Choosing the best designer radiator is no easy feat. After all, there is a plethora of options and designs to choose from vertical radiators to column radiators. Selecting the right one for your home could be quite a hassle.
If you are looking for designer radiators for your living room, they should blend with your interior theme and look well placed in the heart of your home. Designer radiators are great means to create a style statement or for a focal point in the room.
Here are 6 tried and tested tips to help you with the selection of best designer radiators whether they are vertical radiators or column radiators:
1. Go with your home/room décor
If your goal is to enhance the look of your living room with a designer radiator, selecting the right style and design is crucial. Survey different colors, shapes, and sizes of column and vertical radiators in the market and ensure that they go with the scheme of your living room.
2. Select subtle designs
There is a large variety of designer radiators that boast a subtle but stylish look. These range from sleek minimalist horizontal paneled radiators to the classy traditional cast iron models with a wide range of other designs.
If your room scheme comes off as strong and bold, getting a subtle column radiator would do the trick. Avoid getting bold colours or designs of designer radiators that might sound too distracting!
3. Choosing the Material of radiator
While selecting the best designer radiators, both style and material should complement each other according to the size room. The material of the heating appliance also plays an important role in the buying decision.
For larger spaces, aluminium radiators are not suitable as they heat up and cool down quickly. This makes them less suitable. They are ideal for providing quick bursts of heat in the smaller rooms. For larger reception places and living rooms, the best choice is getting a cast iron radiator as it heats up and cools down slowly.
4. Look at its BTU
The heat output of radiators, designer or otherwise are calculated in terms of British Thermal Units per Hour. BTU tells you how much energy the radiator will put out. So, it is best to check the BTU of your living room and you could that online or through an app as well.
Compare the required BTU with that of the designer radiators you are thinking to get.
5. The positioning
You can place your new radiator anywhere you want unless you are simply replacing an existing column radiator. The location plays an important role in the heating of your living room. The right or wrong location could significantly impact the energy efficiency in your home.
Speaking of locations, there are good reasons as to why designer radiators are usually placed underneath a window. This position is for boosting the convection heating, the cold air from the window lifts and pushes the hot air from the radiator under the window into the room which boosts the heating efficiency while lessening the impact of cold air.
6. Bold statement pieces
Apart from serving the purpose of heating your home, designer radiators are a great way to make bold statements in your home. You could add a wow factor to your living room by going with options from visually striking designer radiators which give the impression of a sculpture or contemporary work of art. Polished and aluminium designer radiators have some of the most classy designs that can enhance the look of your living room.
For further help regarding radiators of every description, designer radiator showroom is an e-commerce website that has an amazing variety of designer radiators.
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Explore the top-selling radiators in the UK and choose one that fits your budget and requirements. Don’t settle for a subpar heating system and upgrade your home heating with the best selling radiators today. Your comfort, energy bills, and the environment will thank you.
It is crucial to seek guidance from the manufacturer and a certified professional for the installation process to ensure safety and compliance with all technical specifications and requirements. Proper installation is key to the optimal performance and longevity of the product.
Additionally, professional installation may be necessary to maintain the product’s warranty. Therefore, it is highly recommended to consult with experts and not attempt to install the product yourself unless you are qualified to do so.
It dazzles, glimmers and shines in the sun, and moonlight dances across its shimmering surface by night. Chrome is the icing on the cake for any shape it takes; furnishings to complete a luxury bathroom, bright shining alloys to complement a sports car, the plating on a roaring low-rider motorcycle, and chrome radiators to brighten and enhance your home.
However, not all chrome is made equal and so it certainly pays to pay close attention when thinking about what type of radiator you are going to buy, and which brand that radiator comes from. Having to replace a dodgy Chrome radiator 2-3 years after purchasing it is going to cost you a lot more than paying a little bit more now for a quality radiator with a genuine guarantee.
CHROME RADIATORS
Chrome’s magical sheen is only topped by its versatility in application, making it perfect for completely unique shapes, especially dramatic designer radiators. Truly chrome is the choice for dreamers, but sadly it’s also the choice for schemers…
The consequence of cheap Chrome might not be seen for a year or two after you’ve purchased it, but they can begin to deteriorate within 12 months depending on the environment they are in. In bathrooms where the air is humid every day, poor quality Chrome simply cannot stand up to the moisture, it starts to peel at the corners and welding points, rust sets in and it only gets worse from there.
