Lu Lu folding chair from €55 each at Habitat: for a small kitchen, these folding chairs can be whipped out if more people than usual need to be seated, leaving more space around the table at other times.

This is a reasonable price for a really good folding chair - the frame is powder-coated steel and the curved back and seat are coloured plastic. The chair can also be bought with an oak veneered moulded seat and back for €65.

Habitat, St Stephen's Green, D2, 01 6771433

***

System 20 by Balthaup at Kitchen Haus: This is one of a number of freestanding elements that can be used together to create a working kitchen or as individual pieces alongside more conventional fittings.

They can stand anywhere in a room, including in the middle of the floor. Designed 30 years ago, System 20 will stop being produced in two or three years time; after that, these pieces are expected to sell through auction houses like Sotheby's for large sums of money. Of course, they already do - most of the System 20 items cost around €4,000.

Ideal in small kitchens used by those who do not have a great need for a full-size kitchen, this particular piece combines a single hob cooking area with a sink and preparation space between, complemented by functional lighting and storage.

Stainless steel and aluminium are the main materials and the quality of workmanship, as with everything produced by this German company, is extremely high.

Kitchen Haus, Essex Street, Temple Bar, D2 01 6770101

***

Fresh from the Milan furniture fair comes this compact kitchen in a box. Well, two boxes actually. These freestanding kitchen units were shown at Boffi's showroom during the fair last week and are among the Italian company's newest products.

One box has a sink above a dishwasher, another has a two-ring hob above a fridge. A lid folds down over the sink and hob that closes each box entirely, as shown on right.

The white material that both are cased in is Corian, a man-made resin welded together so there are no joins.

Boffi produces some of the most perfectly engineered and stunningly beautiful kitchens that, needless to say, are expensive: each of these boxes costs about £15,000 (€22,062).

Boffi isn't available through any furniture dealer in this country, but can be seen and ordered in London.

Alternative Plans, 160 Notting Hill Gate, 0044 2072439747 www.boffi.com