From the first moment I saw this kitchen, I pictured a pot rack over the peninsula.
I longed for a pot rack in my old townhouse kitchen, but the space was pretty limited. Then, I came across an amazing deal. An entire box of Cuisinart stainless steel pots and pans for $60. It was a box that was marked down four times until it was 90% off. It’s the kind of thing that you look at it over and over to make sure there’s nothing wrong with it, but the whole set was there and in perfect condition. I had become of bit of a Food Network junkie and really wanted to get some gourmet pots and pans, so I went for it. Not having the space for a full-sized pot rack, I mounted a hanging storage rod from Ikea on the ceiling to make a long, narrow pot rack. Over the next couple of years, I added a few All Clad pots and pans, copper bowls and molds and some cool strainers to my collection
When we moved into our current house, my long, narrow pot rack wasn’t going to work, so my mom bought me this one (Calphalon from Bed, Bath and Beyond) for a house warming gift. It may be the one non-permanent thing in my entire house that has stayed in the exact spot where we originally put it! I’ve thought about taking it down in favor of a chandelier, but I just love it too much.
Almost everyone who comes into my house asks me if I really cook with those pots and pans. Yes, I do. Well, most of them. I can’t say I’ve used the antique European copper bunt pan, very often (or ever.)
If you’re interested in installing a pot rack in your kitchen, here are some things to think about.
Do you have a good spot for it? This might sound like a “duh” kind of suggestion, but they can often take up more space than you anticipate and you need to make sure it’s going to work with and not overwhelm your space.
Pot racks can get very heavy when fully loaded, so make sure it can be installed into a ceiling joist with heavy duty hooks. A grown man can hang from ours…no problem.
New cookware may be involved. I’m just giving you fair warning! You may buy your pot rack, install it and then realize you only have some well-used Teflon pans to hang on it and it’s not the look you’re going for at all! I keep all of my Teflon in a cabinet and only hang my copper and stainless pots and pans. You can find inexpensive ones at discount stores like Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s and Ross. (It’s also a joy to cook on quality pans, like All-Clad. I was scared of sticking at first, but I learned how to use them properly and it really improved the quality of my cooking.)
Lastly, you do need to consider maintenance. I constantly have to vacuum cobwebs and dust off the pot rack and chains it hangs from. Every few weeks, I have to wipe down the pots I don’t use very often and I shine the stainless steel with Bar Keeper’s Friend regularly to keep them looking nice. It’s definitely more work than keeping everything in a closed cabinet, but it’s functional and brings a “gourmet feel” to the kitchen.
And remember…many things can be used as a pot rack – ladders, gates, and you can even make from scratch. Just make sure it’s sturdy enough and is the proper scale for your kitchen.
Oh! And I’m so sorry for the delay in announcing the winner of the Baby Jewel’s fabric wall decal giveaway. It’s…
…Michelle of
A Basket of Strawberry Pi! As you can see in her comment, she has the perfect occassion for it! Congratulations, Michelle!
42 Responses
I've admired your pot rack in other posts as wekk. Your kitchen looks so efficient, a beautiful and a great family/cooking room.
– Joy
It does look so fun – so appreciate the way you make the most of what you have.
I have a pot rack and, like you, it hasn't moved or changed in years! I love the gourmet feel it gives the kitchen. My pots, however, aren't nearly as beautiful as yours are!!
Eeks! I love the look of your pot rack, but it sounds like an awful lot of maintenance. Of course, you seem to thrive from constantly recreating space, beautifying space, if you will. I'm more fond of clean, clutter-free areas in my home, but your rack and pots are quite lovely.
i just found a hand forged iron pot rack at a yard sale and bought it…even though i have no place to hang it! i have longed for a hanging pot rack for evah and just can't quite figure out how to make one work in my space…sigh…but i adore yours…thanks for the tips.
alison
stuff and nonsense
I'd love to have a pot rack, but my kitchen is oddly-shaped, so I'll never have the space for it. they look best (IMO) when they're like what you have – over a peninsula or free-standing island, and our kitchen is too narrow to pull it off. I plan, instead, to do some sort of wall-hanging and use my pots and pans as useful "wall art".
I'm also trying to phase out my teflon. All it does is p**$ me off. It seems I have to buy a new teflon set every 6 months or so, because no matter how I care for it, they still get ruined. I'm trying to build up a better set of stainless steel/copper/cast iron cookware instead!
