of its decoration.


How to hide an air conditioning fixed to the wall of the facade in height?

If you have planned to suspend the outdoor unit of your air conditioning on the facade of your residence, things get complicated and the previous solutions such as hedges or palisades will not be suitable for an air conditioning hung on the wall at a height.
But then what to do in these cases so that the air conditioning does not come to disfigure the facade? Beyond the aesthetic problem that this poses, there are also often problems with the copro or with the neighbors who take a dim view of the arrival of these installations, complaining of the noise and visual nuisance generated by air conditioning.

Tone-on-tone paint

Some see it as a possibility to paint their outdoor air conditioner in the color of the facade. By obtaining a tone-on-tone device, they hope that it will be forgotten. But it is a very often deceptive process. First, the appliance, its grilles, its pipes, remain completely visible, and then the paint can obstruct the grilles and affect ventilation and therefore the performance of the appliance.

The real air conditioning cover recommended for suspended air conditioning

If you are looking for a reliable and durable solution to elegantly hide a high hanging air conditioner, then this is a real air conditioner cover for you. It will nicely hide all sides of the device, even the bottom side, while allowing optimal operation thanks to its louvres which allow the air flow to circulate perfectly.

Moreover, when the air conditioning is hung on the wall, the safety aspect should not be neglected insofar as an object falling from a height can cause serious damage and engage your liability. We therefore advise against home DIY, which is risky in this case.

The Decoclim air conditioning cover was designed in collaboration with air conditioning experts by a French company. It has the advantage of being easily attached and removed while being perfectly secure when positioned on the facade of the building or house, thus allowing regular access to the device for maintenance.

For a look that matches your decoration, you can choose an air conditioner cover in exotic wood or aluminum, gray or white, depending on the color you prefer.

hide air conditioning on the front wall @Decoclim

You now know the best ideas for hiding an outdoor air conditioner, so to really get around the subject you will find ideas here for also hiding the air conditioner located inside the home.

Well, now you know everything!