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
The three most telling signs that a Chrome radiator might not be what is promised are the price, guarantee (the supposed quality) and heat output. Let’s delve into this further;
VERY LOW PRICE
Chrome radiators cost a good deal of money to manufacture. If the radiator you are looking at is exceedingly cheap, especially for larger sizes, then this is a tell-tale sign that it is too good to be true. The aphorism goes; ‘you get what you pay for’, and this certainly applies to Chrome designer radiators
BIG GUARANTEE
The absolute best quality manufacturers in our industry, for example the likes of Zehnder who have been manufacturing radiators since the early 1900s, even they only offer a 5 year guarantee of Chrome.
If you are seeing a 15 year manufacturer’s warranty being offered for a big Chrome radiator at £195, then chances are that within a few years the ‘manufacturer’ won’t exist anymore – no manufacturer, no warranty, no obligation for the company you bought it from to help
BIG HEAT OUTPUT
If we compare a steel radiator finished in Chrome versus one which has been painted, the Chrome version would provide between 20-30% LESS heat output. This is a big one, the radiator industry is plagued by misinformation regarding heat output from less reputable manufacturers – Naturally if they say that their radiators produce more heat and they cost less, then that’s a guaranteed buy, right? Wrong.
This is a bit trickier to spot as a customer, but if you are looking at a Chrome designer radiator and it’s heat output is drastically higher than a similar alternative (by more than say 10-15%), then take your medicine and consider the thought that the information for that radiator might just be smoke and mirrors
All of our designer radiators, including our brilliant range of Chrome models, are manufactured by well-established and reputable designer radiator brands. View our whole range.
We are thrilled to announce that the hottest designer radiators in our luxury showroom MUST GO to make way for our displays in 2018! Read on to find out about our MEGA SALE and how you could snatch up an exclusively made designer radiator for a fraction of the price.
We are kicking off 2018 with a bang by offering you the one-off chance to pick up a bargain (or two) like no other. In our showroom we have a huge selection of designer radiators; in fact we have more than 150 of them on show right here in Lancashire!
We make it our mission to keep our displays as up to date as possible, and in doing so sadly some of last year’s designs must eventually go.
THE DRS MEGA SALE!
To make way for our amazing new Eskimo range we are now selling off a fantastic selection of ex display designer radiators right here in our showroom. We can deliver them for you, but for the biggest bargain simply collect here from our Lancashire premises (that also gives you the chance to be amazed by the rest of our enormous range)!
THE RADIATORS WE HAVE ON OFFER ARE;
Kermi Ideos
Kermi Heating Wall
Arbonia Karotherm
Arbonia Arbotherm
MHS Oval
MHS Arc
MHS Decoral
MHS Multisec
Vasco Bryce
These names might not mean too much to you right now but feel free to join us here at DRS and acquaint yourself with some of them; you never know, you might make a new best friend. It’s much easier to get friendly with one of them now that they are at such amazing prices.
As an ever evolving business in an increasingly stimulating industry, if you take a liking to any of our more than 150 display radiators, we are excited to announce that we would happy to agree an ex display price and prepare the radiator ready for your collection. We love to keep things ever changing, so honestly please ask one of our helpful members of staff the next time you pop into the Designer Radiator Showroom.
IN CASE YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN, OUR SHOWROOM CAN BE FOUND RIGHT HERE IN ECCLESTON, LANCASHIRE;
Units G and H,
Grove Mill Industrial Estate,
Eccleston,
Chorley,
PR7 5TZ
We are available from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and from 11am until 3pm on Saturdays so please feel free to visit, email (on sales@designerradiatorshowroom.co.uk) or call us on 01257 452879
Today we’re looking at a delight for the bathroom from a luxury manufacturer; the Vogue Stendy. It’s the age old bout of Form vs Function, so read on today to find out more;
VOGUE STENDY
You might be reading this, nodding your head and thinking, quite rationally, that you would always choose something which works over something which looks the part.
Well, a lot of time we let ourselves fall prey to good marketing communication so it’s not quite that simple. We like shiny and fast and extravagant and irrational, it’s why we have cars which drive 3 times the national speed limit and trainers worth a fraction of what we pay for them.
