We love: The three-in-one appliance

If, like most of us, you have a compact kitchen, you’ll know that when it comes to gadgets, the only ones that get to stay out on the worktop are the ones you use frequently.

Generally, that means sandwich toasters, juicers, breadmakers and the like get stuck at the back of cupboards, whereas toasters, kettles and dinky coffee machines get to stay on view.

One appliance that I think will earn its place is the new Kitchen Machine from Tefal. Not only is it a stylish stand mixer, it also has some of the grating, shredding and slicing functions of a food processor. It even has a 1.5-litre blender attachment!

Tefal's multi-tasking Kitchen Machine, approx £199

As a stand mixer, it boasts a four-litre stainless-steel bowl with handles and a splash guard, dough hook, beater that reaches to the bottom of the bowl for even mixing and a whisk, as well as a quiet 900w motor.

Perfect if you’ve caught the baking bug, it also comes with a recipe book.

Rachel

New: Self cleaning oven

It’s Mother’s Day soon (18^th March) and we’ve done the hard work for you and found the perfect gift… The new Smeg Pyrolitic Self Cleaning Oven.

The new built-in SFP378X Pyrolitic Self Cleaning Oven

All your mum has to do, is remove the shelving, select the Pyrolitic Cleaning programme and the oven will heat up to 500°C, at which point stubborn food residues will start to burn off.

The door locks automatically at 300°C and cannot be opened again until the oven is sufficiently cool. So your mum will have plenty of time to make you a nice cup of tea.

Then she just has to use a damp cloth to wipe up the small amount of powdery ash on the oven floor, replace the shelves and once again she’ll have a sparkling clean oven.

She’ll thank you in the long run.

Sally

Spiral Wine Cellars

If I had a few dozen good bottles of wine lying around, just waiting for a special occasion, then I’d love a Spiral Cellar to store them in.

The watertight, pre-cast cylindrical system can be sunk into your existing kitchen floor and can keep up to 1,900 bottles in perfect storage conditions. It relies on the surrounding earth for its insulation, plus a clever air-flow system, so it doesn’t require any power to maintain its constant temperature.

Original Spiral Cellar with rectangular glass door

Original Spiral Cellar with recessed trap door

A bird's eye view: You'll easily find the bottle you're looking for

So perhaps I won’t drink that bottle of red. In fact, I’ll start my wine collection right now, then one day I might need a Spiral Wine Cellar of my own.

Sally

What’s your favourite style of kitchen?

We’re nosy folk at Beautiful Kitchens. Not only do we love hearing about everyone’s kitchen projects, we’re fascinated by what you pick and why.

Over on our corner of the House to Home website (find us at housetohome.co.uk/beautifulkitchens), we’ve recently been asking what style of kitchen you like the most on our poll. And here are the results… drumroll please!

In first place, with more than a third of the vote, was modern cabinetry (34%) with most of you opting for perennial favouritre, white, over coloured units.

Saraya White kitchen by Caple

Not far behind was painted Shaker-style furniture with 27% of you picking it as your dream scheme.

Classic Shaker kitchen

Finally, wooden kitchens remain a favourite, with 16% leaning towards country-style cabinets and 12% opting for modern timber.

Lush lighting makes this Chiselwood kitchen

Last but not least, it seems that some of you, 11%, are still mixing and matching your cabinetry for a personalised look.

Love this? Share your thoughts on our new poll – how much you plan to spend on a new kitchen – now! Just scroll down the page to find it.

Rachel

Farmyard China

It’s Farmhouse Breakfast week – bet you didn’t know that. This annual campaign run by HGCA aims to raise awareness of the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast and there are plenty of good reasons why you should. People who do, tend to be slimmer; it can aid concentration; provide you with nutrients and energy and lower stress levels and here’s the best reason of all – you can eat it off this lovely bone china tableware from The Richard Bramble Collection.

Brew the perfect cuppa in the Pig teapot.

Gloucester Old Spot Pig Teapot

Eat your toast off this moo-vellous plate!

Classic Dairy Cow Plate

And when one egg is just not enough.

Double Cockerel Egg Cup

There are 15 farmyard designs to choose from, all made from dishwasher and microwave proof bone china. So now there’s no excuses not to tuck in.

