9 Warm Bathroom Heating Ideas

If you’re wondering ‘how can I make my bathroom look warmer and be warmer?’ then you’re in the right place. We have handpicked nine of our favourite bathroom heating ideas with a few examples of our products that will heat your bathroom up in no time.

Just because a bathroom heating solution is there to serve the purpose of keeping you and your bathroom toasty, that doesn’t mean you’ll have to compromise on style. From period-inspired cast iron column bathroom heaters to radiant floor heating, we’ve put together the most comprehensive of buying guides to help you know what to look for, which decor each style of heater will complement the best, and the different ways varying heaters will work to provide and conserve warmth.

Following our exhaustive list of bathroom heating ideas, we’ve made sure to include some much-needed answers to the most frequently asked questions when it comes to finding the perfect product for your bathroom.

1. Electric Towel Rails

As one of the most popular bathroom heating ideas, electric rails are a cost-effective and modern way of upping the temperature in your bathroom while also providing the luxuriousness of a warm towel when you step out of the shower. By using your home’s mains electricity supply, you’ll have full control over the heat through an on/off switch and you’ll save on energy costs by not having to have the full heating system on throughout your house. As electric towel rails come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours, you can choose a towel rail that will complement your existing decor. All of the electric towel rails we offer come from the leading manufacturers and each possesses an envious balance of functionality and style.

Our wall-mounted Reina Eos Polished Stainless Curved Electric Towel Rail is the perfect blend of practicality and has a sleek, contemporary style. The gently curved shape paired with the polished parallel lines makes this heating solution ideal for modern bathrooms and its space-saving design means it’ll be suited to any bathroom size.

2. Designer Radiators

Thanks to the technological advances in the world of bathroom heater solutions, you no longer need to prioritise function over style. Designer radiators double up as a heat output and a contemporary focal point for your bathroom. Gone are the days of having to install a bulky, out-of-place radiator for the sake of preventing a cold bathroom; you’ll now be able to opt for a radiator which suits your bathroom design through its sleek design. Here at Bella Bathrooms, we have a range of designer radiators which exude style.

Ideal for smaller bathrooms, the Reina Alento Polished Stainless Designer Radiator is space-saving in its design and has a polished, reflective surface which will make even the most confined of spaces feel larger by bouncing light around the bathroom. Featuring a platform to store and hang towels, this designer radiator will bring that all-important elegance and functionality to your bathroom.

Alternately, if you’re looking for something a little more industrial in its aesthetic, our Frontline Alex Designer Heated Towel Rail will complement bathroom designs which aspire to contrast a mixture of traditional and contemporary elements to create a bold statement. We would recommend pairing this radiator with materials such as wood and concrete, accentuated with exposed copper piping and dark frames around any glass screens.

3. Curved Ladder Radiators

Wall-mounted curved ladder radiators are all the rage at the moment and provide a stylish way to heat a bathroom. Popular among those who enjoy contemporary bathroom designs, curved ladder radiators feature a series of bars and, as they are curved in shape, make it that much easier to hang your towels up.

One of our most practical heating options, the RAK Metropolitan Chrome Curved Ladder Radiator will work to keep your bathroom warm by making use of the wall space you have available. With a classic metallic finish and a differentiated distribution of bars, this curved ladder radiator will suit modern bathroom suites with ease, all while acting as an efficient heating source.

As a general tip, we would recommend checking the BTU rating when you’re looking for heated towel rails. BTU stands for British Thermal Unit and will let you know the amount of heat the unit is capable of emitting; the higher the BTU rating, the more heat you’ll get from it.

4. Traditional Column Radiators

If you’re a fan of a more traditional bathroom design then you’ll want to take a look at some of our period-inspired column radiators. The term ‘column’ refers to the vertical tubes which line up side-by-side, connecting the top and bottom of the radiator. When made out of traditional materials such as cast iron, this style of radiator will take a little longer to heat up than, say, aluminium but it will hold onto its heat for a long period of time after it’s been turned off.