Trying to even the playing field, the Vogue Stendy’s inoffensive shape might seem all about function, but its folding shape is so distinctly unique that the Stendy is most definitely trendy. Let’s dig deeper.
FUNCTION
When you really boil down what your bathroom is about, what else is there but comfort and ease of use;
Comfort – You want your bathroom to be a cosy space, somewhere you can relax. The exact details differ from person to person, but the crux of a good bathroom is the ability to close your eyes and relax yourself in preparation for the day ahead (or the thermal journey before bed).
Ease of Use – The more steps you need to take each time you use your bathroom, the more of a chore it is, and one thing that really should be hard labour is having to stressfully jam your towel into your radiator’s tiny slots.
In the bathroom we should be striving for fewer steps with a more efficient design and ultimately a room you can easily unwind or prepare for your day in. The Vogue Stendy is a perfect way to make warming, storing and hanging your towels a pleasure each time.
With no word of exaggeration, it feels almost as if your butler is handing the towel to you (why your butler is in the bathroom with you we don’t know…).
While seeming like a pretty normal rail at first glance, the Stendy is able to fold out each of its sections individually to create multiple shelves as and when you need them. You can have the top half warm the towel you are about to use, while above or beneath that you can fold and store your others, making this a neat solution, removing the need for damp towels hanging on pegs or overlapping each other on a small rail.
FORM
We often have customers in the showroom who know they are redecorating a room, and they’ve got work going on, a wall has been taken down to make the bathroom twice as large, but they’re still unsure of how exactly they are going to decorate their new bathroom, and how it is going to be laid out.
Designer radiators like the Vogue Stendy are things of beauty able to capture our imagination, and customers can easily position exactly where they want their new radiator, how they’re going to leave the shower and be presented with their towel. Imagination is kick-started and the creative juices begin to flow.
The Stendy’s form is available a good selection of sizes, and two very distinct designs;
The Vogue Stendy, which features soft round curvature and cylindrical tubes throughout, giving it an easy on the eyes look. Available in 6 sizes from 889mm tall to 1747mm tall, and 512mm wide to 612mm. https://www.designerradiatorshowroom.co.uk/vogue-stendy
The Vogue Stendy Quad, made with four distinct flat sides on each tube, devoid of any rounded angles, and superbly suited to lovers of a good straight edge. Available in 2 sizes; 905mm x 480mm, and 1305mm x 480mm. https://www.designerradiatorshowroom.co.uk/vogue-stendy-quad
Both versions are made from high quality steel and finishing in premium grade chrome in order to create a bright and dazzling effect. Priding themselves on the quality of the Stendy, Vogue provide each model with full 15 year guarantee, which is 10 years longer than industry standard for normal steel radiators.
If you are interested in any version of the Vogue Stendy you can purchase them here but if you have any questions at all then please feel free to contact us on 01257 452879 or sales@designerradiatorshowroom.co.uk
ZEHNDER VITALO SPA
Designer radiators like the Zehnder Vitalo Spa are exclusive, highly sought after and only available for a short amount of time. Sadly, the Vitalo Spa is no longer being manufactured by Zehnder, however we do have just one last model available here at DRS.
DEFERENCE FOR DESIGN
The masterminds at Zehnder hold many principles close to their heart, though none so close as their respect and care for the art of design. They favour tasteful and classy shapes, the sorts of forms able to make you stop, think and appreciate what has gone into creating them.
The Zehnder Vitalo Spa is one such model, so simple and soft on the eyes, but yet your attention is drawn to it like a moth to flame. We have a single brand new Vitalo Spa here at the Designer Radiator Showroom, in its box and HEAVILY discounted.
ON OFFER
Our one-time-only, exclusive offer for the Vitalo Spa slashes its price from £684.00 (RRP), down to an amazing special price of £399.00 including VAT. That’s a saving of £285 and more than 40% off!
At a well-proportioned 1200mm tall and 490mm, it is large enough to hold your towels with ease but not so big that it would look out of place. The shape is softly edged yet well defined, and the Matt White powder coated finish is striking enough to give this very flat form some real depth and presence.
