Ideas for hiding ugly smart heating system valves on lovely radiators

[RenovatingHouseWithKids]

Hi everyone,

Our antiquated heating system is being stripped and replaced with a new one. DH wanted a smart heating system with various zones you can control individually rather than the (imo perfectly adequate) old fashioned way of individually turning on and off the radiators as and when you need them.

This all sounded fine to me and the plumbers have now fitted the pipes and I've bought the radiators for our Victorian house - period style but modern rads quite like this goo.gl/images/FFs55e.

But now I've found out as part of the smart system we have to have these valves which sort of ruin the look I was going for goo.gl/images/9XQCzU

I know I am being precious about it all but I was so excited about having such gorgeous radiators and they've been positioned (under windows, opposite doorways etc) so as to almost be a design feature of the house now 👸. I also realise I'm acting spoiled by moaning about having a smart system 😳

Given that we're now nailed into having the rads and system and valves I'm trying to come up with ideas of how to camouflage the valves. They only have to be on one side. So far I've thought of pot plants (for ones in the corner) and baskets (for ones under a console table in the hall) but would love to hear any clever ideas from you clever lot 🤓😊 xxx

You will find the bigger issue is stopping them from being knocked off all the time by DC, hoovers etc, necessitating your DH spending half a day letting the rad cool so he can refit them and generally fucking about with them ad infinitum so you feel like taking a fucking hammer to them. Or so I hear.

Surely if you hide them with baskets and such like the thermostats won't have enough air circulating around them to measure the ambient temperature of the room?

Tbh they don't look much bigger than normal trv's?

Long curtains?

I think they may look better if they were fitted with display facing to the side maybe?

Lol, Paffle. I never even thought of that issue. Ugh. Any other insights? Do you find the system good in general? I need hope!

mungo long curtains will hopefully solve the problem for some of them too. That's made me feel better, thanks!

squirrels tbh I have no idea how these things work. Is that right? That they take the temperature? So maybe long curtains around them would also render them useless? I'm getting more and more peeved with the plumber the more I find out.

specialagent good point. I wonder if I can paint them the same colour of the wall too? Actually I doubt it and I'd probably end up ruining a bloody expensive bit of kit. Despair!

renovating I will grudgingly admit that the system is good when it works. My main issue is that relies on everyone remembering to close doors etc, which given we have two DC, a nanny and a cleaner, never happens.