Change of Seen

It's important to me that design—no matter how specialized it may be—have flexibility. That's one reason I give this backsplash storage a thumbs-up. With the doors open, a controlled clutter of cooking paraphernalia is revealed. Slide them close, and the kitchen assumes a seamless appearance. beeck-kuechen.de

Revolving Door Policy

Picking up on yesterday's refrigerator theme—why not?—here's a look at another new model. The door-within-a-door design gives quick access to drinks and snacks without breaching the main cooling compartment. This short video shows the Grab-N-Go fridge in action. kenmore.com

Swing State

Can an appliance be ambidextrous? This refrigerator may come close to that notion, as it has doors that open from both sides. The dual-swing design could certainly offer convenience in some kitchens, but I must wonder if the feature might prove too tempting to youngsters eager to play peek-a-boo with the freezer. sharp.co.uk

Industrial Strength Kitchen

Talk about heavy metal. The Beam kitchen, designed by Tom Dixon, boxes appliances and counters in brass plates and hangs them off a skeleton that's constructed of raw steel I-beams. The sink is built up from a terrazzo slab. On occasion, the Beam takes a sojourn to a design fair or culinary event, but when not on the road, it's installed at Dock Kitchen restaurant in London. tomdixon.net

A Not-Quite-Super Bowl

Once upon a time—starting in 1948—Evansville, Indiana was earning a reputation as the Refrigerator Capital of the World. Servel, International Harvester, Seeger, and later Whirlpool were among the appliance manufacturers whose facilities produced coils, condensers and cabinets there. What better way to raise the community's profile than to kick off a new tradition? Then as now, teaming local industry with college athletics seemed a win-win proposition, and the Refrigerator Bowl was born.

Turnovers in business trends, though, eventually took their toll on the event. The last Refrigerator Bowl was played in December, 1956; the Sam Houston State Teachers College Bearkats frosted the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State College, 27-13.

Black and Bright

Its doodle-like design notwithstanding, there's nothing sketchy about this snazzy backsplash treatment. A panel of backpainted glass in a pattern called 'Amazon' creates a fine [and easily cleanable] focal point in a kitchen where minimalist restraint is much in evidence. caple.co.uk

Step Right Up

It's a common conundrum: Small people sometimes need a boost to reach the sink, while small bathrooms often don't have space to spare for a footstool. The Step vanity, with its pull-out platform, solves both problems. macral.com