The common trend we are seeing more and more with our clientele today is that they are eternally bored by the traditional towel rail, but also no longer wowed by the shapes which have been getting greater exposure and use over the last 5-15 years. They want new, they want inventive, extravagant, and what our customers want; our customers get.
The Vitalo reshapes and reimagines the form of heating in the home, and with this one time offer available now you won’t want to miss out on the perfect opportunity snatch up a bargain this good!
To purchase the Vitalo or any other radiator, you can either contact us on 01257 442911, email us at sales@designerradiatorshowroom.co.uk, or pop in to see us at our Lancashire Designer Radiator Showroom with more than 150 models on display!
Continuing our series on designer radiator valves, we are today looking at the Ellipse Oval Valve Set, a striking pair which suits the most popular radiators our industry manufactures – find out more today.
WHY OVAL?
Oval shaped radiators make up a large proportion of the designer radiators sold in our market, in fact they are so popular that most of our manufacturer’s will have some version of an elliptical tube radiator.
Some, like DQ Heating, have a base oval design like the DQ Cove and have made it into the Cove Horizontal and Cove Vertical, Cove Stainless Horizontal and Vertical, the Cove Mirror, Cove Towel Rail, Cove Stainless Towel Rail and so on! Because they are so popular, and they make this oval shaped for so many designs, they have become extremely efficient at it and they are priced tremendously well.
As a result, it is one of the only designer radiator styles to have the perfect 100% matching valves made to go with it, and the resulting visual flair is tremendous.
THE ELLIPSE OVAL VALVE SET
The set itself is made from high quality brass, and is available in either shining Chrome to suit bright living spaces, or a Satin Nickel finish for a softer, more contemporary look. Due to its oval shape the Ellipse set is a manual valve only because the head can only be flush with the body if it is either on or off position. If it was thermostatic and you turned it to setting 3 for example, the oval head would be completely the opposite way around.
With an inlet and outlet suitable for 15mm pipework, the Ellipse valve set is suitable for all modern radiators. Even if you have smaller 10mm or 8mm pipework, by using microbore reducers you can still combine your designer radiator with these wonderful valves to achieve an enviable effect.
You can find all of our manual valves including the Ellipse Oval Valve Set right here. If you would like any help in picking your valves or designer radiator, don’t forget that we are always available to help, just contact us on 01257 452879 or email us at sales@designerradiatorshowroom.co.uk
This week we are going to look at the Milan Valve Set, and the flexible finishes and variations which are available for it making it ideal for most rooms in the house, especially bathrooms.
The key here is the Milan’s discreet size, neat appearance and simple operation; find out more about each of these today!
MILAN VALVE SET – SUBTLETY FOR SIMPLICITY
Compared to the Realm TRV sets we looked at last week, the Milan Valve Set is a minuscule valve which both saves on space and looks remarkably clean at the bottom of any radiator, whether in the living room or in the en suite.
While attractive and well made in a brass body with finishes of Chrome, Satin Nickel, Black Nickel, Antique Brass and Antique Copper, the real benefit of the Milan’s size is that you can use it for towel rails without the worry of the valve protruding further forward than the front of the radiator.
In very specific cases, the larger, thermostatic valves like the Realm would be every awkward to use if you were trying to make a dual fuel towel radiator – sometimes you would need one angled and one corner valve with a large set, but with the Milan set you can have matching valves without the need to split two sets just to make it look neat.
ATTRACTIVE QUALITY
Valve size and shape are the key factors in the Milan’s pretty little success story. A lot of manual valves, even the basic designer manual valves like our Apex sets are how should we say? Nutty. Yes… Nutty.
These basic valves are jagged, industrial looking things with nuts of varying sizes and bits that protrude; they aren’t so pretty. The Milan set on the other hand is smooth from top to bottom, the head is slender yet well-proportioned, the nuts are the same size and small enough to be subtle. Overall there isn’t a reason to choose a nutty, basic manual valve over the smooth Milan valve set .
EASE IS KEY
The main functional reason to go for a set like the Milan valves is so that you only need to choose between on/off settings. A thermostatic valve lets you turn the temperature up and down, but if you think about a room in the home where you have literally NEVER adjusted your thermostat once it was on full blast, that’s a room that you would have been better off using a manual valve in.
