Although radiators may not be the most exciting part of your interior décor, they can make a huge difference to the look and feel of your room. Choosing the right radiator style can create a cosy atmosphere, a modern update, or a traditional quirk. The radiator style you choose will depend on the room, the décor, and the heat output you require. Here’s how you can choose the radiator style that will suit your home.
Radiator Styles by Room
When buying a radiator, you need to consider the room that it will be living in and where in the room it will be going. For smaller rooms, you need to think about the space that will be taken up by your radiator and whether it will be blocked by any furniture. View which radiators will suit your home more easily with Stelrad’s 3D augmented reality app to help you envisage the radiator styles that would work best for your rooms.
Kitchen Radiator Styles
Because the wall space in the kitchen is usually taken up with cupboards and wall appliances, vertical radiators might be the most space saving option. Standard radiators run horizontally along the wall which takes up too much room, whereas vertical radiators are taller and narrower and therefore take up less wall space. Vertical radiator styles effectively heat up your rooms without taking up much space. You should also consider how kitchens can heat up quickly during cooking, so smaller, narrower radiators may be the best option.
Bathroom Radiator Styles
Bathrooms tend to be smaller rooms in the house that also has walls taken up by cabinets and appliances like the shower, bath, sink and toilet. Therefore, a space saving option is usually required. Towel rail radiators are a perfect option for smaller bathrooms as they are usually taller and narrower whilst also providing a place to hang your towels and clothing to dry. There are a range of towel radiator styles available to suit your bathroom décor from chrome towel rails to standard white.
Bedroom Radiator Styles
In bedrooms, it’s usually the best idea to find a radiator style that fits under the window. This is to maximise air circulation as the hot air goes up and the cold air that comes through the window helps to push the hot air into the room. Longer, shorter radiator styles are perfect for the bedroom, and you can get most radiators in a range of different colours to suit your room décor. Coloured radiators can help to add warmth, stand out or blend into your bedroom.
Living Room Radiator Styles
Living rooms are one of the cosiest places in your home and you want the temperature to be reflected as so. As with the bedroom, adding your radiator beneath the window will maximise air circulation. However, you should also consider where the furniture will be going as when a sofa or cabinet is placed in front of a radiator, you are losing around 20% of the heat your radiator produces. Horizontal, standard radiators are great for living rooms beneath the windows, however if space and furniture placement is an issue, consider vertical radiators as statement pieces that maximise heat output.
Radiator Styles by Heat Output
It’s important to consider heat output when choosing the ideal radiator style for your home. If a radiator is giving out too much heat, you could be using too much energy which can affect your bank balance as well as the planet. On the other hand, if the radiator isn’t giving out enough heat, your room can feel cold or have areas that are colder than others where it’s not being heated efficiently.
Heat output is measured in British Thermal Units. You can work out your BTU yourself or you can use a BTU calculator which will provide you with a BTU rating to help when shopping for the perfect radiator style for your home.
Radiator Styles Available
Once you’ve got your BTU rating and have an idea of which radiator styles would best fit in each room of your house, you can browse the many styles available.
Column Radiator Styles
Column radiators are similar to traditional cast iron radiators in that they have a traditional look but are designed in a modern way that can double as a design feature in your home. They come in standard height but are also available in a vertical style.
Towel Radiator Styles
Towel radiators are perfect for bathrooms as they are toasty and warm ready for after your bath or shower and can be dried thoroughly when you’re done. They are also perfect for drying clothes.
Cast Iron Radiator Styles
Cast iron column radiators can fit perfectly into any traditional home or industrial style home. They are vintage looking and, due to the material, can continue to emit heat for longer after the heating has been turned off.
Flat Panel Radiator Styles
Panel radiators come in both single panel and double panel styles and are a modern style of radiator that come ultra-slim making them ideal for narrow rooms that need efficient heating.
There we have it, our radiator style guide to help you choose the right radiators for every room. As you can see, there is lots of choice available and it will depend on the aesthetic you are going for per room. Whether you want a uniform look for all radiators in your home, or choose specific styles for a bathroom, living room or bedroom, you can find everything here at Stelrad
Have any questions? Please contact us via email or live chat, and find more helpful information throughout our website.
