Around Home : Notes on Gazebos, Sconces and Teakettles : Pot Boilers

THE WAY THINGS are going, stores will soon have entire departments devoted to teakettles.

They seem to have become every designer’s favorite household item. What was once nothing more than a homely little pot that sat innocently on every kitchen stove has suddenly been transformed into a major fashion statement, and now each passing season has a new teakettle. It’s sort of the hemline for the kitchen.

Last season’s foremost teakettle was probably the one designed by architect Michael Graves. Surely you’ve seen it? It was a pretty little pot with a bird sitting on the spout. But this year’s model is a different kettle of tea.

It looks a lot different. For one thing, it’s bigger; it holds 2 1/2 quarts. The design is more straightforward; it’s a sort of swashbuckling shape that juts boldly forward. But that is just the beginning; this kettle is not content to just sit there and boil water. This one actually performs under pressure: It whistles while it works. While the water boils, it warbles a merry version of “Tea for Two.”

Its name? T42, of course. And its price? Unfortunately, you can’t get it for a song: The performing kettle costs $130.

T42, the Kettle, is available at Bullock’s.