Simply put, you turn your Milan valve set one way and hot water can flow through it when the heating comes on, and you turn it the other way to close it. No fuss.
While it might not be the most complex valve on the market, often-times that isn’t needed, and when that is the case the trim shape and smaller size of the Milan is the best option on the market, and it’s a nice little saving when compared a thermostatic alternative.
To see our full range of manual valves, including the Milan Valve Set, click here.
Two designer radiators from the Aestus bathroom radiator collection complement one another very nicely, but if you can only pick one, which would it be? That’s why the main event today is… Aestus Sigma vs Aestug Fog!
Like always at DRS we make things easier for you, and this time we’ve put together a comparison of these two excellent bathroom heaters to help you choose.
Both the Sigma and the Fog feature what we call ‘fingers’ which are used in different ways to create very unique shapes.
AESTUS SIGMA
This radiator is a good one for the imagination, do you see a radiator? A moustache comb? Turn it one way and do you see a post-modern interpretation of moose antlers? Turn it the other way and are you now looking at icing dripping over the top of a cake?
Whatever it looks like, it’s both stylish and practical. It comes in three sizes; 1088mm tall, 1400mm and 1712mm, all at the same width of 600mm. Standard towel rails are at 500mm wide, but the extra width of the Sigma allows you to hang towels onto its fingers with the ample space you would expect. To give it the flexibility you would expect with a designer towel radiator, the Sigma is available in both Matt White and Matt Black to suit different themes.
The heat outputs produced are reasonable as well despite the flat shape, with the largest size producing 2668 BTUs. Not only is it an attractive radiator, it comes with a 15 year long guarantee, which for a steel radiator is absolutely phenomenal.
AESTUS FOG
Contrasting to the long, open shape of the Sigma, the compact style of the Aestus Fog is a lovely distinction. The Fog’s appearance is an artistic interpretation of a pure white mist forming or fading in front of you – starkly the contrasting to the Sigma’s design.
The slightly oblong proportions of the Fog give it a satisfying overall appearance, with its two sizes coming in at 592mm high x 800mm wide and 790mm x 1100mm. It’s also available in both Matt White and Matt Black just like the Sigma, with the finish choice having a more dramatic effect due to the solid shape of the Fog.
Functionality was the main consideration for the final design of the Fog, and with 7 separate places to drape your towels to dry you have a large surface area where you can hang smaller towels, and even a large one completely unfolded if you felt so inclined!
While the heat output of the Aestus Fog is able to reach a higher total than the Sigma (2873 BTUs), the shape of the radiator might limit which bathrooms and where in each bathroom it can be placed. It requires a lot of space to install it, but if you do have that space it looks neat, warm and makes a wonderful design statement.
OUR VERDICT
The dream choice between these two radiators would be to fit one into two separate bathrooms and have them quaintly match with one another. If your bathroom is very substantial then have them both within the same space, perhaps with the Sigma as the stand-alone towel radiator, and the Fog over a bath.
If you must choose between the two, then first you must consider whether you can actually fit one or the other in your home at a size big enough to give you the heat you need. If you could fit either of them, which will be more practical for the function you need.
They both look fantastic and have 15 year guarantees, as well as coming in the same black or white finish options, so the final deciding factor would be which one suits the space available for it the best without looking crammed in or lost.
The Realm TRV set is the perfect accessory. Like a brand new Mercedes Benz, BMW or Audi, designer radiators are luxury products which fill you with satisfaction. You are treating yourself in style as a reward for your success. What you wouldn’t do while selecting your new high performance car is have it fitted with some big, tacky hub-caps.
Equitable to this is letting your plumber fit your stunning new designer radiator using their normal, unattractive stock. At DRS we believe in better, so join us today for a look at our main designer TRV and a chance to win 10% off your next DRS order!
