We know it's a bit past season for this, what with spring weather springing (and then some), but we couldn't resist: Paris-based 5.5 Designers have designed a line of heaters that's so gorgeous, you'll wish it were Snowpocalypse all over again.
Developed for the French innovation company Saazs, the Matières à Chaud (literally "Hot Matters") radiators draw on innovative heat-conducting technology to tamp mega warmth into a single sheet of glass that's incredibly -- beautifully -- only half an inch thick.
The glass itself emits heat when electrified.
The trick: A thin metal coating inside the glass, called Quantum Glass, emits infrared rays when zapped into action by an electrical current (i.e. when you plug the thing in). The infrared rays then emit heat that's roughly equivalent to that radiated by the sun and can be controlled with a thermostat or a digital controller. In short, you can warm up an entire room using a piece of hardware that's virtually invisibly -- a stone-cold minimalist's dream.
Nice as a specter of a radiator sounds, it comes with some obvious hazards. (We've all seen the Helen Hunt after-school special.) That's where 5.5 Designers come into play. The designers decked out the glass in rods of steel and wood and marble, creating whimsical artificial landscapes sure to prevent unfortunate virgin-meth-user accidents, yes, but also to look ahead to sunnier times; with all those bright, cheery colors, the radiators could almost pass for forests in spring bloom.
5.5 Designers debuted the radiators during Milan Design Week last month. They cost 2,450 Euros (about $3,640) each -- certainly not cheap, but not the world's priciest radiator,.
