Take Your Interior Design to the Next Level with These 4 Amazing Tips

If you are looking to make the most out of your interior design, then you have to read this article. Here, I explore four fantastic tips that can help to take your interior design to that next level. 

If you want to create a space that is comfortable and beautiful, then you need these tips.

Tip 1: Get Inspired

Some people are reluctant to look for inspiration when it comes to design because they feel it takes away from their individuality. This is bonkers. Whatever style you find inspiration in, you can mix it up so that it reflects part of your personality.

There are plenty of places to get inspiration, but one place that's often overlooked is ancient architecture. People spent a lot more time decorating important buildings in the past than they do now and for this reason, there are many styles that have an exceptional and innate beauty that people just don't know about.

If you're looking for inspiration, then take a look at some of the old styles of decoration from around the world and see if there's anything that piques your interest. 

You don't have to stick to it blindly, but draw ideas from it and then create your own look.

For example, you'll find that many ancient buildings use bespoke radiators. You can commission these radiators for your own home with a modern twist. 

It's things like this that will help you think out of the box and help you take it to the next level.

Tip 2:  Don't be afraid of the dark

A very popular option nowadays is to paint rooms white and use it as a backdrop for the rest of your furniture and decor. 

White is a very easy colour to use because it is a classic collar and never goes out of fashion.  It also matches every other colour.

However, this makes people reluctant to experiment with other colours and if you avoid dark colours, you might be missing a trick. They can work fantastically well for interior design, especially when used on an accent wall.

Don't be afraid of colour if you want to take your interior design to the next stage.

Tip 3: Get Collecting

When you're out and about, say visiting one of our beautiful market towns, you'll come across antique shops and art galleries. Take a wander in and see if anything catches your eye. 

Developing an interesting collection of art and antiques will give you a broad range of accessories to play within your interior design. Many of these artworks and antiques are unique and they will help to set your space apart from the rest.

It isn't just art and antiques that you can find though; you'll be able to find things such as bespoke radiators, unusual furniture, and interesting rugs and runners. All of these can help to massively transform your space.

Tip 4: Splurge on One Key Item per Room

Every room needs a focal point to take it to the next level and this often means spending a little more than perhaps you would like. 

However, having a focal point in the room that is interesting and captivating is one of the best things that you can do for your interior design.

I hope that you have found this article useful and informative. Following the advice above can really help take your design to the next level and create a space that is welcoming and beautiful all at once.

Is It a Good Idea to Buy Electric Radiators?

If you're reading this article, then it's probably because you want to buy electric radiators but you have heard that they are not very good. Electric radiators tend to have a bad reputation. They are perceived to be expensive to run and to look bad. 

Whilst it is perfectly true that older style electric radiators are indeed more expensive to run than central heating radiators are, modern electric radiators have actually come a long way and today's radiators are far superior to those of the past. 

In addition, central heating has become more expensive over time and electricity is starting to come down in price (or at least the rate at which it is becoming more expensive is slowing down). 

Here, we are going to explore some of the reasons why you might want to consider buying electric radiators. They do not deserve the negative reputation that they currently have an under certain circumstances, they actually make the best choice of radiator.

You Can Use Electric Radiators in Spaces That Don't Have Central Heating

Not every house on the street has central heating and not every room in a centrally heated house will have central heating.  If there is no central heating, and you do not want to install it because it is too expensive, then electric radiators are a perfect choice. You don't need to connect them to the central heating. You can just plug them into the electrics.

Electric Radiators Are Very Fast to Heat Up

If you're the type of person that wants to have good control over their home heating so that it comes on as and when you need it, electric radiators are a good choice. They are what we call responsive. This means that they start to heat up straight away and they can warm a room within a very short space of time.

Electric Radiators Give You Greater Control over Your Home Heating

If you want a responsive system, then electric radiators are a fantastic idea. You can even program some of them to come on at specific times of the day. For example, if you want them to come on as soon as you wake up in the morning, you can do this. In addition, because each radiator is independent of the other, you can choose different times for different rooms. 

For example, if you want your bedroom to be warm at 7 a.m., but the kitchen to be warm at 8 a.m., you can do that. This isn't something you can do with a central heating system and so modern electric radiators give you much greater control over your home heating.

This proves that the electric radiators are also more flexible than centrally heated radiators. You can effectively put them anywhere and you can use them in practically any way you wish.

I hope that you now have a better appreciation of electric radiators. In the past, they have had a bad press, but this is largely unwarranted.

The Best Tips for Buying a Designer Radiator

One of the best ways that you can instantly transform a room is to install a new designer radiator. Radiators take up such a large amount of space that they can draw your eye and if you choose a designer one, it will look great.

Many interior design specialists will use a feature radiator as a focal point in the room. They use it to bring more character and style to the space.

Fortunately, it isn't just a design expert that can capitalise on this technique. Any homeowner can, including you. All you need to do is follow the right advice for choosing a designer radiator and it will be great.