Sally

New: Eco-friendly paint

The new Eicó paint range contains no VOC’s – that’s harmful toxins to you and me. VOC’s, or Volatile Organic Compounds are the toxic fumes that most paints emit when the paint is drying. These toxins aren’t good for the environment – or you if you’re chemically sensitive or suffer from asthma or allergies.

The paints have hardly any odour and are ideal if you want to give your kitchen a fresh new look.

A selection of colours in the Eicó Zero VOC paint range

 

So what colour will you choose for your kitchen? Dare you go for the intriguingly named Gypsy’s Luck (purple), Moscow (red) or Jelly (bright green).

 

There are 168 co-ordinated colours in the Eicó Zero VOC range

Sally

Bold and beautiful wallpaper and china

Now this vibrant wallpaper, by Pip Studio, isn’t for everyone and only the very brave would hang it on every wall, but it would make a very colourful feature wall and will certainly brighten up your kitchen. It’s available in store at John Lewis.

There’s china and bedlinen to match this vibrant blue wallpaper.

Pip Studio Birds in Paradise Blue wallpaper

This striking yellow wallpaper will certainly stand out.

Pip Studio Flowers in the mix yellow wallpaper

 

As well as their colourful range of vintage floral and bird design wallpapers, Pip Studio also do a range of equally eye-catching vintage style crockery, so at least you can brighten up your breakfast table.

Pip Studio Chinese Rose Mug

Pip Studio Rose Bowl

Too bold? Too bright? Tell us what you think.

Sally

New! Filter taps from Brita

If you’ve ever had a filtered water jug, you’ll know how convenient it is to have chilled, filtered water on demand. But finding somewhere in the fridge for it can be a challenge.

Your other option is a water filter tap – one that provides normal water but also filtered at the twist of a lever.

Brita, the people that brought you those still incredibly handy jugs, have brought out a new range of taps that are as attractive as standard taps but with the added bonus of filtered water. The filters are easy to change and recyclable. Here are some of my favourite designs:

Struana tap in chrome by Brita

Perfect for a modern kitchen, Struana has sleek, angled side levers that give it a designer look and would equally be at home on an island.

Ceto tap in a brushed finish

Longer levers and a fuss-free brushed look enables the Ceto model to sit happily alongside more classic kitchens.

Kelda tap in chrome by Brita

Traditional without being fussy, I love the white levers twinned with the chrome of this elegant Kelda tap. Price from £199 for all the taps.

Love the look but not ready for a new kitchen yet? You can replace your existing tap with one of these right now.

Rachel

Easy ways to update your kitchen

There’s something about January that makes me want to freshen up my home. So far I’ve managed to paint one room and swap a bulky chair that I was forever squeezing past for a more petite one.

They may be small changes but they’ve made a big difference. The same is true in the kitchen – add a dash of colour, swap some splashback tiles or even change your flooring and the result is dramatic.

Check out the flooring in this Homebase Portland kitchen for instance. Not only does it add warmth to the pale freestanding design, but the way it’s been laid instantly adds a sense of space, as the boards have been placed in the direction of the incoming light.

Limed Oak real wood top layer flooring makes this kitchen diner feel welcoming

Another top tip is to lay long floorboards in thirds instead of halves for a professional finish.

Not keen on the upheaval of a new floor? Why not add some classic kitchen tiles to a wall, such as these bevelled ones from Homebase?

Bevelled Oxford tiles in White and Apple Green

Finally, for a no-cost, instant results way to refresh your kitchen, simply have a good clear out of your cupboards. Make room for things you currently have out of your worktops, only keeping items out that you use every day. Instant space!

Rachel

Olympic-standard worktops

Now, I appreciate that it’s not every day you have a three-time world champion gymnast in your kitchen but should you ever entertain one, it’s good to know if your worktops are up to the job.

Beth Tweddle puts a Granite Transformations worktop through its paces

Clearly, this was the thought process behind this Granite Transformations Union Jack island unit – not only is it pretty patriotic, it was also hard-wearing and durable enough to stand up to Britain’s top gymnast, Beth Tweddle, performing a routine on it.

Made from composite white, grey and blue finishes from the Trend G recycled glass worktop collection, the surface was constructed from bonded triangles on a construction board to create its seamless look.

Beth performing at the edge

Acrobatic manoeuvres by Beth

What do you think of this fab worktop? Leave us a comment below…

Rachel