It used to be the case that anyone decorating their home or installing a new central heating system would take no interest in what the radiators looked like.
They would've likely contacted their local plumber and asked for a quote on installing a boiler and around 8 radiators. It would be assumed that the radiators would be horizontal, white and made of steel.
Partly this was due to the homeowner's lack of interest in the aesthetics of a radiator and partly due to the fact that there weren't many other choices available even if they had been more interested.
These days however, it's likely the homeowner would want to know what type of radiators they were getting and for which room. It's also likely they they have something in mind already and won't just leave it up to the installer to sort out.
The late 90s and early 2000s saw a huge amount of interior design programmes which taught people to take more interest in their homes, giving them ideas, opening up possibilities and showing them products that they didn't even know existed.
One of the most popular ways people realised they could make a difference to their radiators was by adding a heated towel rail into their bathrooms. This had previously been a feature of upmarket hotels, but once people realised they could have them in their own homes, the
ladder-style heated towel rail became an easy and cost-effective way of adding something different to the bathroom.
Because the orientation of most of these towel rails was vertical, this naturally led people to consider installing vertical radiators. People started to realise the aesthetic
benefits of vertical radiators as well as the fact that it meant you could get a properly-sized radiator in a room with minimal horizontal space.
There is also the chicken and egg situation of whether radiator manufacturers responded to the demand from the public for more extravagant radiators or whether the public wised up to the fact that manufacturers offered more than the standard,
white horizontal convector radiators.
The standard convectors are still very popular of course and are much more energy efficient that in years gone by, as well as slightly more stylish, with more sophisticated finishes.
However, the general public are definitely more serious about their radiator choices these days and are very likely to want something different in their kitchen than in their bedroom, whereas traditionally they may have just been the same.
We know what an important decision it is when selecting the correct radiators for your living space, which is why we offer such a fantastic selection of radiators and heated towel rails on our
website. From vertical aluminium designer rads, to heavy-duty Victorian cast iron radiators, we've got everything you could possibly want for your home.
Don't forget that we offer free delivery to all mainland UK addresses and we also now have a Live Chat window on our website so if you have a query before ordering, you can get an answer straightaway!
Article by Benjamin Clarke
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