Keeping your house warm doesn’t have to mean you have to stick to the boring old white radiators that you see in most houses nowadays. In fact, you can get really creative and find some great designs that are within your budget. After all, a radiator isn’t just for keeping your home warm, it can be a statement piece, fit in with the architecture of the space or stand out as a piece of art all on its own.

Keep it Cheap with Paint or Wood

You can take two approaches here and still keep things cheap if you don’t want to actually replace or re-position any existing radiators or don’t like the standard style radiators you see everywhere.

A lick of paint in the same colour as the wall behind can mask and prevent the radiator from standing out, or you can get creative and release your inner artistic flair and paint your radiator in a bold colour so it stands out from everything else.

Likewise, if you would prefer to cover up your radiator completely then you can buy or make your own kind of mantle pieces for your radiators which can provide a nice shelf on the top to display ornaments or knickknacks on. Again, you can paint it in any colour you like, use a pale cream or white colour to mask the fact you have a radiator there at all, or make it stand out as a statement piece in the room. Either way it will still keep your room warm.

Move It Vertically

More often in smaller rooms or apartments, designers are flipping the traditional radiator or opting for thinner flat panel radiators and mounting them vertically with the pipes hidden inside the walls. These radiators remain effective and still do their job, but instead of taking up space or being ugly things on the wall you would rather hide you can turn them into artworks of their own. Check out Warm Rooms for some lovely examples of these kinds of radiator.

Under Floor Heating

Just can’t decide where to put the radiators or short on space and want your toes to stay warm? Then, under floor heating may be the answer. It doesn’t have to be all that expensive either and can be installed under any floor design or surface you want. Underfloor heating can be done with electric or gas, and literally just involves running pipes under your current floor. Because heat rises, this type of heating is sure to keep your home warm for long periods of time. The biggest advantage of this kind of heating is that you can’t see it and it heats the room up evenly. Likewise, it also helps to prevent any damp too, which is always a big bonus.

Whatever heating method, design or style you choose to go for make sure you’re happy with the end result. Picture it first and cut out some designs from magazines or look online for inspiration. Your radiators don’t have to be ugly at all.