Air conditioning doesn't have to be an eye-sore — experts reveal the tricks to achieve a more stylish finish, so it doesn't ruin your interiors

Maybe it is because the last few summers have treated us so well here in the UK, but since the arrival of warmer weather, I have seriously been considering investing in air conditioning for several of the rooms around our house. In all honesty, it is the bedrooms that would benefit the most – thanks to a lack of insulation in the roof and loft, as well as the fact that two of them are south-facing, they can transform into stuffy little saunas at certain times of the year.

In the past, I have questioned whether air conditioning is worth it in the UK and been put off taking the plunge, partly because of costs, but mainly because, in my view, most systems seem to require the presence of some form of bulky white box, either stuck slap bang in the middle of the room in the case of portable units, or mounted on the wall, looming down and lending the whole space a distinctly office-like feel.

But does it always have to be this way? Is there, I wondered, a more attractive way to incorporate air conditioning that would offer me a cooler, better, night's sleep without spoiling the decor scheme? I reached out to some experts – and was pleasantly surprised by what they told me.

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Does air conditioning have to look ugly?

While I wholeheartedly agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there can't be many people who long to include a great big plastic white box stuck to the wall as part of their otherwise carefully curated interior scheme.

Martyn Fowler, founder of Elite Renewables, explains where most people go wrong. 'Air conditioning can absolutely look good, but it has to be thought about properly. The problem is that a lot of systems are fitted as an afterthought. Someone chooses the unit, finds a spare bit of wall and then runs pipework wherever it is easiest. That is when it starts to look messy.'

Kevin Pennington, owner and MD of Lancashire Air Conditioning, has some more insight on why air con can be an eyesore. 'Air conditioning absolutely does not need to be ugly. It has a bad reputation here in the UK because we do not have a fully developed air-conditioning market. Many people tend to just rush out and buy the first unit they see, not necessarily thinking about the design – just how to be able to sleep tonight during the latest heatwave.'

Martyn Fowler

Founder of Elite Renewables, Martyn Fowler is one of the UK's leading renewable technology experts, working with heat pumps for the last 2 decades. His passion for decarbonisation matched with a deep technical experience of the technology make him one of the industry's go-to experts for all things renewable.

Kevin Pennington

Kevin is owner and managing director of Lancashire Air Conditioning. He specialises in domestic AC installations in England and has installed over 1,000 units personally and managed many more. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of UK-stocked AC units designed for homes and is a member of the Institute of Refrigeration, holding the designation TMInstR.

Can fitted air conditioning look stylish?

I have been weighing up portable vs fitted air conditioning and I still can't shake the notion that all wall-mounted air conditioning units look like cumbersome off-white boxes – fine in an office setting, but not in my living room.

However, Martyn Fowler has some words of reassurance. 'Modern indoor units are much neater than they used to be. You can choose slimline systems with stylish finishes, and concealed systems that are almost invisible apart from the grille. If it is planned into the room from the start, it does not have to ruin the look at all.'

'There are much better-looking options now than the big white office-style boxes people usually picture,' agrees Tom Houlker, director of Houlkair. 'Slim wall-mounted units are the most common choice and many now have cleaner, flatter fronts, softer edges, and quieter designs that suit bedrooms and living rooms better. Floor-mounted units can also look neater in some homes because they sit low, more like a slim radiator, rather than dominating the wall at eye level.'

'I have fitted around 1,100 units and I’d estimate that around 950 of these have been standard white units – even the very best ones are still ultimately white boxes,' says Kevin Pennington. 'However if you are willing to spend a little more money the options really open up.

'Consider a dark-coloured or black unit, such as the LG Artcool Mirror which has smoked black glass on the front,' suggests Kevin. 'The Toshiba Haori is another great option with an interchangeable fabric cover. You can even get an LG unit that looks like a photo frame.'

Similarly, Daikin has launched it's Stylish range, which includes eight different finishes for the indoor unit, including leather-look, fabric and wood effect options that can suit most homes.

Tom Houlker

Tom Houlker is the director of Houlk Air, heating and cooling specialists, based in Manchester. Tom has over 10 years of experience working in the HVAC industry and has risen from a building services engineer to the director of his own air conditioning company. He is an expert in air conditioning, cooling, and heating and can provide expert comments on all aspects of the industry as someone who has worked at each level.

How can you make wall-mounted air con look more attractive?

If, like me, you don't necessarily want to add to your air conditioning costs by opening up the walls and ceilings for a concealed system, according to the experts there are still ways to make wall-mounted units blend into your interior scheme.

'Air conditioning looks ugly when it is too big, in the wrong place, or badly installed,' points out Martyn Fowler. 'If you put a large white unit in the middle of a feature wall, it becomes the first thing you see. I always try to position units where they make sense for airflow but do not dominate the room.