I am going to teach you what you should be looking for when buying a new designer radiator for your home. This will help you to make the right decision and to ensure that the radiator fits the space.

Tip 1: Don't Ignore Heat Output

When people decide to buy designer radiators, they can sometimes overlook the main purpose of the radiator, which is to produce heat…obviously.

You will end up feeling disappointed if you don't make sure that the radiator can produce enough for the space. You also need to make sure that the heat distributes well through the space to. For example, vertical designer radiators do not necessarily offer good heat distribution in larger rooms. You need to stick to horizontal designer radiators in bigger rooms because of the way that radiators distribute the heat, which is on a horizontal axis.

Make sure that the radiator offers you the correct heat output too. You can do this by using a BTU calculator. They are easy to use and self-evident. You can find them at most radiator retailers, both online and offline.

Tip 2: Make Sure You Go for a Reputable Brand

Designer radiators are a big industry and as such, you can find a lot of variation in the quality of the products. When you buy a designer radiator, you have to make sure that you pay for a quality one that will last a long time and that will operate safely and risk-free.

Tip 3: Make Sure It Has a Long Guarantee

A great way to verify that the radiator is good quality is to make sure that has a long guarantee. Personally, I wouldn't buy a radiator that doesn't have at least 10-years’ worth of guarantee.

Tip 4: Make Sure It Suits Your Style

There is a difference between how a radiator looks in the shop, or on Pinterest, and how it will look in your home. Those awesome looking futuristic vertical designer radiators might sweep you away but if you have a country-cottage style house, or an old Victorian style house, it might not fit the feel of the room.

Follow these four tips to find great radiators that work well for the space. If you follow these rules, you won't be disappointed.

Is It Ever Worth Buying Electric Radiators?

If you speak to any heating expert, then they will probably tell you that electric radiators are the least efficient of all the heating options available. This is true on the vast scale of things. Compared to other forms of heating, electric heating is definitely more expensive and less efficient.

However, this is not the same as saying that electric radiators are never worth buying. There are some very specific circumstances when the best option for your radiator is an electric radiator. In this article, we are going to explore some of the situations that warrant an electric radiator over a central heating radiator.  

They certainly have their place and it is silly to dismiss them out of hand. Modern electric radiators have come a long way technology-wise and they are not as bad as they used to be.  For example, they are much safer than they've ever been before and advances in night storage bricks mean that they are also much more efficient than they have ever been before.

They are not as good as central heating in terms of efficiency, but in terms of danger, because of the carbon monoxide poisoning, electric radiators could very well be safer in homes that choose to ignore the advice to buy carbon monoxide alarms.

OK, so when should you buy an electric radiator?

 There are a number of circumstances when the situation warrants and electric radiator rather than the central heating radiator, here they are:

1.                If you are buying the radiator for a room that you want to heat throughout the year. Central heating radiators are great when they are part of the system of multiple radiators. But, if you only want to heat a single radiator, then it's cheaper to just use an electric radiator.

For example, the bathroom is a room that tends to require heat throughout the year to avoid problems with mould and mildew. You don't want to have to switch on your whole central heating system just to switch on the single radiator in the bathroom. To accommodate this, you either by a dual fuel radiator or an electric radiator.

2.                      If the home does not have central heating, then clearly, your only option really is to buy an electric radiator. You do have the option of installing an entire central heating system, but these come in at around £6,000 and by the time you make your money back on the running costs, electricity are likely to be much cheaper.

In other words, whilst you might have been able to make your money back on the past doing this, doing this with modern electric radiators might not bring long-term benefits because electricity prices are dropping year-on-year and gas prices are increasing.

If either of those circumstances matches your circumstances, then buying an electric radiator is well worth your while. We hope that you have found this article useful and informative. Electric radiators aren't necessarily as good as central heating radiators, but they certainly have their place.

2 Great Tips to Make Your Lounge Look Bigger

In the UK, it's fair to say that most of us are strapped for space. We are tiny island with a massive population and space is becoming increasingly precious. 

One area where we can really feel this need for space is in our living room. I don't know about you, but my living room is tiny. It is actually the tiniest room in our house. 

I live in a Victorian Terrace and I think it's quite common for this style of house to have a small lounge -  I guessed the Victorians didn't spend a lot of time at home relaxing, what with all the workhouse activities and such.

Fortunately, there are many things that you can do to make a room feel bigger. You don't have to make any serious modifications.  You just need to know how to create the illusion of space. 

That's what I'm going to teach you now with these 2 fantastic tips to help you maximize the space in your living room:

Tip 1: Where Possible, Buy Furniture with a Greater Vertical than Horizontal Plane

If you're into fashion, then you probably already know that wearing horizontal stripes makes you look fatter and wearing vertical stripes makes you look thinner. When you look thinner, you also look taller. The same is true with interior design.  

Vertical-ness (for want of a better word), will make the room appear larger. Horizontal-ness will make the room appear shorter and squatter.

