Heating Products Made Pretty
There’s no need to put up with flimsy vent covers, or radiators with flaking paint. Period-friendly products let you gussy-up the less-than-attractive evidence of your HVAC system, and many choices are quite affordable.
It’s especially true for grilles, the wood or metal face plates that cover heat registers and cold-air returns. A quality cast-metal version with a perforated design can cost less than $40. In oak or another hardwood, prices start at about $50. Cast-metal grilles are available in an ever-expanding range of period-inspired styles and in steel, aluminum, bronze, even copper.
Most of these grilles feature perforated designs descriptively called basket-weave, honeycomb, or teardrop. Classical designs include scroll—any design with figural, openwork curves—and Grecian, an openwork radial pattern found in Greek architecture. Styles in wood tend to be basic, such as the straight-slotted, directionally louvered pattern sometimes called “Rickenbacker,” and the classic egg-crate grid.
The circular vent covers associated with high-velocity HVAC systems can pop up anywhere, even in the midst of deep cove molding. While both SpacePak and Unico offer a choice of outlet covers, you may want to swap them out or cover them with decorative, medallion-like covers from Decorator’s Supply.
What to do about those behemoths of yore, the upright radiator? (True, the ornate Victorian ones were pretty; Burnham by U.S. Boiler Co. still makes them, with updated functionality. Castrads is another reputable supplier.)
ARSCO Metals offers radiator covers in the now-classic cloverleaf, cane, and Grecian patterns of the 1920s and ’30s. As for those ugly baseboard units that invariably have lost, bent, or rusty covers, give them the slipcover treatment with a decorative baseboard cover. A more expensive tack is to conceal the radiator as part of a built in bookcase or wall unit. Fichman Furniture & Radiator Covers has been doing customized wall units for years.
Did you know you can replace a balky or missing upright radiator with a baseboard unit? Less noticeable and quieter than many vintage radiators, they’re also easier to keep clean. Other options include and a host of flat fin, hoop, and even corkscrew units from Runtal North America and Wesaunard. The unit can blend in with the décor or make a clean, updated statement.
Mary Ellen Polson is a creative content editor and technical writer with over 20 years experience producing heavily illustrated know how and service journalism articles, full-length books, product copy, tips, Q&As, etc., on home renovation, design, and outdoor spaces.