REALM TRV SET – COLOURS
The Realm TRV has a simple design. What it lacks in ornate detail it makes up for in clean, attractiveness and fantastic utility. It is available in 4 finishes:
- Chrome – Lovely and shining, the Realm TRV set in Chrome is bright and matches very well with Chrome radiators, light fixtures, fittings and door handles – The standard choice
- Satin Nickel – Modern and sleek, the Satin Nickel finish is a brush treated silver which is a little quieter than Chrome, but quite a bit more refined – If you can match this to your them then you’re onto a winner
- Black Nickel – Visually similar to Chrome, just as reflective except with a very dark coloured nickel as a base, the Black Nickel finish has an almost oily visual quality, perfect to match with dark flooring, radiators and granite worktops
- White – Exactly the same as the Chrome version, but with a long, white band around the TRV head’s middle section, coordinating it nicely with White radiators while still accentuating the Chrome features present near by
SHAPES
Function is the name of the game when it comes to valve shape, but appearance is a part of it too. For some designer radiators the pipework which your valves need to connect to is coming up from the floor, other times it’s coming out from the wall, and beyond that depending on the radiator design you might need to connect to the side or the underneath of it.
For all of these possible outcomes we have a valve to suit each case;
- Angled – Perfect when you have floor pipework and side connections on your radiator
- Straight – Perfect when you have floor pipework and underneath connection on your radiator
- Corner – Perfect when you have wall pipework, and either side or underneath connections on your radiator
SIZES
Our Realm TRVs are one size only and made to fit 15mm pipework, which is the standard in most homes today, however if you have an older property it can be common to find that you have 10mm or 8mm microbore pipework instead.
To fix this there is a neat accessory which discreetly fits into your valve named a Microbore Reducer. These constrict the size of the valve’s opening for the pipework to connect into, making it fit correctly without having to buy a specially sized valve.
If you do have either 10mm or 8mm pipework just specify in the notes which you have and if you have ordered valves with us at DRS we will include a set of Microbore Reducers with each valve set on your order.
See our full range of Realm TRV Valve Sets here today!
Designer radiators are interesting things; striking shapes, exciting colours and the warmth needed to keep you comfy. But today we’ve got a neat infographic for you with 7 fantastic facts about designer radiators which will keep you on your toes.
For more information, read on below for expanded descriptions of each of the 7 facts!
1 – THE 1ST DESIGNER RADIATOR WAS INVENTED IN 1930!
In the early 1900s, Zehnder was a manufacturer of light motorcycles with a reputation for quality built up over several decades. Because they already manufactured steel tubes fort their motorcycles, they had the opportunity at that time in 1930 to make the Zehnder Charleston column radiator and expand into an emerging radiator market which at that time was populated by heavy, unwieldy and in some cases unsightly cast-iron heaters.
We are coming close now to a century on since that point and Zehnder have since revolutionised the way we think about our heating, and to this day sell the one and only Zehnder Charleston as one of the most flexible and popular designer radiators in the world.
2 – THE RADIATOR REVOLUTION
The ‘Radiator Revolution’ is the industry drive to help the world understand that the monotony of white compact radiators is no longer a problem you must cover up or resign yourself to.
Through the 70s and 80s the moment started to gain traction, and through the 90s and naughties modern hotels and the luxury homes of celebrities and socialites became the starting point for the nation-wide allure and fascination with the designer radiator, which today has become a the standard in at least one or two rooms in each modern home.
3 – DESIGNER RADIATOR MATERIALS
Most designer radiators are manufactured from steel; it’s cheap, strong, convects thermal energy satisfactorily and can be finished in hundreds of ways which also protect it from corrosion. Aluminium however is more costly to manufacture for heating, and it’s softer too, but it is an excellent convector of heat.
Cast Iron goes the other way and takes a long time to heat up, but looks absolutely tremendous in a contemporary setting, but especially in a period home. Stainless steel is step up from your run-of-the-mill steel, and typically lasts 4-5 times longer, but you can’t finish it with paint, you can only treat the metal itself and polish it or brush it to a satin finish.
Brass is used for the super high-quality traditional towel rails you see in classical bathrooms, the kind of elaborate rails you might see in Buckingham Palace and Chatsworth House. It is a long lasting, high quality metal which is suitable for any heating system, making it a brilliant luxury product.
Chrome is the last conventional finish on the market. Chrome radiators are in fact made from steel, and then chromium is electro-plated to the outside of the steel. The finish is a bright, reflective surface which is visually similar to polished stainless steel, but at a considerably better price.
