We have always made eating dinner all together around the table every night, a high family priority. But quite honestly, making yet another family meal/dinner, is not always Michael or I’s favorite thing to do around here, towards the end of the day. Especially when both or either of us are in the middle of work, or some project, and need to stop what we are doing to go cook in the kitchen. But our disgruntled state can go from bad to worse, by the time we get the pots and pans we need out! Ugh!
I don’t know where you store your pots and pans. But we have had ours in a cabinet on the floor under the counter, for years. Forever, for as long as we’ve lived in this house, actually. So to start, we’ve had to bend way down there, or just go head and get on the floor, to get what we need out. Or, to put clean pots and pans away, for that matter! They only pile and nest so well, with some being the same diameter as others, but deeper pots. So there’s always a real tipping-factor going on. And then there are all of the covers!! So if all of the clinging and clanging isn’t enough to frazzle the nerves, everything falling out of the cabinet onto the floor, or sometimes onto our toes, will!
It’s about that time I remember THE WINE.
I don’t know what it is about a glass of wine, or something a little alcoholic, that makes cooking so much more bare-able. Sometimes even enjoyable, if you drink enough! Ha haha!
But I had gotten to the point where I had really had it, dealing with the pots and pans cabinet. And for years Michael and I had randomly mentioned getting one of those grand pots and pans racks, that suspend from the ceiling. But you know, time really gets away, when we both hate spending money. So on a recent Saturday, as I was headed out shopping with my oldest girl, I eluded to our pile of pallets outside by the wood shed, and said, “Just whip out something, please! It doesn’t have to be beautiful! I love rustic.” (Because this is most always a point of contention, between us.).
By golly, he did it! By the time I got home, it was done. Built, stained, and going up!
Check it out!! So simple, rustic, efficient, and perfect enough!
As it turned out, he didn’t end up using the pallets. He used 1″x 5″ pine. He just cut them to size, banged them up with a hammer, and stained them.
Here you can see part of the light fixture in the ceiling. It extends about half way over the edge of the counter top down below so, you see why a whole pallet would never have worked. That would have extended over the open stair-well to the lower level and, well, unless any of us have wings, that would not have been helpful at all. So, this slim, functional piece worked just right.
Michael used 1″ blocks of wood as spacers between the boards, as the base to hang the hooks from. The hooks he cut and hand formed using copper pipe hangers, and inserted them through the holes that he drilled. Then he just hung the whole organizer using some leftover cheap chain, and two d-rings. Secured right into the strapping in the ceiling, found with a stud-finder of course.
Not only is it so functional and convenient for easy-access, as a pots and pans organization hanger in our kitchen, I think it really adds a real flare of kitchen-decor. Don’t you? It’s sure nice to have a good-looking handy-man like mine. And as I’ve mentioned, he cooks, too.
Thanks for coming over, and checking out our latest little dis-it-ourselves project!
Please say hello, while you’re here, and share your thoughts.
I love it. what a great solution