(for the record, you should use the copper bundt pan for Angel food or meringue. The copper reacts with the egg whites and causes them to get fluffier and lighter 🙂 I LOVE my copper pots and bowls for egg-white based stuff!)
Love your pot rack. I had one made from an old ladder I used for years. Once a friend's daughter asked where the pots that I cook with were kept. She said her Mom's were all brown and spotty. Mom turned shades of red and said she could not cook with those…but I did.
I took mine down when we revamped our kitchen so we could have more natural light but I miss the convenience and style. It was very little to keep clean but it was a fun kitchen accent.
I have a wall-mount pot rack with a shelf on top that I love. Great solution for tiny kitchens like mine if you want your pretty pans on display. My pans are looking rather nasty on the bottoms (Hubs only knows how to cook on high heat and my pans suffer. Ha!) so I'll have to try the Bar Keeper's Friend. Thanks for the tip!
I gotta admit… My hubby does most of the cooking around here. It's a passion of his, that I don't have! And because he and I have both wanted a pot rack {me for the looks, him for the convenience}, but couldn't afford to spend $300+ on one, he and his dad made one from scrap metal. It turned out BEAUTIFUL and we get compliment on it all the time. Ours as well is VERY sturdy.
And by the way, your kitchen is gorgeous!
We have an efficiency apartment that we rent out that had no storage to speak of in the tiny kitchen. I bought one of those cute black, metal, swirly wine racks at a garage sale for a few dollars, 4 pieces of decorative black chain at Lowe's and hung it over the stove as a pot rack. It worked perfectly and is so cute!
I couldn't live without my pot rack. It is just a basic one from Lowes(I think), but it makes all by pans easily accessible as I always put them back in the same place. I use almost all my pans frequently, some nice some not so nice, so I don't have a maintenance issue. My pot rack just makes me happy 🙂
I love this! The mix of stainless and copper adds a wonderful richness to the kitchen. Gorgeous!
Your pot rack is awesome! I have a smaller stainless that hangs from the wall (1/2 circle). I used to have over stove, but we remodeled the kitchen and now have a microwave there. Since I loved it so much, I've moved it to over my antique dry sink. It's close enough to get my frequently used pots and pans!
Love your pot rack, and the copper accents! I read on twitter that someone left you a negative comment. Just to clarify things: You are an amazing talent, and inspire more people than I'm sure even you realize. Don't listen to those meaners (as my daughter calls them). Bad meaners, back away from our Miss Mustard Seed!
Great post! I look forward to a big kitchen with high ceilings and a pot rack full of all clad and copper!
I love what you have done with your kitchen and that pot rack looks fabulous. I have this post bookmarked as inspiration for our future kitchen remodel. It is so helpful to know beforehand what having a pot rack really entails…
great tips. I love the look of your new and old pots mixed together on display.
Your kitchen turned out beautifully! And I just adore your pot rack and wish I had one. I did have a beautiful one in my old house with nickel inlayed copper pots hanging on it. Unfortunately, this kitchen doesn't have an island but I'm keeping everything so when we redo this kitchen and add an island I can enjoy my copper pots again. And I just read that someone left you a negative comment. I think your blog is awesome and you are an amazing talented women. While I don't comment all the time I'm often on here and just love your work!
Marianne 🙂
Thanks for sharing these tips. I've admired your pot rack since seeing photos of your kitchen. So glad you kept it real and mentioned maintenance. That was my first thought, living in an old house that manufactures dust.
Your Friend,
Deborah
The deal of the century!!!! I am so jealous of your cook ware find, you lucky duck! 🙂
Looks great. Bon Appetit!!!
I've been reading your blog for a while now but haven't posted a comment before. Just want to say thanks for making my recovery from surgery a bit less boring! I'm 1 week into 6 weeks of non-weight bearing and if it wasn't for your blog and a few others, I would probably have already taken a fork and repeatedly stabbed myself in the eye just to liven things up a bit. Anyway, no pressure here but keep up the good work, ya never know when you might be saving someones eyesight! Love the pot rack. I just got rid of an island that I considered putting a rack over but opted instead to get rid of the one butt work space! Got a big butt and it needed more room.
