oo darned hot
A raft of raunchy radiators is getting Kay McAulay — against all her expectations — hot under the collar.
t’s pretty difficult to get excited about a radiator. Perhaps a really dedicated plumber could
get a little worked up at the sight of
a well functioning. perfectly placed heating appliance. but otherwise. it‘s a bit of a non-starter.
But wait. The htnnble. heated rectangle is beginning to take on a new form. Bored of being ignored. fed up of being hidden under a mound of gently steaming washing. the traditionally right-angled appliance is becoming a quirky new focal point option in the bathroom and beyond.
Take the Triangle radiator. by specialist company Radiating Style. for instance. l‘or a start. as its name would suggest. it certainly isn't a rectangle. Meanwhile. its colour — a rich ruby red — is also miles away from the white often used as standard.
In fact. the bold use of shape is a trick that is popping up all over the shop. Waves. spirals and hoops are popular choices of designer radiator company. Bisque. Products include Hot Spring — reminiscent of a stretched Slinky toy — and Hot lloop. which coils its pipes into a circle shape with space free in the
centre. Lastly. a selection of
children's radiators available from Designer Radiators includes polar bear. dolphin and elephant shapes. Having a metre-high polar bear in the centre of the living room wall may not be to everyone‘s taste. but there are some more subtle designs available. A particular favourite is the curved shape of Radiating Style’s Luna radiator. Aside from its shape. the radiator's dappled surface. which can be etched
copper. brass or stainless steel.
makes it visually stunning. And if
you have a radiator worth seeing. you can raise it to eye-height. which frees up the wall space underneath. Designer radiators may be cool. but for those who prefer the comforts of a roaring fire. there are some pretty hot options out there too. For a start: you don‘t need a fireplace to have a fire. Hole in the wall designs such as the Morais by Scottish fireplace company Home and Hearth mean that it's also possible to raise your tire off the ground. For the neat freak. the Montelavar contains its coals in a stone fire bowl. It‘s about as far away from the cinder-spilling. smoke-emitting traditional fire as you can get. while the newest gas range —- called the Superior — even omits the need to have a chimney. If this all seems a little flamboyant. there is the option of a simple. portable heater from the likes of l)cl.onghi. Available from John Lewis. this cream convector heater has handles for easy movement and a nice. retro style. It‘s ideal for the more conventional heat-seekers among you.
www.bisque.co.uk; www.designer-radiators.com; www.homeandhearth.co.uk; www.johnlewis.com; www.radiatingstyle.com
1) DeLonghi Convector Heater. £49.95; 2) Vertigo fireplace. prices vary according to your home. so contact Home and Hearth for an estimate; 3) Bauhaus radator. from £1163. Radiating Style; 4) Montelavar fireplace. contact Home and Hearth for an estimate; 5) Morais fireplace, contact Hearth and Home for an estimate; 6) Massimo. from £367, Radiating Style; 7) DNA. from £2820. Bisque.
Katy McAulay finds sporrans for today's vegan about town. I Burns Night checklist: haggis - check. Piper - check. Tartan tablecloth - check. Bespoke vegan sporran - what do you mean you don’t have one? Independent Highland retailer of sporran fashions, Sporran Nation, is the answer. The endeavour of Jennifer Cantwell, a designer-maker who started life as a painter before realising she could have more fun with textiles, the company is based in a
84 THE LIST '” .l:i'i .” loli Bil-fl“,
studio in Invemess and produces as diverse a range of sporrans as you could ever hope to stumble across without a determined forage in at least 20 kilt shops.
That range includes
vegan sporrans. As you would perhaps expect from a conscientious sporran- maker, Jennifer believes no-one should have to miss out on the joys of spartan-wearing, and that includes those who would rather not have the skin of a dead animal dangling near their danglies. Instead, vegan sporrans are crafted from Lorica, a high quality leather alternative that is available in a range of colours and textures, leaving the designer free to indulge her
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most creative tendencies while making each politically correct bag. The result is a quirky collection that utilises texture-contrast using collage effects and ranges across styles from punky
to feminine. Skull and bone motifs, stars, stripes and flowers are all in evidence, not to mention buttons, zips and intricate stitching. Other materials, all of which are sourced nationally, include plastic, metal, cotton and silk.
Oh, and the sporrans are unisex, so the ladies don’t have to miss out either. Prices start at around £115, a small price to pay to avoid the question - Donald, where’s your bespoke vegan sporran?
I w. sporan -natior 7. co. uk