Feature radiators - stylish and efficient

Feature Radiators by name Feature radiators by nature! Our contemporary, traditional, electric or towel rail ranges include radiators that double up as works of art to give the ultimate wow factor to your home, whilst providing function as well as form. Style and substance are no longer mutually exclusive when it comes to designer radiators

The History of Radiators

When it comes to renovations, choosing the right radiators is now often considered along with the wallpaper and floor coverings. Many consumers are keen to select radiators from the right era, to bring stylish authenticity to a period property, or to opt for a funky radiator design, to add the wow-factor to a contemporary interior.

Research makes it clear that many changes have taken place in heating products over the years.

As many history buffs will be aware, the Romans were the one of the first to use “central heating” to warm their villas using a system called a hypocaust that used a furnace to heat air and conduct it through voids under floors. Similar systems were also used in ancient Korea, possibly even dating back to the Bronze Age. By 1700, Russian engineers had started designing water based systems for central heating.

Steam-heating systems were then developed and installed in the 1830s. The first was installed in the home of Governor of the Bank of England, John Horley Palmer, so that he could grow grapes in England's cold climate.

However, there are various people who are claimed to have invented the radiator as we would recognise it today. All evidence points to their development occurring sometime around the mid 19th Century.

Franz San Galli, a Polish-born Russian businessman, invented an early form of radiator between 1855-1857, and two distinguished inventors known as Joseph Nason and Robert Brigss also designed and produced a radiator using vertical wrought iron tubes screwed into a cast iron base in 1863. In 1872, Nelson H Bundy came up with the “Bundy Loop”, a popular cast iron radiator design that is still reflected in products we see today.

The Victorian period is greatly associated with the introduction of cast iron radiators that we are all familiar with and it was in this period that heating became not only a practical installation but also a decorative item.

However, it wasn’t until the 20th Century that radiators were popularised as even up to the 1970s comparatively few homes had central heating. Steel was then introduced as the most popular option for radiator manufacture in the UK, supporting the British steel industry. Consequently, pressed steel corrugated panels became commonplace, despite the prevalence of aluminium radiators elsewhere in Europe.

As interior fashions changed cast iron radiators were thought of being too big and obtrusive and steel radiators were consider ugly, so homeowners discarded them, boxed them in or simply painted them, but in the 21st Century we have seen the radiator market come full circle. Yet again radiators have become a desirable feature in our homes.

Cast iron remains a popular choice amongst today’s heating engineers and architects, particularly for older properties that could otherwise be prone to damp. Radiators made of cast iron stay warm long after the central heating has been turned off, providing a constant, gentle undulating heat, which retains the warmth in the fabric of the building, as well as heating the interior space. Today’s trend of restoring period properties back to their original splendour has re-launched the cast iron radiator that now claims pride of place in many homes.

Cast iron radiators available today are either “reclaimed”, meaning they have been salvaged from older buildings, or “reproduction”, meaning they are new but have been cast from original designs, with both options having a boom in popularity over the last decade. See our blog article “reclaimed vs. reproduction” for more information on this subject.

Contemporary radiators are now available in wide variety of wonderful shapes sizes and finishes, from sleek minimalist radiators that fit close to the wall to wow-factor feature radiators that make a unique and stunning statement.

Yet whatever style you opt for, be assured that there is no need to compromise on heat output, as good looks and performance are not mutually exclusive.

Radiators, be they Victorian in style or ultra-modern designs, no longer have a ‘humble’ status within a room; they are now an essential centrepiece that serves a functional purpose as well as being a stylish accessory to complement any interior.

For more information on radiators, be it reclaimed or reproduction cast iron, or the latest in designer models, then speak to an expert such as Feature Radiators. You can speak to their team in person and see over 250 models on display at their West Yorkshire showroom, call them on 01274 567789 or visit http://www.featureradiators.co.uk/

Spring cleaning brings new models to Feature Radiators

Spring is in the air, so our thoughts don’t necessarily turn to heating, but as summer approaches now is almost the perfect time to perform maintenance on or upgrade your central heating system and radiators. The new season always brings exciting new products to the radiator market and this year is no exception.

