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Most DAB radios come in solid colours or with a wood-effect finish, but a few have more interesting designs. It can be hard to find a radio with a floral design, but there some good options out there.
We’ve researched the market and picked out the best floral DAB radios you can buy in the UK. Most of these radios are made by VQ, a British radio manufacturer who have a partnership with ceramics brand Emma Bridgewater, who are known for their colourful designs.
VQ Retro Mini – Emma Bridgewater Wallflower Design
The VQ Retro Mini is probably the most popular DAB radio that is available in a floral design.
In addition to this Emma Bridgewater ‘Wallflower’ design, the VQ Retro Mini comes in a very large choice of finishes including plain colours as well as other Emma Bridgewater designs. Buying the radio in this design is likely to set you back a bit more than buying it in a plain colour.
The Retro Mini offers FM, DAB and DAB+ radio as well as Bluetooth and a dual alarm clock. Other features include an adjustable EQ, a USB port for charging a phone, the ability to save a total of 60 preset stations and a sleep timer so you can drift off to sleep listening to the radio.
As the name suggests, the Retro Mini is quite a compact radio. Its measures 22.4 x 14.7 x 10.5 cm and would be a good size for a kitchen countertop or bedside table.
The Retro Mini can be plugged into the mains or used as a portable radio with 4 x AA batteries, though the battery life isn’t very impressive so it performs best with mains power.
VQ Hepburn Mk II – Emma Bridgewater Rose & Bee Design
The VQ Hepburn Mk II is another retro DAB radio from VQ. Like the VQ Retro Mini, the Hepburn Mk II is available in a large choice of finishes. One of those finishes is this floral Emma Bridgewater design, ‘Rose & Bee’.
The Hepburn Mk II is a bit more expensive than the Retro Mini reviewed above, but it’s quite a bit more powerful with a 20-watt speaker compared to the Retro Mini’s 5-watt speaker.
In terms of features, the Hepburn Mk II is very similar to the Retro Mini. Like the Retro Mini, it offers FM, DAB and DAB+ radio as well as Bluetooth, an adjustable EQ, a USB charging port, 60 presets and a dual alarm clock.
Unlike the Retro Mini, the Hepburn Mk II has independent bass and treble controls so you don’t have to rely on the preset EQ options. Rather than taking AA batteries, it uses a rechargeable battery pack which isn’t included and costs extra.
VQ 9300 Retro Mk II – Emma Bridgewater Wallflower Design
This radio is essentially a larger and more powerful version of the VQ Retro Mini reviewed above, with the addition of an Apple Lightning dock which lets you charge an Apple device while playing music from it at the same time.
The 9300 Retro Mk II has similar features and specifications to the Hepburn Mk II reviewed above, with a 20-watt speaker and independent bass and treble controls. This makes it a better choice than the Retro Mini if you’re an audiophile who wants more volume and control over the radio’s sound.
In terms of design, the 9300 Retro Mk II looks a bit as though two Retro Minis have been joined together. It’s twice as wide as the Retro Mini with dimensions of 30 x 20.5 x 11.5 cm, so you will need a bit more space for it.
This radio is more expensive than the VQ Retro Mini but is more powerful and has the useful additional feature of an Apple Lightning dock.
THATSHOW Floral Flowers Mini DAB Radio
This is a simple and affordable DAB radio with a floral pattern. It’s very compact at 13.1 x 12.9 x 9.4 cm and doesn’t have any advanced features such as Bluetooth.
The radio features an alarm clock with a snooze timer. There’s also a sleep timer, so it could be a good choice for a bedside table.
This radio doesn’t offer much power and doesn’t have very high build quality, but it’s cheap and cheerful.
Revived Radios – Refurbished Roberts Revival Radios
One alternative to buying a radio with a floral design is to have a radio you already own re-covered with a floral fabric. Keith Oliver offers this as a service through his business Revived Radios, refurbishing Roberts Revival radios in Harris Tweed and Cath Kidston oilcloth.
You can choose to have your radio refurbished in a floral Cath Kidston design, including ‘Tulips’, ‘Pink Rose’ and ‘Blue Rose’. It’s important to note that this service is only available for Roberts Revival radios at the time of writing.
You can find out more and order this service on Etsy here.
Conclusion
There aren’t many floral DAB radios on the market, and we have listed all of the quality options we could find here. The VQ Retro Mini
