If you’ve ever had the pleasure of watching daytime TV, you’ll know there are three main categories of programme:

• history documentaries (the slow kind that talk about things like where tin-openers come from)

• chat shows (Tricia will always have a special place in our hearts)

• and housing programmes.

– Of course, the housing programmes are always the best.

There’s nothing like spending Tuesday afternoon watching transformations, relocations and that man who’s convinced he can build a house on a marsh.

And as we wonder where Kirsty and Phil got their amazing selection of coats, and why Kevin McCloud insists on ending every episode with some sort of philosophical soliloquy as he stands next to an unfinished house in the snow, we notice a pattern:

Almost the first thing any interior designer does when they are transforming a room (aside from using an alarming quantity of bamboo) is they add in a radiator cover to every room. And you can see why – underfloor heating means uprooting the foundations, and we all know those fancy designer radiators look good in bathrooms and nowhere else.

And although you may not agree with the faux fur table cloth and matching candle holders – the designer in the corner has a point.

Radiator covers – why they’re brilliant

• They look nice: First and foremost, radiators don’t look great – especially when they go slightly yellow. Let all that hard work doing up your interiors shine through and hideaway the more practical elements of your home with a lovely cover.

• You can paint them: when you imagine doing up your home, one of the first things you think about is colour. And especially if you’ve chosen a darker palette, having a large white piece of metal kinda interrupts the flow. Sand, seal, paint and cover to complete your look.

• The shelf is functional: no it’s not just for keeping slightly dehydrated plants on, the shelf has a purpose. Normally the heat from your radiators travels up (and out the window…) which doesn’t always help heat the room. By having a cover over the radiator, you can help direct the flow of heat into the room so you feel more cosy.

• They’re easy to fit: Most radiator covers will stand on their own but if you have children then you might want something a little more secure. Hooks on the wall will help keep them in place and you won’t be able to see them once the cover is in place.

• We mentioned children: Radiators get hot – we know this – but our children may not. Having a cover helps keep little hands and heads from getting burnt when you’re trying to forget the apocalyptic blizzard outside.

• They’ll help you get rich and sort all of life’s problems: ok so that might be a lie. But even if they don’t see you jetting off in a yacht while glugging champagne out of a coffee mug, they will make sitting in your living room a little more colourful, friendly and homely.