Heating Interior Design Dilemmas with Best Heating

We’ve really enjoyed working with Best Heating, the online heating company (surprise surprise!) over the last few months. We’ve collaborated with them on a few projects, but more recently we’ve started writing a monthly feature for their customer newsletter. Within these features we’ll be sharing design ideas and projects as well as hints and tips for how to incorporate heating into your interiors.

November’s feature was a good old Q&A. Best Heating sent us a number of interior design related questions that they’d been asked during the month and we provided our answers and point of view.

So, here’s a summary of what it included;

Q. What’s popular in radiator design? Modern or traditional?

To be honest, we think it’s both. If you live in a modern home, then a modern radiator style will work better. Traditional radiators can often seem fussy in a modern home with clean lines. But if you’re renovating a period home, then it can be nice to have a more traditional radiator, even if your scheme is more modern.

But it’s not just about modern vs. traditional. Within those two types there are many different styles to choose from. You might know that you want a modern style of radiator. But do you go ultra-modern with a Milano Capri Horizontal Flat Panel radiator in black? Or do you opt for a Milano Aruba Horizontal radiator in white, which is a more traditional version of the modern radiator?

Our top tip would be to decide on a radiator that fits your scheme, rather than going for what’s popular now. Trends will come and go, but you’ll want your radiators to last a while longer.

Q. How to choose a radiator to suit the character of your home?

Conveniently, this leads on very nicely from the last question! Our opinion is that your radiators should suit the character of your home as well as the interior style that you’re going for.

So, if you’re putting a modern stamp on a period home then something like the Milano Windsor would work well as it’s a modern take on a traditional style. Especially if you opt for a coloured version in either bronze or gold.

If you’re embracing the traditional period style then a cast iron radiator would work well. Best Heating have a relatively new range of cast iron radiators, giving you the look of original cast iron radiator but with the benefit of them being designed for modern heating systems. You can opt for something more ornate like the Milano Beatrix, or something more slimline like the Milano Alice.

Again, the key is to think about how you want your home to feel. If it’s bright, clean and modern then a modern style in white or anthracite will suit best. If you’re aiming for cosy, detailing and character then a traditional style in bronze or pewter will work best.

Q. Radiator colour – blend in or stand out?

It all depends on what your radiators look like and whether you want to make the radiator a ‘feature’ in your design or not.

The cost of replacing radiators can be prohibitive and often people stick with what they have. This usually means single panel convector radiators that are, frankly, pretty ugly. In this scenario, we would absolutely say paint the radiator so that it blends in with the rest of the room.

However, if you’ve got the budget to buy new radiators then why not make them a feature in themselves? There are so many styles and colours to choose from these days and Best Heating have recently launched a new range of coloured radiators which really goes to town with colour. So why not go for a pop of white in a dark scheme, a dark anthracite to mirror a dark kitchen or even a bright red radiator in a child's bedroom?

Q. Design rules for where to position a radiator?

The first thing you need to do is calculate the power you need for the room or space. You can do this using the BTU Calculator on the Beat Heating website. You’ll then know how many radiators you need and what output they need to generate.

You then need to see what wall space you’ve got to work with. Have you got dead spaces underneath windows that you can utilise? If so, a horizontal design with two or three columns would make best use of the space. If you’ve got narrow wall spaces but need a lot of heat, then vertical radiators make better use of the height.

Basically, you want to avoid radiators being behind large pieces of furniture. But if that can’t be avoided then think about how you can allow the heat to penetrate the room. That can be choosing a lower sofa or piece of furniture or opting for an open desk that a radiator can be placed beneath.

Essentially, you can place your radiator anywhere. You just need to know you’ve got enough heat pumping out of it and enough wall space to hang it!

If you are thinking about making changes in your home and need some help or inspiration, do get in touch with us here. And don't forget to follow us via Instagram, Facebook and our upcoming blogs.

Fresh Start Living is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire and covers the surrounding areas as well as offering a remote interior design service.