When radiators blend into the décor
If it were up to you, you would have removed them entirely. But you don’t have a fireplace, nor flooring designed to heat the room—and you’re not planning to spend the winter bundled up. Getting rid of radiators is out of the question, so you’ll have to work around them! Paint, carpentry, or woven panels—there’s no shortage of ideas to hide them… unless you decide to go against the grain. All that’s left is to get inspired!
Tone-on-tone, to blend in more easily
Get out your brushes: simply painted in the same shade as your wall, your radiators merge into the décor to be more discreet. Whether they’re cast iron or metal, just apply a primer and a suitable paint with an angled brush. Get started before the first cold snap to make sure you’re working on a cold surface!
Repurposed to make shelves
If you can’t do without it, you might as well make the most of it. A pair of brackets found at a DIY store to attach directly to the radiator, a raw or painted MDF wooden shelf, and you have a ledge that subtly diverts attention while creating new display spaces. Feel free to replicate as much as you like.
Hidden behind a panelled door
When we started renovating our Invalides project, the radiator stood proudly in the TV lounge. While its outdated look could have been concealed under a coat of paint, its location prevented us from creating the little office we’d been dreaming of. Without further ado, the carpenter made it disappear behind a plasterboard partition, into which we set a honey-oak niche. Ribbed, the door that hides the radiator adds a graphic touch while still letting the heat through.
Hidden behind a trompe-l’oeil facade
No matter how many ways you look at it, you can’t see how to design a balanced layout while working around your radiator. Do as Cyrielle Wattinne did! The interior designer incorporated it into the bespoke bookcase in this project, treating it as a low element of the structure. Hidden behind a raffia front that lets the heat through, it becomes part of the decor while remaining discreet.
Contrasting, to play a confident role
What if you went against the grain? Quitterie de Pascal chose to make her radiators a defining feature of her living room. Painted black, they stand out against the white walls and echo the colour of the curtain rods and the piping that edges the sofa. An original alternative, which works all the better on cast-iron radiators.
