Сточки зрения обслуживания системы отопления,доступ к трубам должен быть.Если будут шторы,то про трубы можно забыть,все-таки в этих бесконечных коробах из гипсокартона есть что-то от совкового евроремонта. Но это мое субъективное мнение.

Are the curtains he's referring to heat-resistant?

The plasterboard boxes you've photoshopped in do look good. I don't know how frequently the pipes would need to be maintained but that would be a hassle, wouldn't it.

It seems to depend on the furnishings style you want. The boxes would look better with a sleeker style; but if your plan is more colorful/playful, how about a third option of painting them a color contrasting with the wall? I have exposed pipes (plumbing, though, not heating) in my laundry room. When I painted them, some epoxy barn red and some silver, they now look great against the bluejeans-colored walls. Before, they just looked messy.

On the other hand, contradicting what I said about sleekness, Hugh Newell Jacobsen did a fantastic compound in Nantucket where he used contrasting black lines against his characteristically sleek white walls to great effect: http://www.architecturaldigest.com/decor/2014-06/jacobsen-architecture-nantucket-massachusetts-compound-slideshow_slideshow_Master-Bedroom_8

Светильник с колесами просто чудесный! Где такой взять?