Curtains and radiators ...

bouicca21

I have a large expanse of window with a radiator centrally placed beneath. To the side of the big window there is a set of patio doors.

I have blinds already but would like to have curtains - Purely for cosmetic reasons. Curtains would warm the room up, mentally not physically if you see what I mean. So the curtains don't need to be heavy lined ones.

The windows effectively fill a whole wall. Ideally one would have a wall of floor length curtains, but that would obstruct the radiator (and I don't want to turn it off). The logical solution is short curtains for approximately three quarters of the wall and full length for the patio doors. I think this might look odd. A curved waterfall effect in the middle is a possibility but the radiator is central to the window not to the wall, so might also look odd(?)

Any suggestions as how best to sort this?

phil24_7

Move the radiator?

Doozergirl

There's two options. Move the radiator or curtain over the radiator. I'd move the radiator if the heat is valued.

You are correct that different lengths of curtains will look very odd.

bouicca21

Solid floors, with rather nice wooden flooring. Moving radiator is obviously best solution but can't face the hassle or expense.

Classic refurb error - the previous owner put in two radiators, both in wrong place. I already have a sofa in front of one (which is turned off) that leaves the one under the window as essential.

I take it no one thinks it totally daft to have the full length curtains covering the radiator? Presumably if they are a lightish fabric they won't absorb all the heat ?

TBagpuss

I suppose an alternative might be to have diferent curtains - say patterned for the windows and plain for the doors, if that is practical - then the difference in length might not look so odd.

If you go for full length throughout they will potentially trap some of the heat behind the curtain - however, you could then tuck the curtains up on the windowcill or behind the radiator if the weather gets really cold, while having them full length for most of the time.

TheCyclingProgrammer

Why do you have the radiator behind the sofa turned off? So long as there's a bit of a gap between them and also underneath the sofa, and it's a modern convecting radiator, then it should still heat the room just fine (most of the heat will come from the top of the rad) making the one under the window less vital.

bouicca21

Really? I just assumed that putting a sofa in front of the rad meant the heat would get absorbed into the sofa.

They are definitely modern radiators with some kind of grid on the top, only 2 or 3 years old.

So the next step is to turn that one back on and see how it goes, as I might not need the window one. I will try it.

PasturesNew

It's unsolvable, without compromises. Roman blinds would do the job of dropping to different lengths..... IF you like that dated 1980s Roman blind look, with all the problems it always brought as a dust catcher too....

DaftyDuck

Without a photo, I'm just thinking aloud... Can you balance the

window - door -wall

with something on the wall? A large mirror, or lighting? I have seen, in one luxury pad in Cambridge (owned by someone who earns in a week what I earn in a year, I suspect), a wonderful effect from a thin nylon (probably silk... ) curtain with multiple minute light sources behind. Lights slightly changed hue and intensity. My description sounds vile but it looked fantastic. You could imagine someone stepping out in the sharpest suit and stating "so Mr Bond, I have been expecting you...".. except I look more like a Brooke Bond chimp than like Sean C or Daniel C. Sadly.

A curved curtain could look light and graceful, particularly if tie-backs were used to accentuate the swing, and remove the straight verticals.

The colour and pattern on the curtain would also greatly affect whether it works or not. Single colour; possibly. Squares or horizontal lines (rare in curtains, for good reason) would look silly. Random pattern, curvey lines? I think that'd be OK.

phil24_7

Moving the radiators wont be too much of a pain as long as you have access to the sub floor.

Another option would be to use a block colour curtains, shorter above the radiator, then paint the radiators the same colour as the curtains. I'm not sure how this would look and it could potentially look absolutely s**t!

The easiest option is to use the radiator behind the sofa. Pull the sofa out 4 - 6 inches from the rad. Sure you will loose heat into the back of the sofa but you should loose a great deal less than from the other radiator with curtains in front of it.

Regards
Phil

lstar337

bouicca21 wrote: »

Really? I just assumed that putting a sofa in front of the rad meant the heat would get absorbed into the sofa.

It should be fine. Despite the name, they radiate very little. They are mostly convection heat. Turn it on and hover your hand over the top and you will feel the hot air rising.

So long as there is a gap between the radiator and sofa it will work fine.

I would use that rad and have the other removed so you can put in your curtains.