Does your home have a wall radiator you wish you could hide? While immobile, radiators can be hidden or disguised in plenty of creative ways. If you're looking for smart and safe ways to make your radiator less of an eyesore, here are some ideas to try.
A clever way to hide your radiator while also upcycling old materials is to use iron grating or scrollwork. You can use a panel from a decorative iron fence, a headboard or a fireplace cover for this project. The iron will withstand heat and allow it to pass through, keeping the space safe and efficient. Just make sure to treat the metal with a heat-resistant treatment for rust before use.
Turn your radiator into a stylish faux cabinet with some simple construction. You can take the back paneling off an existing cabinet and attach it to the wall over the radiator. Choose any design style to fit your tastes, from romantic farmhouse to sleek mid-century modern. For safety, it's important to replace the door inserts on the front of the cabinet with a material that will let the heat out and is heat-resistant.
If your radiator is low enough to the ground, you can disguise it while also creating some extra seating. One way is to simply move an existing bench so that it sits a few inches above the radiator. While it will still be visible, depending on the style, the radiator will be secondary to the convenient bench seating.
If your radiators are too tall to disguise comfortably with a bench, you can use the same approach with a narrow console table or floating shelves. Once you create usable space above the radiator, you won't even notice it's there.
There are many ways to make your home's utility features more aesthetically pleasing. Try these tips if you're thinking of hiding or disguising your wall radiators.
I'm John Mahan, Sales Associate with William Raveis Real Estate, Harwich Port Office.
Throughout his childhood, John Mahan spent summers on Cape Cod at his parents’ home in Dennis Port. His intro to the Cape was, as he puts it, when his parents “carried me down the stairs at Sea Street Beach when I was a week old.” With a lifelong connection to Cape Cod, it seemed only natural for John and his wife, Mary, to move to Harwich – where they still reside – with their two young children in 1996.
Prior to moving to Cape Cod, John lived in the Worcester-Auburn area where he worked for Mass Electric for 10 years and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Utility Workers. When John and his family moved to the Cape, he worked at NSTAR for six years.
John began his career in real estate in 2002 when he joined Team Waystack Realty in Harwich Port. He has been a consistent top producing realtor in the Harwich area for the past 20 years. John’s approachable demeanor, combined with an integral understanding of the Cape Cod residential real estate market, have allowed him to build trusting, long-term relationships with his clients – both sellers and buyers.
