Radiators take up a big chunk of space in any room. Sometimes when you’re redecorating a space you have no idea how to get your radiator in on the action. There are some simple and very clever ways you can completely redefine a room by making some slight changes around the space. Here are five ideas that you might find helpful.
1.Paint It
You’ve just painted the hallway a great colour but that big white behemoth sticks out like a sore thumb. There’s a really simple solution; make it match. Painting a radiator will have no effect on how well it performs. You might have heard before that painting a radiator black helps it heat better. Unless you have the dial turned up it has no effect at all. Paint it the same colour as the wall and it will blend in easily and help the colour out pop more.
2.Cover It
The use of radiator covers can save you so much space and help make your place look more welcoming. This is a great idea if you don’t want to have kids falling over and hitting their heads, or getting too curious and scolding their hands on the inlet pipes. Placing a vented cover over your radiator will cover up the area and control what way you allow heat to flow. Get a wide enough cover and you’ll have your own storage area; this works best in hallways if you never know where to put your keys. If it’s sturdy enough, place some pillows on top and you have yourself an extra seat.
3.Get A Shelf
Use the potential of your radiator and turn it in to a mini shelf area. Buying a cheap piece of slate or marble can create a little mini hot plate, or rather, warm plate. You’ll have somewhere to put your coffee on without it ever turning cold. You can even think of it as a mini bookcase if you have a radiator located right by the couch or bed.
4.Move It
Find yourself constantly bumping in to the radiator when you walk in to a room? Fix the problem by simply moving it. You might think it’s a hard task but it only takes a day’s work to move it from one place to another. You’ll see in a lot of homes that have been recently redecorating that the bathroom and hallways might have vertical radiators that are plumbed in to the wall rather than the floor. It helps create an illusion of much more space without losing any precious heat. Raised radiators also help heat circulate in their area better.
5.Show It Off
Never think of your radiator as an eyesore. Think of it positively and show it off. Promise yourself that when you redecorate a room you keep it in mind as a design feature too. And if you really can’t stand it, you could always just get a lovely new model.
Just remember that are are always options available when you don’t know what to with your radiator. All it could take is a quick coat of paint to get the job done.
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- License: Image author owned
About the author: Gary Gallagher knows a lot about radiators. He knows the best way to heat a room without even needing the help of a thermometer and can make sure any thermostatic valve does its job properly. You can find out what type of warming stuff he works with at http://www.traderadiators.com/acatalog/Contemporary-Radiators.html
