Design kettles – how to find the right model for your home
1. Design kettles and their wide choice of materials
Design kettles come in a wide range of materials: from plastic (4) and cast iron (2) to glass (5), stainless steel (1 and 3) and thermoplastic resin (4) – the choice is yours. Add to that a wide range of colours, design accents in wood and interesting material combinations. You can choose entirely according to your personal taste, because these days it's the technology that makes the difference in a kettle, not the material.
Much more important is what you mainly want to use your kettle for. For tea lovers, for example, kettles with extras such as temperature control and a built-in tea infuser are particularly practical.
2. What to consider when it comes to capacity
Because capacity is so important, the same kettle design often comes in different sizes. Depending on the size of your household, you can choose between mini kettles that hold less than a litre and models that hold more than a litre. As a rule of thumb, an average cup holds 250 ml.
3. Practical extras
Many kettle designs have additional functions and extras that are particularly useful depending on how you plan to use them:
- Limescale filter (1): This filter stops the last traces of limescale from ending up in your tea or coffee, making it a good choice in hard water areas. Limescale in a kettle reduces its heating performance and changes the taste of tea and coffee. Some models have a removable filter, which makes them easy to clean. Alternatively, try this household tip: mix about a cup of water with a good splash of vinegar essence and bring it to the boil in the kettle. Afterwards, everything will be clean again.
- Water level indicator (2): This shows at a glance whether there is enough water in the kettle. The visual indicator also helps prevent the kettle from boiling dry.
- 360° swivel base (3): This lets you pour without a cable getting in the way.
- Insulated double wall (4): A double wall keeps the water hot or warm for longer, which also saves energy.
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Temperature control (5): This extra is particularly important for making tea, as different types of tea need different water temperatures. Boiling water brings out the robust flavour of black tea. More delicate teas such as white or green tea scorch at 100 degrees and develop an unpleasant bitter taste. These temperatures are recommended for each type of tea:
▪ green tea at 80°C
▪ white tea at 85°C
▪ oolong tea at 90°C
▪ black tea at 95°C
▪ herbal tea at 100°C - Heating element under a stainless steel plate (6): Because the water doesn't come into contact with the heating element, this feature reduces limescale build-up.
- Boil-dry protection: This safety feature stops the kettle from overheating. If there is too little water in the kettle, it won't start heating at all.
- Automatic switch-off at boiling point: This feature ensures nothing boils over.
- Temperature display on the kettle itself: Compared with a display on the base, the advantage is that you can read the water temperature at any time, even when the kettle isn't on its base.
"Kettles with temperature control aren't just practical for keen tea drinkers – they are also useful when preparing baby food. They also help save energy, especially combined with an insulated double wall, as you don't always have to heat the water to 100 degrees." – Viktoria, interior expert
4. Summary – what to consider when buying a kettle
- A simple stainless steel kettle, a modern glass kettle or a retro-style kettle – the choice of materials and designs is very wide, so you can decide according to your personal taste. What matters most when buying a kettle are the technical details.
- Kettle capacity varies and should ideally match the size of your household. As a guide, an average cup holds 250 ml.
- Models with a removable or built-in limescale filter or a heating element under a stainless steel plate are particularly effective against limescale.
- Temperature control is especially important when making tea or baby food, as different types of tea need different water temperatures.
- Kettles with a 360° swivel base look particularly neat, as there's no cable in the way.
- Boil-dry protection or a water level indicator makes it easy to stop your kettle from boiling dry.
- Kettles with automatic switch-off at boiling point or an insulated double wall are very energy-efficient.
Buy design kettles online at Connox – your benefits at a glance
- high-quality kettles – originals from top design brands
- personal support from our customer service team
- fair delivery costs
- secure payment thanks to SSL encryption
Shopping advice at Connox
Would you like to buy design kettles online but need some help? Our customer service team is always happy to help. We'll support you with advice while you shop, make recommendations and answer your questions quickly. Then simply sit back and have your chosen items delivered straight to your door.
