In colder climates, a radiator is an integral part of every single room. Or at least it should be. Very few houses only have the one hearth in the living room still. In a lot of cases radiators mean an eye sore in a further very well thought through concept. It took surprisingly long for designers to come up with alternatives for the usually rather dull and ugly metal thing that we see underneath most windowsills. In the eighties we saw the rise of the so called design radiator. Most people only put these in their bathrooms though. They made for lovely warm towels after stepping out of the shower.
Another trend in the eighties was to lower your radiators into the ground and covering them up with wooden or metal grates or screens. Endless keys, coins and buttons would end up in them. Floor heating, where a web of heating was put under the floor, was something that only the very few could afford as it was costly and it took a lot of energy to heat through the floor. Nowadays they are more common and easier to install and also heat up easier. We have heated floors in our bathroom for instance.
Yet in order to really heat up a house in a sufficient and cost effective manner one can hardly do without the good old radiator. I personally don’t mind the traditional radiator, I think they look nice with their hint of industrialism and nostalgia. Preferably the old ones that require a static duster to clean. However, for those in need of a signature radiator, check the designs below.
Joris Laarman for Droog Design
Ciussai
The design of Ciussai can be hung up on a hook, rolled out to cover the entire room or even be placed in your bed to heat up your linen before you go to bed.
Flora by Caleido
MOON by Oreca Design
In a DIY store or paint shop, colours look so different from when you actually put them on your wall. Also, that hint of egg shell tint that looks almost to faint to notice in the shop can make your bedroom look like a giant Easteregg when all walls are painted. Another mistake often made is that relatively dark colours can make rooms look smaller. The contrary is more true; colours that are to pale and lack any contrast make a room look not only smaller, but also darker. Shadows appear much more grey and grim on light colours such as yellow and white than on dark ones like red and darker blue. Especally in darker rooms. Don’t be afraid to paint north facing rooms in darker colours. It will likely add more warmth and depth to your room than a lighter shade will. Currently all our walls downstairs are white. We still don’t know what colour to paint them, but some of the walls will get a contrasting lick of paint.
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