Glad to see that you're still using yours. I have one too, and have also thought of going the chandy route. But I just love it, it feels so very Country French! oh yeah, and I hear ya about the cobwebs!
xoxo Debra
I LOVE your pot rack and all your copper accents! Martina
Love your post. Your writing style is so relaxing. Make me feel like we are old friends and you are dispensing good advice over coffee. I don't have space for the pot rack. Wish I did. But we cannot have everything! lol
I, too, have a peninsula but rather smallish kitchen with painted cupboards{not painted on the inside, remember???}. teehee I recently passed up a wrought iron super cool heavy duty smallish potrack that would have been amazing! GAHHHH! Don't you hate it when you make a lame excuse to not buy something, but then you regret it!? Your pot rack looks fantastic{no surprise], but then again, you are Miss Mustard Seed!!! 🙂 xoxo
You know, I have a love/not sure relationship with these. I love the look in someone else's home, but am not sure I'd want the upkeep. And, wow, I didn't think about the weight issue. Hey, girlfriend, I wanted to let you know I'm having a chocolate giveaway on my blog right now–the "drug" of choice for us busy ladies ;). Hugs, Kim
Great deal on the cookware! Your pot rack looks perfect, I'd love to have one but my kitchen is just to small to accommodate one and make it look like it belongs. Yours looks like it was made for that spot. Thanks for sharing.
I also have a large pot pack and a small tip to pass on… oddly enough something I never thought about when we first put it up (hung similar to yours) was the issue of the rack tipping to one side or the other if a pot was hung and it threw off the balance.. the whole thing tilted.. so after a year of playing.. " where to put the pot".. we remounted it with a 4 point system that keeps it from tipping… and that is my tip! 🙂
Maddie
OOOOOhhh, I love the idea of using an old ladder!! Unfortunately, I have a skinny galley kitchen, & just don't have the room…love yours, though!!
It is gorgeous!! It is my dream that the next house we buy will have a spot for a pot rack!
"pot rack over the peninsula"! Country western song? Title of a book? Weather report?!?
Couldn't resist!
d
i have a pot rack over a space next to the fridge. it's totally functional. i have 6 all clads and 2 calphalons hanging from it, and they all get used regularly. i have limited cabinet space, so it's perfect for storage, and it looks cool to boot!
I love your posts…always so helpful, to the point, and fun!! LOVE them!! I so wanted one of these, but after your points, I realize I'm probably better just admiring others. I mostly use cast iron, and I think I'd have to buff up to Popeye's size to be lifting them on and off the rack. And I have no doubt eventually the whole ceiling would fall in on me…right before supper when things usually explode…or burn…or blow up. Thank you for your insights! 🙂
I love your pot rack and cookware. Just today, I took my pot rack and all the cookware down for cleaning. My hubby walked into the kitchen and said the kitchen looks so much bigger without the pot rack. Why don't we leave it down? So, it isn't going back up. I'll hang on to it for a while to see if I can live without it. But, I do love the look of a pot rack.
Love your pot rack!! I have one too! I have a skylight and from it I hung heavy duty hooks and chains and hang my pots in there! I couldn't live without my pot rack for sure!!
Hugs
SueAnn
Oh I would love to have a pot rack in my kitchen too but my 6'3 hubby is against it. LOL I will just have to come here and admire yours!
Sylvia
Pot racks are one of my favorite kitchen decorating items, that are equally as useful. I love having a pot rack because it means less shuffling below the deck.
I have a long narrow one that hangs over my sink. Williams Sonoma used to sell it. It is now discontinued, it is a neat iron replica of the original Chuck Williams had in his home. I have great pots, they don't look so great on the outside though. Looking at this picture is inspiring me to clean them up.
so beautiful~ I miss mine…which came crashing down at 4 in the morning. Over time the hook had worked loose and it never occurred for me to occasionally check it. I lost a beautiful bowl and a large ceramic chicken but luckily my pots were unharmed!
i love pot racks and yours looks fabulous!
And don't forget to make sure you can reach all of the pots if, like me, you are short. You could, of course, lower the rack but then head room becomes a problem. I realized when I visited my sister-in-law's place that a pot rack would just not work for me, much as I love them. Yours by the way is beautiful.
If you like to make your new home looks fancy and outstanding, then you should really consider including more shimmering and sparkling home unit. Besides living room furniture, you should insert items like mirror, bookcase or magazine rack that definitely make your rooms look lively and energetic.
I like that you mention how keeping the pot rack clean should be taken into account for before buying one. My sister loves the easy access to kitchen items and is looking to buy a grapevine hanging pot rack. I’ll be sure to talk to her about keeping it clean always since everyone will be able to see it hanging.