There are a few ways that you can bring vertical-ness to your living space.  Here are a few ideas:

1. Install vertical radiators. They function the same as horizontal radiators but they take up less space and they look great too.

2. Buy taller furniture. For example, if you're buying a side table to go next to your sofa choose one that is slimmer and taller than you typically would buy.

3. Use an accent wall to install vertical patterned wallpaper.  You should not decorate the entire room in vertical stripes and less you're using a very light colour. Otherwise, the darkness of the colour will minimise the impact of the strikes and you are affected me cancelling out any of these optical illusions effects.

Tip 2: Increase the Amount of Light in the Room

Light is a fantastic way to bring space to a room. There are so many different ways that you can do this in your living room. Here are a few ideas:

1. Use a light reflecting paint on the walls. These paints have special particles that reflect the light around the room and create a brighter, more open, space.

2. Choose a light coloured paint. The lighter the colour, the larger the room will feel. The best colours are warm whites, which are both cosy and illuminating. If you do want to go with a more interesting colour, such as green, mix it with a white so that it is pale.

3. Increase the number of mirrors in the room. A mirror will add a lot of light to your room, making it feel much larger. You can also buy furniture with mirrored surfaces, such as with your vertical radiators or your coffee table.

You might not believe it because it seems so simple, but these two tricks can swiftly transform your space and make it feel much larger.

Four Tips to Help You Get the Most out of Your Radiators

Today, we are going to explore four tips that every homeowner should know about radiators. These tips will help you to save money and energy, so they're well worth knowing. These are tips that you might not think about yourself, so it’s certainly worth your time to read these tips and see if there’s anything useful that you can learn.

1. Don’t place furniture in front of your radiators.

We see this mistake happening far too often. People have limited space, so they place their furniture in front of the radiator. Wherever possible, you should avoid doing this because all that happens is that the furniture absorbs the heat, rather than the room.

You will need to turn your heating right up to achieve a decent amount of heat. As such, you will be paying far more for you gas than you should.

If space is an issue, consider installing vertical radiators. They are slightly less efficient than horizontal radiators are (providing both have the same output rating), but if your horizontal radiator is hidden behind furniture, it’s being inefficient anyway.

2. Radiators should go beneath windows or on outside walls where possible.

The best placement for a radiator is beneath a window or on an outside wall – especially a north-facing wall. These parts of the room are the coldest. If you heat these up first, it prevents the room from becoming too cold.

3. Put radiators reflectors behind panel radiators to make them more efficient.

A great way to boost the efficiency of your radiators is to place a reflector behind it. This prevents too much heat being lost through the wall. The best place to put it is behind radiators that are fixed to outside walls, as well as behind vertical radiators.

4. Keep radiators free from dust to prevent rust and increase efficiency.

Finally, radiators attract dust. This can lead to a layer of dust developing over time, which then acts as an insulator. This means that the radiator emits less heat. Keep them clean in order to maximise the radiators efficiency.

We hope that you have found these tips useful. If you’d like further help and advice, then please visit https://www.designerradiatorsdirect.co.uk/.

Should You Buy a Vertical Radiator?

If you're currently on the lookout for new radiators, and you're unsure about whether you should buy a vertical radiator, then let us help you to decide. Today, we are going to explore a number of situations when it’s appropriate to buy a vertical radiator.

Vertical radiators can be less efficient than horizontal radiators. This is because of the way that heat distributes though a room. Hot air rises and horizontal radiators give the air a little longer to heat up as they can heat more air further down – it means that they are slightly more efficient in heat distribution.

Nonetheless, horizontal radiators are not always appropriate. Here are a few examples when vertical designer radiators work better than their horizontal counterparts do: 

Example 1: In a Small Room

A small room, e.g. a bathroom, might require a specific amount of heat. In the UK, we measure heat in British Thermal Units. Say a bathroom requires 1200 British Thermal Units per hour.

However, there is very little wall space. All of the horizontal radiators that fit can only reach an output of 800 British Thermal Units per hour.

This means that the horizontal radiators will not provide sufficient heat for the room, and this can lead to problems such as mould and mildew.

However, choosing a radiator with a different orientation, i.e. vertical, allow you to install a larger unit in the space. Here, you can install a radiator that provides 1200 British Thermal Units per hour.

It isn't actually taking up any more useable space, because the space above a radiator is generally clutter and shelf free anyway.

Example 2: You Have French Doors or Windows

It is always better to hang your radiators next to outside doors and windows. This allows you to heat the cold air before it gets into the room. However, with doors and windows that reach from ceiling to floor, there may be no space for a horizontal radiator.

In this case, you can hang two vertical designer radiators, one on each side of the doors/window. Not only does this look extremely chic and elegant, but it serves its purpose fantastically well, too.

We hope that you now have a good understanding of the appropriateness of vertical radiators. If you are interested in buying such radiators, or you would like further help and advice about your radiators, please visit https://www.designerradiatorsdirect.co.uk/.