I sometimes think that kitchen manufacturers are casting around for new features for their kitchens ... something - anything - that's new. And why wouldn't they? It's a competitive business, after all. A lot of innovative features fall by the wayside. I'm not convinced, for instance, that the new, very textured finishes are practical enough for use in a kitchen - and I don't think Alno's Marecucina kitchen - with a boat shaped island - will ever be popular on the high street. Magnet, on the other hand, may have hit on something more main stream with their Studio Spectrum range (pictured above).

Studio Spectrum has high gloss white doors (a perenially popular finish), each with a strip of colourful, toughened glass. You can choose from ten different colours, including the green and orange shown above (the other colours are yellow, violet, pink, blue, burgundy, black and aqua) and the integral handles avoid spoiling the line of the strips.

You can pick up on your chosen colours with matching accessories, such as kettle and toaster, or a tablecloth ... you could have coloured glass splashbacks ... or you could have a matching feature wall of coloured paint or bright wallpaper.

I also noticed this little chest of drawers featured in "The Designer" magazine. It's made by A2 Designers, a Swedish furniture brand that calls itself "new, young and brave". They want to make good quality furniture, locally (in Småland, Sweden), using interesting and different ideas:

I might not want the same design for a whole kitchen - but I think I'm beginning to warm to this idea of coloured strips!

Kitchen company Nolte has come up with another, more subtle, idea for contrasting strips in the kitchen. Their Bicolor range (launched last year) has drawer fronts and end panels which contrast with the main door colour of the base units:

It's not a new idea - and I've never liked the look before - but maybe I could learn to love it? I think a kitchen designed in this style would need a lot of thought, but I quite like the example shown above. It's in tune with the softer, natural look that's supposed to be one of this year's trends.

The Designer magazine also commented on Nolte's Bicolor range, which was exhibited at the recent Living Kitchen exhibition in Cologne. They said it gave "a new multi-level sense to the kitchen aesthetic". Yes - quite! I'm really not into this designer-speak. I probably prefer Magnet's description of their bolder offering as the "epitome of minimalist sophistication" ... although I don't think a multitude of brightly coloured strips can really be called minimal!

Forget the descriptions - just look at the pictures. See if you think coloured strips would suit your kitchen style.