By Martin, 4 november 2020

Stylish Ways to Incorporate Radiators in Your Home Design

The colour scheme you choose will help define the mood of your rooms, whilst furniture accentuates themes and adds context, depth and clarity to your choices. Often, fixtures and fittings are there to be simply worked around, incorporated into the aesthetic rather than being changed or replaced.

Items such as the windows and doors, for instance, might be expensive to replace and are therefore accepted as part of your design. Another element which may simply get a lick of paint, or even covered by furniture, is the radiator. If that is how you dealt with your heat source, then you may have missed a golden opportunity for a design statement. Even though the radiator is functional and static, it is also a chance for you to be creative. That might even include replacing the existing appliance, something that is considerably cheaper than you might fear.

The obvious choice with some radiators is camouflage. If you have statement colours on your wall, it is straightforward enough to paint the radiator the same colour as the wall. In a minimalistic room that uses lots of solid colours and lines, this is an attractive option, as the shape of the radiator may well complement the overall look you are trying to create.

You may also use furniture to cover the radiator, but nothing as crass as backing a sofa up against it. Radiator covers are especially popular in some period properties, helping to retain the thermal benefits of the appliance but covering it with what is usually a decorative MDF cabinet of sorts.

Ideal Home shows how they are often solid in construction, with a vented panel at the front, designed to release heat. If that is not to your taste, you might also want to consider a console, or narrow table, that fits over the radiator but so it is still visible. This works well with contrasting colours, especially in scandi-style designs where pale wood tables are often contrasted with white or plain walls.

Do consider making a statement of your radiator. The larger, older appliances are especially popular in some homes, as they make a real centrepiece as well as being functional.

Livingetc demonstrates how salvaged radiators can fit into a modern rustic design very well.

Indeed, salvaged and pre-loved items often give you a talking point, especially in a period home that you may want to restore to some of its former glory. If you are looking at putting a new appliance in, you must consider the impact post-install though. There are many reasons for needing boiler insurance listed on HomeServe, which includes how you can get varying degrees of cover, from basic breakdown to policies that include a boiler service too. If you do choose to fit a new appliance, then it does create the potential for problems, as you are linking something new into an older system. For your peace of mind, and to protect you from the troubling impact of further costs, do not make major changes without protecting yourself afterwards.

If you are installing something new, you might want to go to the opposite end of the spectrum and rather than going vintage, find a contemporary and exciting new design. Vertical radiators are immensely popular as they fit snugly in the corner of rooms and can help drive a modern feel without having too much impact on space. They are a little less conspicuous than a chunky vintage radiator, too.

Whatever you choose to do, you should dismiss the idea of simply shoving a sofa in front of your radiator and forgetting about it, because that is a golden opportunity to make a statement missed for any budding designer.

For more design ideas away from your heating system,

be sure to check out our article Your Scandinavian Home