DESIGNER RADIATOR

Radiators that enhance your living environment

Stylish designer radiators have long been a "must have" accessory in the bathroom and their attractive aesthetics have made them a desirable feature in many reception rooms, halls, bedrooms and offices. When you add to this their ever increasing affordability, there is no longer any excuse to have ugly or unsightly radiators in any room of the home.

A designer radiator can take the form of a heated towel rail where its functionality combines with a stylish tubular appearance, or it can be shaped, contoured and coloured to create a design feature that fits into any living space.

Today, very few people would consider buying a standard white convector radiator for a bathroom when there are so many different heated towel rails and towel radiators to choose from.

But stylish radiators are no longer the sole property of the bathroom. Many radiator manufacturers now produce a designer radiator range that will work in any reception room, bedroom, hall or office. These radiators combine style, a range of finishes, different colours and shapes, plus clever ergonomics to make them nothing short of functional works of art. They transform the radiator from something to hide into something to display.

Use the menu to the left (i.e. orange text) to find out about particular styles of designer radiators and their applications.

Where did designer radiators come from?

Oil filled and centrally heated radiators have been with us for a long time, but until the last couple of decades they have been viewed as nothing more than a boring heating appliance. Indeed, their unsightly appearance had been largely ignored by interior designers.

In the 1960's, 1970's and even most of the 1980's, the designer radiator did not exist, or was prohibitively expensive. However, with the increase in home owner awareness of house decor and interior design, much of it prompted by home styling TV shows, things have changed.

The first big change in the radiator's design evolution saw a massive increase in the popularity of chrome bathroom radiators that mixed function and design to produce heated towel rails. Equally, and at the same time, the ugliness of most reception room radiators saw the use of radiators covers to disguise them. Radiators were now on peoples visual radars and they need to look good, or disappear.

What is now and next in stylish radiator design?

The first decade of the second millennium is now seeing even more of the designer radiator with applications, styles and purpose designed radiators targeting the main living areas of a house.

These radiators are making radiator covers redundant and turning the designer radiator into a style icon that adds elegance, panache and good taste to a living room, bedroom or business conference room.

The days when the radiator was nothing more than a functional component of a heating system have long since gone. Modern radiators can add style and flair to any room and their positioning can be determined by the design radiator's cosmetic appearance every bit as much by as by its functionality.

If you want to be at the cutting edge of radiator style in the home, then use designer radiators in your living spaces and not just in your bathrooms and utility room.

What is available in radiator design and what are the costs?

You can use the rest of this website to explore the different kinds of designer radiator styles available. You will see photos, ads and links to manufactures and agents (who will usually offer discounted prices) and you can source everything from suppliers to fitters from this single source.

The types and styles of designer radiator available today are almost limitless and many are priced very competitively. The ratio between popularity and price is a strong one and, as designer radiators have increased in sales, so their prices have dropped.That said, if you really want something that is both cutting edge and stylish, then expect to pay a premium for the exclusivity and iconic status of your radiator product.

When it comes to the bathroom, you can select from an extensive range of towel rails and radiators in chromes, brushed metal finishes and different colours. These radiator designs include those that are modern (and ultra modern), or based around traditional styles.

Away from the bathroom, radiators for reception rooms and other living spaces have seen the biggest increase in available products over the last three to four years. These designer radiators are not limited by the extra functionality of drying or warming towels and they do not have to fit onto walls of a limited area. Consequently, their design is less restricted, more creative and these radiators reflect an extension of art and style as well as a heating system.

Do designer radiators really work?

An important, but often neglected feature of designer radiators is their efficiency as a heating output unit. These radiators may look good, but do they actually do the job when it comes to emitting heat and warming a room.

The good news is that designer radiators tend to be very efficient heaters. In fact, because they are designed and manufactured using the latest technologies, materials and construction techniques, their performance can often surpass a conventional radiator. They also use the same fittings as standard radiators and work from the same boiler-driven power source, so they are flexible and easily integrated into an existing system.

More information

We have tried to make this site as informative and factual as possible, so please take a look around and use the index and links in the main left hand menu to navigate around the site and to access other relevant resources. This site is continually updated with new information about radiators and heating systems.