Our Kartell Legacy Traditional Column Radiator is constructed out of cast iron and its column design will complement a claw-footed free-standing bathtub and toilet with an elevated cistern well for an antique aesthetic. Excellent for heat distribution, this radiator will even keep a large family bathroom warm and toasty with ease.

5. Underfloor Heating

Underfloor heating is a considerably more modern take on heating bathrooms. Once deemed a luxury, underfloor heating is becoming increasingly more popular. As you would expect from the name, underfloor heating essentially heats your bathroom floor, heating it from beneath your feet. Bathroom floors, particularly a tiled flooring, are susceptible to becoming uncomfortably cold and so opting for this form of heating is well worth the investment.

Electric underfloor heating in your bathroom will mean that you’ll have heat emitting from your tiles, heating the entirety of your bathroom from the ground up. We also stock a number of timers that you can programme to ensure you’re never faced with a cold bathroom floor upon waking up in the morning again.

If you’re looking to create a spa-like haven in your own home, opt for luxurious marble tiling from floor-to-ceiling and install radiant floor heating throughout the room. Not only will it improve your bathing and showering experience, but it will also boost the value of your home should you wish to sell your property in the future.

6. Straight Ladder Radiators

If curved ladder radiators aren’t for you, perhaps the simplicity of straight ladder radiators will be more to your taste. The ultimate way to optimise the square footage in your bathroom, straight ladder radiators are a straightforward, no-nonsense method you can use to heat your bathroom. As they sit elevated from the bathroom floor, these heated towel rails instead use your wall space to make your bathroom floor seem more spacious.

A prime example of this style of bathroom heating solution is the RAK Metropolitan Chrome Straight Ladder; designed to keep your bathroom and your towels warm, this model will suit a whole range of suite items thanks to its simplistic, practical style. You’ll be able to heat smaller bathrooms using a ladder such as this one as a main source of warmth or, if you’re working with a larger bathroom, a ladder radiator is a luxurious addition to your main heat output.

7. Chrome

A chrome finish not only adds a touch of elegance to your bathroom but also gives the illusion of your room being more spacious than it truly is by reflecting natural and artificial lighting off its surfaces. Aesthetically, the mirrored look is reminiscent of the fixtures you would expect to see in the en-suite of a grand hotel. Chrome is also likely to match your pre-existing suite fixtures, particularly any taps and shower heads you have fitted.

This Nuie Chrome Square Ladder will aid in giving your bathroom a uniform look without imposing on the space you have available. The geometric lines, chrome finish, and overall simplicity are well-suited to a minimalist bathroom design and will do a wonderful job of providing your bathroom heat. Heating solutions such as this item from Nuie will give your bathroom an overall sense of cleanliness, making your space feel all the more hygienic.

8. Dual-Fuel Rails

‘Dual-fuel’ refers to a radiator that can be heated by both your central heating system and by an electric system. When you’re installing a bathroom dual fuel unit, you’ll need a dual fuel T-piece, a heating element, and a set of valves. Due to their overall energy efficiency, dual fuel units provide you with total control over how you want to use them; during the winter months you’ll be able to use your central heating to run it and, in the hotter summer months, you can turn your dual fuel heater on solely using its electric element while the rest of the radiators in your home are turned off.

Despite being one of the most efficient and practical heating options, our dual fuel radiators don’t sacrifice functionality for style. The Reina Entice Satin Dual Fuel Radiator is fast to heat up and will keep your bathroom comfortable and your towels warm. The contrast between the symmetrical spacing of the modern square-shaped railing and the positioning of the main structural bar on the left-hand side ensure that this dual-fuel fixture will serve as a focal point in any contemporary bathroom.

9. Stainless Steel

Perfect for even the most humid of rooms, stainless steel’s a highly durable material to opt for when picking out heating for bathroom designs. As it’s resistant to corrosion, rusting, and staining from contact with hot water, this material is well-suited to the construction of bathroom heaters. These radiators will require very little maintenance, making the chore of keeping your bathroom pristine all the more easy. Stainless steel heating solutions work well in the majority of simplistic to contemporary bathrooms as they’ll match fixtures such as bath and basin taps, as well as shower heads, helping to bring your bathroom together.

