Winter is in full swing and it’s starting to get pretty chilly around here. No more shorts and flip flops for a while. The heat is on day and night, and that got me thinking: must radiators be so bland-looking? We have the old classic water radiators, and they’re not hideously ugly, but not very exciting either.
So I started looking for something a bit more interesting, and guess what? There are lots of really fun, artistic designs out there (the majority of them from Italy for some reason) that look more like contemporary metal wall decor than radiators.
As usual, here are my favorite finds:
The Add-On
This aluminum hot water heater from Italian company Tubes was created by Amsterdam-based Indian designer Satyendra Pakhalé. It comes in black or white and is modular, so you can create a variety of shapes and sizes, and build on it to create an entire wall of heat if you want.
Photos: tubes radiatori
The Mirror
“The Mirror” radiators, designed by Fabio Berti, are too heavy to be mounted as a wall mirrors, but I really like the look of it leaning against the wall like this. The mirror part is a real mirror, and the frame part is the radiator.
Photos: Ad Hoc
Heathwave
This gorgeous water radiator by Dutch designer Joris Laarman (in collaboration with Jaga) is made from polyconcrete with stainless steel tubes inside. Like the Add-on, it is modular, so you can connect several pieces and make it as small or large as you want. It comes in gray and black and can be installed in any orientation – it even works in corners.
Photos: Jaga
Shine
Appropriately named, the steel plate radiators designed by James di Marco for Caleido do double duty as (large) wall sconces. You know I can’t resist multi-tasking things, and this definitely goes on my “want” list.
Photo: Caleido
Flower Power
The Flower Power radiator by Ridea Design is a large round aluminum heating disk with a pretty floral design that also doubles as a towel warmer. It’s lightweight, uses little water (but still provides plenty of heat) and comes in 56 colors.
Photos: Ridea Design
My Image
The “My Image” by Brandoni with its pretty scroll design definitely looks more like modern metal wall art than a radiator. It comes in three different sizes and can be hung vertically or horizontally.
Photos: Brandoni
Also see my Awesome Metal Art post.
