With Christmas mere days away we’re all fully aware that winter is in full swing – even if there’s not a thick, white blanket of snow on the ground. Those strong winds, bitterly cold temperatures and gradually shorter and shorter days all go a long way in making it less bearable to brave the outside.
So as we take refuge more frequently in our homes, it’s vital that they’re as warm and as comfortable as we can possibly make them – but that’s not the only factor that needs to be considered. To make sure all that time you spent designing and decorating your home does get ruined by unsightly heating appliances, style should play an important part in how you heat your home. This guest post, written by home interior specialists Crown Tiles, runs through some heating solutions which can provide your home with both style and substance this winter.
Wood Burning Fireplace/Stove
There’s nothing more festive than a roaring fire – flames licking high, charred logs glowing and an unmistakable crackling breaking a peaceful winter silence. It’s a fantastic image, right? While a lot of modern properties don’t have big traditional fireplaces installed, and older homes quite often have them filled in or the chimneys blocked, the increasing popularity in wood-burning fireplaces means that a simple stove can easily be installed to give the same effect.
The installation of these is not massively expensive, can be a great stylish way to heat a given room in your home and it’s the perfect style of heating for Christmas – get those stockings hung!
Portable Space Heaters
It’s always difficult, perhaps near impossible, to be sure that any permanent features in a room will always be in line with what design you want, and any changes you may make later down the line. Combined with discrete or painted radiators, portable space heaters can be a great way of pumping some extra heat into your home without having to make any compromises on style.
These units can easily be stored out of sight when not in use and, by choosing sleeker and more minimalistic modern models, you can have something that looks stylish when not in use. If you end up changing the décor of, say, your living room then it makes little odds if your space heaters don’t quite match as they’re not a permanent addition. If it’s essential that it matches then the cost of replacing space heaters is a fraction of the cost of installing a new gas fire, for example.
Underfloor Heating
Minimalism is the staple of any modern and sleekly designed home, and what’s more subtle than a heating system that you can’t even see? Once the preserve of the wealthy and only suited to tiled bathrooms, underfloor heating is incredibly affordable and can be installed in virtually any room in the home – including carpeted rooms, such as a lounge. Since the heat is generated and distributed from the ground up, the room is heated much more evenly without any heat being lost to the ceiling and not reaching the floor.
As well as giving you a cosy temperature under your feet, this way of heating means that rooms don’t get as stuffy and the air doesn’t dry out in the same way it would with a conventional radiator. The efficiency of these systems also means that it’s highly likely you’ll save money on heating bills as a result – it’s a style, comfort and financial winner all round!