Genevieve Gorder Has the Chicest Trick for Hiding That Ugly Air Conditioner

When it comes to home interiors, is there any eyesore more hideous than the air conditioner? (We think not.) 

Which is why, when design guru Genevieve Gorder stopped by PureWow HQ recently, we simply had to ask if she had any tricks up her sleeve. Naturally, the Best Room Wins star had a creative, outside-the-box idea to propose: Mashrabiya screens.

“I wish window units would get the cue and start getting designed more beautifully!” Gorder commiserated. But in lieu of installing an “outrageously expensive” HVAC system, she’s a big fan of masking the appliance with mashrabiya paneling. In other words, decorative latticework typical of Middle Eastern architecture.

Think of this solution like a café curtain—but one that allows for tons of airflow.

There two ways to go about it:

1. Buy a freestanding screen. World Market and Hayneedle (among others) have affordable, mashrabiya-inspired folding options.
2. Buy a panel or piece of fretwork to prop against the unit. Gorder likes to take this option one step further by having a contractor cut a piece perfectly to size (2 feet by 12 inches for a standard AC unit), so that it pops in the window like a screen.

Fabulous, no? Admittedly, it’s a bit of a design statement, but if global influences aren’t your decor thing you can totally consider a more traditional latticework option.