'Think about sight lines too,' continues Martyn. 'Where do you see it from when you walk into the room? Is it above a doorway, on a side wall, or directly opposite the sofa? And, get the sizing right. An oversized unit is more noticeable and it might perform badly because it cools the space too quickly and then shuts off. A properly-sized system is quieter, neater and more comfortable.'

Tom Houlker has some more tips on the worst places for air conditioning and how to make air con less obvious. 'Don’t try too hard to hide it. A badly boxed-in unit can end up looking awkward, and it can also struggle to cool properly, collect dust, and be a nightmare to service.

'A clean install usually looks better than a cover-up, so choose the position carefully and keep the pipework tidy,' continues Tom. 'One trick that helps is placing the unit in line with something already in the room, like the top of a door frame, wardrobe, or shelving, so it feels intentional rather than randomly stuck on the wall. If it can sit slightly off the focal wall, away from artwork, TVs, or feature lighting, people notice the room first and the unit second.'

What is the best way to hide air conditioning?

Still not convinced? In that case, it might be best to consider a concealed air conditioning system.

'For the cleanest finish, ducted air conditioning is usually the best-looking option because you only see the grilles, but it needs a ceiling void, loft space, or a bulkhead to hide the ductwork,' explains Tom Houlker. 'The main thing is to choose the unit style around the room, not just the cooling requirement. A small bedroom, open-plan kitchen or period living room may all need different approaches if you want the system to look like it belongs there.'

'If it is a main living area you are dealing with, I'd look at a concealed ducted unit,' says Martyn Fowler. 'In some homes, pipework can be routed through cupboards and loft spaces so you see much less of it. External trunking is needed but it can be colour matched or positioned along existing lines of the building so it blends in better.'

Can portable air conditioners look stylish?

I was recently lucky enough to test out a brilliant portable air conditioner – the VonHaus' 9000BTU portable air conditioning unit – and, while it was really effective in cooling down a bedroom, the fact remains that it was a big white box that required me to sling the hose out of the window, where it sat, dangling in the wind. I am keen to know, is there a way to make these portable units look more attractive?

'Portable units are harder to make attractive than fixed,' picks up Martyn Fowler. 'They are mostly bulky and you have the exhaust hose going out of a window.'

Chris Michael, co-founder and chief product officer at Meaco, agrees that portable units can be hard to blend in. 'There is a limit to what can be done to improve the appearance of a portable air conditioner, but Meaco has looked closely at how to make them easier to live with through its new Meaco Cirro range (above). We realise that a large plastic box is not what consumers want in their homes, especially their bedrooms. The actual size there is not a huge amount you can do about, but what we have done is to use good design to make it look softer and the two tone approach helps to create the illusion that it is smaller than it actually is.

'There is, however, a practical limitation with any portable air conditioner,' continues Chris. 'To cool a room effectively, it needs to expel hot exhaust air outside, so it must be connected to a window kit when in cooling mode. I'd advise placing the unit where it has enough space around it to draw in and treat the room air properly, while using the window kit and exhaust duct as neatly as possible.'

Kevin Pennington agrees that even making the best portable air conditioners into an attractive feature is a tough call, although he does have one solution. 'If someone has a portable unit and wants to vent it without having to hang it out of the window for all to see, they could consider having a hole drilled though the wall for it and fit an exterior vent. This usually comes in at £200-£300 to do.'

Chris Michael

Chris and his partner Michelle started Meaco in 1991. Meaco is now regarded internationally as a major player in the dehumidifier industry selling to 20+ countries throughout Europe, North America and South Africa. Meaco sets the benchmark for quality and development in its sector, leading by example and reducing the energy consumption of its appliances.

FAQs

Will air conditioning ruin the kerb appeal of my house?

Portable air conditioning units have to be vented to outside (usually through a window), and fixed units also need an exterior unit meaning both will have an effect on the external appearance of your home. How can homeowners navigate this without it ruining kerb appeal?

'Poorly routed trunking on the exterior is one of the biggest things that makes an installation look bad,' picks up Martyn Fowler. 'If the pipes run across brickwork in bright white plastic, they stand out immediately. You want to avoid putting the external unit somewhere too visible if there is a better option. Side returns, rear elevations and tucked-away areas can work well, as long as the unit still has proper airflow and access for servicing.

'This is where planning matters,' continues Martyn. 'With a fixed split system, you don't want to leave pipe runs until the installer arrives. You should think about where the indoor unit sits, where the outdoor unit can go, and how the pipework will travel between them.'

If you have decided that a portable unit is the best option for your needs, make sure you know how to choose the right portable air conditioner before shopping around – that way you can be sure your investment will be worthwhile.