HELM — An air conditioner to be proud of.

No more worrying about where to store it

Every other portable air conditioner spends seven months in a cupboard that, of course, you don't have. HELM One is a walnut side table that happens to make cold air. When summer ends, it simply stays where it is.

HELM One in Red cooling a sunlit room, its green line running along the skirting to the porthole in the window — JulyCold air

HELM One in Lamp Green as a side table in the evening, a lamp, books and a glass of wine on its walnut top — FebruaryA side table

The top

A walnut tray, there all year. Books, a lamp, a nightcap. The crown stays on deck, so the machine still takes instruction.

The cap

A machined blanking cap clicks into the porthole where the line lived. The Fitting winters in the window looking intentional.

The castors

Four castors under the plinth. Roll it to the bedroom in July, back beside the sofa in October, without lifting 26 kilograms.

More than just a pretty face

We believe form follows function — the mid-century-modern school we design by. Every single element has been thoughtfully considered. This is the best-designed aircon on the market.

The machined aluminium crown and its numbered temperature ring on the walnut deck, the orange key alongside

Quiet as a mouse

Through wool lined chambers and an isolated compressor we are 50% quieter than others.

Numbingly Cold

12,000 BTU with a dual hose system means even the largest rooms are cooled quickly.

No Distractions

No beeps, no software. Real mechanical switches give a satisfying experience.

HELM One in a period living room, its signal-orange line running in one curve from the cabinet to the porthole in the sash window

Installation is not an afterthought

Every portable air conditioner ships with a cheap bit of plastic and a hose that doesn’t properly fit. HELM One ships with a custom proprietary interlock system, made bespoke to your window

The lineSilicone in the colour you choose, one confident curve from the unit to the window.
The portholeA solid aluminium port with a chunky, textured ring you twist a quarter-turn to lock shut.
InThe panel slots into your window and seals with a firm push. No screws, no drilling, no contractor.
OutLift it out and the window is exactly as it was. Perfect for renters.

Made for your window

A HELM Fitting fitted into the lower opening of a Georgian sash window, its machined porthole and orange locking ring set in the cream panel

A HELM Fitting fitted into a side-hung casement window standing open, the porthole and orange ring in the lower cream panel

A complete system designed for those that care about design

The machine, the line, and a fitting cut to your window. It arrives together, installs in minutes, and leaves no trace when it goes.

Tap the dots to explore each part

HELM One in Lamp Green on herringbone parquet, its green line rising to a porthole fitted in the sash window, the Bedside Crown resting on a bentwood chair

We want buttons

When did your fridge sending you notifications become normal? We believe good design gets out of the way. No apps no pings no updates no screens. Just really cold air.

The crownCut from a solid block of aluminium, its edge textured so a thumb never slips. Each half-degree lands with a soft, certain click. It feels reassuring.
The flapsReal cards on a real spindle, cream on black behind glass. When the room cools, they turn with a soft flutter.
The pillNo menus, no settings. Just two buttons. Press for cold, hold for night. That is the entire manual.
The darkNo screen, no standby glow, no light watching you sleep. At night it disappears, and keeps working.

HELM One — the textured aluminium crown on the deck — **The crown**— machined aluminiumTap a detail ↑

Loud colours. Quiet machine.

Three HELM One cabinets in a row, each in walnut on castors: a Chalk panel over a Signal Orange steel grille, a Lamp Green panel over cane, and a Lamp Green panel over a Chalk steel grille

What £1,190 buys.

Affordability is relative, but we have made an exceptional product, made in Europe with the most premium materials available. Here's where your money goes.

An Englishman, a Spaniard and a Pole are sat in a flat watching the World Cup.

It sounds like the start of a joke, but this is our startup story.

Perspiring through our T-shirts in yet another London heatwave, we got to discussing why, year after year, we put up with this insufferable heat. So we decided to chip in and buy an air conditioner. We were met with ugly white boxes, either sold out or horribly overpriced for what they were. Nothing any of us wanted in our homes.

One of us designs. One of us builds companies. One of us knows factories. We put the three together and started building the machine we actually wanted, engineered properly, quiet enough to sleep beside, no software anywhere, and mid-century-modern looks, drawn from the best period of design, we'd leave out all year.

We've been obsessing over HELM One ever since.

The Englishman sketching outdoors on a sunlit hillside — the Englishmandesigns

The Spaniard in a white shirt, arms folded — the Spaniardmanages factories

The Pole riding a unicycle on a mountain ridge — the Polebuilds companies

The whole machine, on one card.

Cooling capacity	12,000 BTU / 3.5 kW, inverter-driven
Coverage	Rooms up to 35 m²
Sound	44 dB(A) night mode · 52 dB(A) maximum
Architecture	Dual-hose — no negative pressure
Refrigerant	R290, GWP 3
Controls	Knurled aluminium crown over a numbered temperature ring · one orange key · nothing else
Display	None. The set point reads off the ring beneath the crown. No screen, no beeps, no standby light
The Fitting	Made to your window — sash or casement, cut to your measurements · machined porthole with quarter-turn lock · silicone line, 2 m
Winter	The line comes off, a machined blanking cap fills the porthole · the walnut top serves as a side table all year
Case & line	Teak or oak cabinet, or a lacquered case in Cream, Lamp Green or Red · panel in Lamp Green, Red or Chalk · grille in cane or powder-coated steel · line in green, red or chalk — 180 combinations
Dimensions	Low, wide cabinet on castors · 26 kg · final dimensions to be published
Price	£1,190 including VAT · £49 white-glove installation optional

Asked, answered.

What does it cost to run?

About 30p an hour flat out at today's electricity prices. It only runs flat out until the room is cold, which takes longer in a big room than a small one; after that the inverter throttles right down, so most hours cost far less. A hot night's sleep: about £1. These are design estimates; we'll publish measured figures when the first units are tested.

Will it fit my window?

If it's a sash, casement, tilt & turn or Crittall, yes. The Fitting is made to two measurements you send at checkout. Sliding doors or a window that doesn't open? Not yet. Tell us what you've got when you join the waitlist; it shapes what we build next.

Is it actually quiet, or just aircon-quiet?

44 dB(A) in night mode, measured at one metre, quieter than rain on the window. The compressor sits on rubber mounts inside a wool-lined chamber, which is most of the trick.

Why is there no app?

Because you shouldn't need to charge, pair or update your air conditioner. Everything lives on the machine: a crown to set the temperature, one key for on and night. There is nothing to go wrong, because there is nothing else.

Does it exist yet?

It's in development. The first production run is 1,500 units, shipping summer 2027. The waitlist gets first pick of finishes and £100 off, and we'd rather tell you the honest timeline than sell you a render.

What about winter?

The line comes off, a machined cap fills the porthole, and the machine carries on as the side table it has been all along. It earns its floor space all year.

Do I need to empty a tray or fit a drain?

No. Condensate is evaporated out of the exhaust in normal operation: no tray, no hose to the sink, nothing to remember. The only upkeep is the filter, which slides out and rinses clean under the tap; it catches dust and pollen as the air passes through, so what comes out is cleaner than what went in.

What's the warranty?

Two years, parts and labour. The parts you touch are metal and wood, and the ones that move are standard and serviceable rather than sealed away.

Where is it made?

Designed in London. Assembled in Europe, with European parts wherever possible, and we'll publish the full supply chain before pre-orders open.

Cold air never looked this good.