Our Reina Ricadi Polished Column Electric Radiator is innovative in its appearance and will heat a bathroom with ease. Even if you take a long bath or a steaming shower, you won’t need to worry about this radiator becoming damaged by the humidity from the hot water. The reflective surfaces of this model and its modern form make this one of the more stylish bathroom heaters without compromising on its ability to efficiently warm up your space.

FAQs

We know that you’ll have a few questions while trawling through buying guides, trying to work out which bathroom heating ideas to implement in your own home. For this reason, we’ve compiled a few of the most frequently asked questions and used our expertise to give you the answers you’re looking for.

What is the best type of heater for a bathroom?

As you might have guessed after reading the above buying guides, there isn’t a single best type of heater. This is because there are a number of factors which determine the optimum type of heater for you.

First of all, the bathroom itself plays a big role; the size of the room will dictate whether you need something a little more compact to optimise on space or whether you’ll be wanting a unit that will instead keep a large family bathroom at a comfortable temperature throughout the day. If you have a limited amount of square footage, we would recommend opting for a wall-mounted heater with bars for hanging your towels over. En-suites and cloakrooms are ideal for a smaller electric radiator and having one that will double-up as storage for a towel or two is a good idea.

Alternately, if you’ve got a bigger bathroom, going for under-floor heating is a luxurious option that will totally transform the room. No more cold tiled bathroom floors making you dread getting up and out of bed in the morning – under-floor bathroom heating is a great investment and one that you certainly won’t regret.

Another factor is your sense of style; as you’ll have seen from the products we sprinkled in above, you don’t have to compromise on maintaining a consistent decor throughout your bathroom just because you need a fixture as practical and necessary as bathroom heating.

How do I warm up my bathroom?

There truly is nothing worse than a cold bathroom. There are so many different bathroom heating ideas out there and, as you would imagine, they start with having the correct heating fixtures in place. Once you’ve installed a good quality heater in your bathroom, there are several other ways you can ensure that the energy used by your heater and the warmth it kicks out is maintained efficiently in your room.

To start with, make sure that your window is sealed properly; the frame shouldn’t have any small holes, cracks, or gaps which lead to heat escaping and the cold getting in from outside. This is a relatively inexpensive task and will make all the difference to the temperature of your bathroom.

It’s also a good idea to fit an extractor fan in your bathroom to prevent a build-up of condensation whenever you’re running hot water. If under-floor heating isn’t for you, place bathroom mats on your flooring so that you’re not cold under-foot. The thicker the mats, the better they’ll be and you’ll easily be able to find some that are in line with your bathroom’s decor.

As we mentioned earlier, make sure to check the heater’s BTU rating (British Thermal Unit) to find a product which will produce your desired amount of heat.

How can I heat my bathroom without central heating?

If you’re looking to cut down on the cost of bills, there are plenty of alternatives to using your central heating in your bathroom. If you’re wary of having a comparatively outdated space heater in your bathroom, another inexpensive option is installing a radiator which uses electricity – that way it will be independent of your central heating and you’ll have total control over when it’s turned on or off. Our range of electric towel radiators will help you to save on energy costs by only heating your bathroom rather than requiring you to have your home’s full heating system on unnecessarily.

Do heat lamps work in a bathroom?

Tying into the previous question, heat lamps are another method of bathroom heating which eliminates the need to turn on your central heating. Heat lamps are essentially a three-in-one mechanism for providing heat, light, and ventilation and you’ll be able to find models specifically designed for a bathroom. These lamps have the added bonus of creating a spa feel to your bathroom thanks to their soft spotlight effect. Co-ordinate your heat lamps with one of our heated bathroom mirrors to truly modernise your bathroom; heated mirrors prevent your mirror from getting all steamed up from hot water and eliminate those dreaded smears.