Whirlpool have just launched a new colour into their very modern looking Nova range of American style fridge-freezers. Is it something startling and zany? Or a trendy pattern? No - it's "Intense White".

The front finish is made from a material Whirlpool are calling "Luxilen" which has a high gloss, tough finish that looks like glass. The Nova fridge-freezers are also very energy efficient with an A+ rating.

Trend experts have been saying for years that stainless steel is going out of fashion. I think I may even have predicted that black was going to be the new stainless steel myself - a couple of years back (and black is increasing in popularity - honest - I was just ahead of the times!). The first idea was that aluminium would replace stainless steel - but it's so similar that nobody could really tell the difference (unless you saw them side by side). Then various manufacturers flirted with very brightly coloured appliances and even a few patterned fronts.

I wouldn't entirely write off bright colours ... if you're brave enough to use them. Steel Cuisine, for instance, (a well established Italian manufacturer, new to the UK market) have this good looking lime green fridge-freezer in their Genesi range:

Whirlpool, though, already had Black and Inox (a stainless steel look alike) - as colour options in their Nova range ... and have opted to add white as their new colour.

 Is that because they're a bit unadventurous? Or do they know something we don't?