Round Up: 7 Ideas For Masking The Radiator

Now that it's the time of year when we focus on heating our apartment we also pay more attention to our heater in general. After getting it serviced by the gas company and making sure it's in working order, we also want to make it blend in with our surroundings--not stick out. Here are 7 easy ideas for masking the radiator in the room.

We found this idea on Decorate it Darling, a decorating blog. We love the bookshelves above the radiator, drawing the eyes focus upward, away from the eyesore. They also hung a picture on the radiator, just in case your eyes find their way down.

[Image from craftcreativity]

Sometimes, old radiators come with a house and they don't work (but are still part of the landscape of the house). This homeowner decided to hang hooks below an installed shelf to make use of every inch of space. You also might try this idea in the hotter months, when the heater is not in use.

We love the simplicity of a shelf installed above the radiator. Again, making a wasted space more useful. Especially if the radiator is in the entryway where you can repurpose the area for a landing strip.

This idea is brilliant for those of us that want a way to keep coffee and muffins warm with the Natural Wave Radiator Heater.

This is a great idea for masking the radiator--stenciling a design. Not only are you covering up the radiator, you're also creating something beautiful to look at.

We love the modern look of this radiator kept under wraps with black paint. While the eyesore is semi-covered up, the black paint gives the radiator a new textured look making the space quite interesting to look at.

And if all else fails, Grace's post earlier this month says, "just go with it." Make the eyesore stand out but in a creative way.

Related Posts on Covering Up The Heater

Comments (11)

Can one actually buy the Natural Wave Radiator Heater? All I can find are design/gadget blogs cross-linking each other.

Is it safe to keep things on top of a working radiator? I've always wondered if I can put a shelf directly on top of the radiator near my bed and use it as a side table.

I live in a house with forced air heat, so I don't have radiators - unfortunately (b/c I think they provide a cleaner, more even heat).

But I think that many radiators are wonderful works of art themselves and should be a focal part of the room.

I would be worried about the shelf of books above the radiator, and the bag hanging in front of it - in my experience that kind of heat tends to dry out materials like paper and leather over time... books end up brittle and start falling apart. I don't have direct experience with bags, but i've had shoes shrink almost an entire size b/c of extended radiator proximity - so be careful.

question... I just did a whole re-do in my bedroom and now the dresser is very close to the steam pipe (2 inches on the bottom and 5 on the top). no other place to put it. Is there a 'suggested' space that things are supposed to be from a pipe or radiator? Also is there a material that can be put in between to diffuse the heat? My steam came up last night and it made me wonder if things could ever get hot enough to ever ignite (I know sounds a bit paranoid but....).

I'm very worried about the amount of heat too.
The steam pipes run up the wall behind my radiator. I don't want to put holes in a wall full of pipes.
Plus the wall is super-hot even with my radiator turned off.

Are there any heat-resistant SURROUNDS for radiators?

I'm not sure I would call most of these ideas "masks". Other than the clutter hanging in front of the one radiator, I feel more attention seems to be given than hiding.

I know it's not a radiator... but this gorgeous A/C cover-up was my first thought when I saw this new post.
Ugly AC Transformed Into Stylish Landing Strip

I absolutely love that last little mustached smoking radi-waiter.... sense of humor at it's best!

Why would you want to put an insulated surround over a hot radiator? ....you will get cold...

I should take a picture of the radiator in my bathroom I bought a thin board from home depot precut 2 feet long which was perfect (50 cents) and set it on top then covered it with smooth stones from michigan my old home. It makes me feel a little less gross in my dirty city apt by bringing in some nice clean nature and it makes a handy shelf when i need to set something down, since i have no counters in the bathroom. If it gets too dry and cracks oh well i'll buy another it was so cheap.

i actually like exposed radiators, so long as they are a neutral color. i don't know why, i think it gives a house more character. then again, i also grew up in russia and had a large, exposed radiator in every room of the flat.