Feature Radiators, for example, are particularly pleased with the latest additions they have selected for their range. They are keen to show them off so last week was dedicated to re-vamping the displays at their West Yorkshire showroom; it’s out with the old and in with the new.

New models on display include Alchemy – a range of high output aluminium radiators stocked for quick delivery in 4 funky finishes, Crest – an exclusive, highly efficient and very well priced vertical radiator available from stock in both white and “anodised” finishes and iRad Picture – a practical, slimline electric radiator with a choice of stunning graphic images printed on the front face.

New products coming in has led to a number of older products going out, the suppliers are keen to clearout and as a consequence are offering fantastic deals on last year’s radiators. For instance, Feature Radiators are offering a number of products for sale from their Clearance range that are from brand new stock but now discontinued. Look at the Tubo Minor, Mini Hot Spring and Riva as examples of stunning designer radiators, on sale at hugely discounted prices.

Showroom makeovers also lead to a wealth of ex-display models being available at rock bottom prices, such as Feature Radiators’ Bingley Warehouse Stock Clearout, giving you the opportunity to purchase designer radiators starting from only £50 + VAT.

To see a comprehensive selection of brand new radiators or discontinued and ex-display products, visit the Feature Radiators' website http://www.featureradiators.co.uk/, or better still, speak to their expert team either via phone on 01274 567789 or in person at their West Yorkshire showroom.

*Bingley Warehouse Stock Clearout radiators are for collection only. These items are either ex-display or cancelled orders so must be inspected personally by the customer prior to sale and are sold as seen.

Hot Gossip! - Radiators of the stars

Hot off the press is the news that radiators are the latest topic on many celebs’ lips! No longer an ugly necessity in our homes, radiators have recently undergone a major make-over and regularly feature in the properties of well-known celebrities. Radiators are now also stars in their own right, appearing on many of our most popular British TV programmes.

A certain style icon has been seen eyeing up posh radiators recently, but this spicy lady isn’t the only celebrity to be upgrading the radiators in their home.

Rumour has it that ‘it’ girl, multi-millionairess and owner of net-a-porter.com, Natalie Massanet, has been renovating her luxurious London base with the inclusion of some Etonian cast iron radiators. Jamie and Jules Oliver have chosen the same radiators to add to the warm, family feel of their Primrose Hill property.

Colin and Justin, TV stylists and presenters of 60-minute makeover, admit to their love of fabulous, feature radiators. A premiership footballer opted for particularly “striking” radiators that curl around the walls of his contemporary home. And rock ‘n’ roller, Shakin’ Stevens loves Classic radiators in his Buckinghamshire palace.

A well-known hotelier has installed the latest in electric radiators, iRads, alongside stunning stainless steel towel rails from the Alpine range in their stunning country house hotel. Movie star and model, Saffron Burrows chose suitably stylish electric heating from the Bordo range in her London home.

Celebrities can be demanding; a certain engineering enthusiast requested radiators hanging from the ceiling when sourcing top gear for his home. Interiors expert, Naomi Cleaver, required an unusually shaped towel warmer in green for her latest, particularly personal, project, her new home:

'I located the rather amazing company, Feature Radiators, who are making me a "landscape" towel rail in a sprayed coloured finish at the excellent price of £300'

Cleaver, N. (2011), Naomi’s New Home [online] Available at: http://naomicleaver.typepad.com/naomis-new-home/ [Accessed 14 March 2011]

And its not just celebrity cribs that feature designer radiators, the latest in interior products also have a starring role in many popular TV series.

More than cast iron alibis have been needed in the Queen Vic recently, as cast iron radiators are now also appearing, tying in with the Victorian architecture of this world famous pub. Feature radiators regularly appear in popular interior design and renovation programmes such as DIY SOS, Grand Designs and Sarah Beeny’s Property Ladder. The infamous Big Brother houses regularly showcased the latest in contemporary heating such as a Bench radiator and even Harry Hill’s TV Burp, known for its classic comedy, has Classic radiators on set.

For more information on radiators that grace the homes of the stars, or heating that features on stage and screen, then contact Feature Radiators, www.featureradiators.co.uk, 01274 567789.