Newbie here! Design help for our great room!

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

Hi - first time homeowner and newbie to Houzz : ) We are re-figuring the great room in our new house. Posting a before pic- we removed the bulky built ins and covered the window so we can hang a large TV directly on that wall. The red tile on the left hand side will be replaced with wood to open up the room.

My question - what to do with the radiator? Thinking of having it recessed and centered

in the wall but worried it will prevent us from putting any storage in front of it. Other option is building a sleeker narrow cabinet around it to span the length of the wall, but we are trying to open up the space and I'm not sure if this will defeat the purpose. I welcome any input!

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Comments (5)

PRO
1625 DB
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago

If you want to recess it and have a slimmer unit, I would recommend using Runtals. They are very pretty compared to other units.

For a cover however, you could do something slim -- see the photo attached for inspiration. We had these made for the space but they are very slim and can be painted to match the wall, which helps to disguise them.
Allie G thanked 1625 DB
drdeb1234
7 years ago
I think a low long cabinet to ground the TV (and conceal the radiator)is a perfect solution
Allie G thanked drdeb1234
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PRO
Flo Mangan
7 years ago
Allie- welcome! What a pretty, light filled room. As mentioned, you can replace that old style radiator with a new slim model that will really help your space. Is this portion of your home on a slab or do you have basement? If you have basement, you also might be able to reroute steam piping to relocate register to a more desirable location in the space. I would get a professional over to examine your situation and give you some recommendations. It will be a great space.
Allie G thanked Flo Mangan
Allie G
Original Author
7 years ago
Thank you so much for these suggestions.

It is an old house with hot water heat, so we can move the radiator a bit in that wall (there is a shallow closet behind this wall with piping) but given the location of a header it will not be perfectly centered which I think may look odd since it will be off center to the TV we will hang there. There is less flexibility to move elsewhere in the room because all other walls are external to the house and there is slab under this portion of the house.

1625 DB - your picture didn’t come through but I’d love to see the cover if you can post again!

I found this example online of a low custom cabinet that disguised it well that may work in the space if we decide not to recess.
babophz
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Radiators are typically situated underneath a window (because of the air flow), so I would suggest moving the (new) radiator to the window on the right. If you don't mind a small bit of piping showing, no structural work is needed. Do get the professional advice that Flo mentioned, though. A long sleek cabinet across the length of the wall is a great idea. Keep it low, so you can hang your tv at the proper height (centre should be on eye level when sitting down).