It might not be all that hot right now, but when the temperatures do start to soar, you'll be glad of a desk fan - especially when it's as stylish as the Flowerpower desk fan.
This is a limited edition version of the Heckhausen & Zetsche floor-based classic, offering that flower-shaped design, a two-speed motor with safety switch and a child-friendly design (should you want to keep your kids cool).
It retails for £205.
A slice of toast not enough in a morning? You could opt for something bigger with the Tefal Toast 'n' Egg.
Yes, not just a toaster, this one also has a poachng tray for 'muffin-sized cooked eggs' and a warming tray for heating cooked meats. Which means a hot breakfast is possible without much effort...or much washing up.
Available now from John Lewis, you can pick one up for £39.95.
There's something very simple, but at the same very stylish about the Stelton Bean vacuum jug.
Designed by Flemming Bo Hansen, its name is down to its shape - like a coffee bean if you hadn't noticed. It's made from ABS plastic, with a thermal filler made from stainless steel to keep your drinks warm - with the added bonus of being almost unbreakable.
The Bean is available in three high gloss colours (red, black and white), each retailing for £58.
Your average oven isn't exactly a hotbed of technology - although that could be about to change with the introduction of the Electrolux Inspiro.
It's the first of a new generation of oven - one that can't burn your dinner. Rather than just measuring the air temperature with a thermometer and regulating it with a thermostat (like your standard oven), this one uses sensors to calculate the precise combination of energy consumption and time needed to bring the food to the correct temperature.
So to cook a lamb joint, select the category, your taste (rare, medium, well done), then sit back. The oven calculates the heat and cooking method required, allowing you to sit back in confidence. It's available from August 2008, priced at £1,000.
More clever design for your kitchen - these Joseph Joseph Index Chopping Boards.
What you get is a neat ABS storage case with a non-slip base and four colour coded chopping boards. Each board has illustrated tabs to indicate which board should be used for which food type (vegetables, fish, raw meat and cooked food). Which should make life easy - especially if you have vegetarian in the house.
The boards are made from polypropylene and are dishwasher safe, with the entire set and case retailing for £39.
Want to create the illusion of more space in your kitchen? Or just want to do a spot of posing as you cook? Both are possible with the Whirlpool 20SI L4 fridge freezer.
Aside from the mirrored surface (which probably isn't pleasant viewing first thing in the morning), the fridge freezer offers '6th sense' technology to automatically control temperatures (and keep your food fresher for longer), a filtered water dispenser (purifying up to 1,500 litres before the filter needs changing) and the kind of capacity you would expect from a double-door unit.
It's available from the summer, no price confirmed as yet.
You're always likely to find some interesting/quirky design at Dutch By Design - like the Dish Bunny by Chris Koens.
It's a design twist on possibly the most mundane item in the kitchen - the dish rack. And it is a twist, because this is a simple plastic-coated metal rack with the addition of the rabbit ready to pounce on your plates.
Not that expensive either - you can pick up the Dish Bunny online for £14.50.
This is confusing - Guzzini and Lavazza have worked together on the Blue espresso machine, which is available in a variety of colours, none of them actually blue!
Get past that and you have a stylish coffee maker, a conbination of steel, aluminium, chrome and plastic (though we'll try and forget the last bit). It uses coffee pods (30 included) that promise a perfect espresso or latte every time and absolutely no mess.
Forma House has an exclusive on this in the UK in orange, cream, red or white - all priced at £195.
Find out more at the Forma House website
Ever feel the need to warm up a slice of pizza or a ready meal on the move? You can with the iWave Cube.
Well, up to a point anyway. It has a carrying handle and measures around one cubic foot and weighs 12lbs, so not the worst thing to drag round with you (although that size does limit the size of food contained in it). And it has all the electronic controls you would expect from a decent model.
But it only works on mains, so you can carry it around - but you can only use it where there's a plug socket. Available in red, black and silver, the iWave Cube is only available in the US right now (as far as I can see), retailing for $130 (around £65).
Can something as simple as a colander really be interesting? Well yes if it's the Joseph Joseph Folding Colander.
That's because it finally puts an end to this cumbersome kitchen essential, folding flat thanks to the 12 live hinges built into the design. And for the style-conscious amongst you, it's available in a never-ending range of colours.
Available online, it retails for £14.99.
Ever forget what your home appliances do? Thought not, but just in case you do forget, the Trabo Toaster offers a subtle reminder.
The work of architect/designer Gae Aulenti, the Toaster slims down on the bul and offers a stainless steel body, a timer up to six minutes, cool touch plastic mouldings (including the feet) and a removable crumb tray.
You can pick one up for around £93.
Not all decanters are chunky, 70s-style throwbacks - some look as stylish as the Jakob Munk Decanter.
The Decanter's body is hand-blown glass, with silicone and brushed stainless steel finishing things off. It can be used for both wine and water and is slim enough to fit into a fridge door for keeping the contents cool. There's also a tight-fitting stopper (so your water doesn't acquire 'taste' from the fridge) and a large enough capacity for wine aeration.
Available online, you can buy one for £25.
Find out more at the Menu website
Dualit isn't just for the kitchen, it's now creeping into the bathroom - starting with these Dualit bathroom scales.
And let's be honest, they're not a million miles away from the kitchen scales - non-mechanical and with a separare large round dial that goes up to 160kg or 25 stone. In fact, they look so good, you might actually get a lift even if you have piled on a few pounds.
Available online, you can pick the scales up for £79.
Find out more at the John Lewis website
I sometimes feel I should drink more coffee, just so I can justify shelling out for one of the ever-growing number of stylish coffee makers on the market - including the DeLonghi EC11.
It may be small (at just 29cm), but it's certainly eye-catching with its chrome and silver finish and of course, it can coffee. The machine can make two cups of coffee, espresso or frothy milk for a cappuccino, courtesy of the Thermocream device included.
All of that for £49.95.
If you're going to buy a gadget you use once a month, just make sure it's a good-looking one - like this Waring Professional Drinks Mixer.
Available in a range of colours, the Waring mixer has a two-speed motor, chrome-plated motor cover, metal base, a single spindle mixer and a solid 24oz stainless steel mixing cup. Which makes it easy to mix up a milkshake or a cocktail, as well as non-drinks like cream, eggs, batter or anything else you want to throw at it.
Available online, you can pick one up for around £189.
There's a lot of competition for your cash when it comes to espresso machines, as well as a number of stylish designs. But this Magimix Le Cube M220 automatic espresso machine is up there with any of them.
It goes for a minimalist look, with all the complex inner workings hidden away in the cube, which also offers up storage for your espresso cups and an adjustable fold-out grate/cup holder for large or small drinks. Other features include the use of Nespresso capsules, thermo block technology for faster water heating and 'flow stop. technology, which remembers the size of coffee you like, allowing you to pour with just a touch of the button.
Available online and actually discounted right now at Heals, from £150 down to £120.