Glass and mirrors are used in a lot of cases on designer radiators to pushing the boundaries of what is possible with heating, and while this might just sound like attaching a mirror to a normal radiator, it’s often more complex than that. Glass designer radiators can be made in vivid colours which often can’t quite be pulled off with paint, and additionally on glass you can print high-resolution images and create picture radiators!
By making specific fascia for a basic radiator, a lot of manufacturers can make efficient gorgeous radiators without having to extrude metals into hundreds of different shapes. Using marble and natural stone, wood, brass, copper and even the aforementioned glass, mirrors, stainless steel and aluminium, amazing covers can be made which create visual effects which would otherwise be completely unattainable.
4 – RADIATORS; LIES AND DECEIT
Okay, that might be a bit dramatic, but genuinely… Radiators… aren’t.
That is to say radiators don’t actually warm your rooms through radiation, it’s all an elaborate ruse! Depending on the radiator model, thermal radiation can make up as little as 20% of its overall heat output.
Convection is what actually does most of the work, in other words your radiators hold hot water, heat is passed through to the metal which heats up the surrounding air (which is why the surface area of a radiator is a big factor in how much heat it can produce) and then that air begins to circulate around the room.
The air heats up and begins to rise, and when it does that cool air is drawn in at the bottom of the radiator to replace it, this new air is heated and push upwards as more cool air is pulled upwards to take its place. As this happens, the hot air is being pushed further and further towards the centre of the room and reaches the furthest parts it can before beginning to cool and fall.
With enough time the air is warmed more and more quickly, and the result is that the whole room has become warm, nearly entirely by the convection of heat through the particles in the air.
The 20% radiation that we talked about before? That is direct-type heating. If on November 5th you stand 50 feet from a roaring bonfire you can feel thermal radiation making your face, your eyes and fingertips hot, even while the cool winter air whips around you, that’s because this type of direct heating warms surfaces directly.
So in your living room your walls, coffee table, sofas, paintings and curtain will all be directly heated to different degrees, and from there those surfaces raise the temperature of the air slightly, but with nowhere near the efficiency of the bulk convection.
5 – BEST HEATING
While we are on the topic of heating up the air efficiently, aluminium does a terrific job of just that. So much so that it can be designed not only to hold much less water than a steel counterpart, but also in a way which actively promotes the hot air currents we just talked about.
Aluminium designer radiators are now commonly manufactured so that they feature a large cavity inside, and only a small chamber for hot water to flow through. This means that in addition to the air surrounding the radiator being heated, the air inside the radiator is being heated, nearly doubling the surface area.
Two-fold, the air inside the radiator is heated up more quickly and is shot out the top of the radiator’s cavity, more quickly drawing the cool air in from beneath.
6 – WORST HEATING
Doing a complete 180°, Chrome radiators are essentially a normal steel model, but with a layer of insulation on the outside. The chrome on the outside serves to look gorgeous, but sadly traps in nearly all of the radiation type heating, and even prevents some of the convection as well. You both need to pick a larger size if ordering chrome, and over the years it will cost you more as it needs to hold a good amount of hot water too, especially when put side-by-side next an aluminium model.
7 – DESIGNER RADIATOR SHAPES
The amazing thing about designer radiators is that they are only limited by imagination. We have products which can be sat on comfortably in bench form, perfect for spa or taking the chill out of a cold boot room.
How about a radiator entrenched under your feet, into the floor? Trench heating is completely unique, offering warmth in a discrete way that saves you valuable space by burying your heating under the floor, with only a hyper-stylish grille (available in a range of finish options) on show.
They can be shaped to fit gently curving walls as well as angled ones, like the Zehnder Charleston which we talked about earlier, meaning that no part of the home is off limits for heating. Most commonly this is used under bay windows which either curve or angle inwards, but they can even be used on outer angles.
Most mind-bogglingly, there are now designer radiators which can move! The Vogue Stendy is a sturdy towel rail which can be used as standard like any other gorgeous rail to dry your cosy towels on, but then like transformers-in-disguise can spring open to give you hot shelves to resting your folded towels or bath robes!
As interesting as these facts all are about designer radiators, the most exciting thing is that all of our brilliant and innovative designs are right at your fingertips, more affordable than you think and ready for delivery on the next day, so take a few minutes to imagine what you might fit into your dream interior today;
