I am happy to share a project that has been a long time in the works, and has been so enjoyed in it’s completion, I haven’t even had a down moment to write about it. In fact, I think it’s so exciting, I have made it into a little how-to building project post. For those of us folks who spend a lot of time in our kitchens, it is well known that you can never really have too many places to put things. Many a time I have my butcher block table, counters and stove top completely covered in the midst of a cooking or baking frenzy. It gets serious around here. This is why pots and pans hanging racks were invented. I have seen a lot over the years, and often found the industrial stainless steel models aesthetically boring. At one point, I was in a friend’s kitchen in Idaho for a potluck, and saw an old wooden ladder hanging from her kitchen ceiling from which she had all her herbs hung to dry. This got the wheels in my head turning, and my rustic ladder kitchen rack idea was born.
Long-time readers of this blog might remember posts about the kitchen rack in my farmhouse in Elmira. I scored a beautiful old wooden ladder at a local recycled building supply store, and my ex-husband helped me put it together and hang it up one Winter Solstice. I used that rack for everything. Cast-iron, pots, pans, herbs, baskets, colanders, dried chili peppers, utensils, you name it. It was invaluable. I couldn’t imagine my kitchen without it.
Since I’ve been in my own place over the last year, I have been
dreaming and scheming a new ladder rack, but every trip to Bring
Recycling came up fruitless. Finally, my ex-husband said I could have
the remnant we had cut off the one in the farmhouse, which was just the
right size for my small kitchen in this farm cottage. I made my trip to
the hardware store and set to work on the project.
dreaming and scheming a new ladder rack, but every trip to Bring
Recycling came up fruitless. Finally, my ex-husband said I could have
the remnant we had cut off the one in the farmhouse, which was just the
right size for my small kitchen in this farm cottage. I made my trip to
the hardware store and set to work on the project.
Here’s what I needed to put it together. Four sturdy hooks for the ceiling, four one-foot lengths of chain, four eye bolts with nuts and washers, and some S hooks. There were also about 8 more of those large hooks not pictured for hanging the pots and pans on. I think I spent around 20 bucks all in all. Not bad for something so useful and shabby chic at the same time.
And here’s how it all went together. Eye bolts went vertically into four drilled holes lined up with where I found the studs in my ceiling. These were re-enforced with washers and nuts. Then I put a hook along the inside edge between each rung. This, being a smaller rack, has 8 in all, but the one in the Elmira farmhouse had about twice that. Then I put the heavy duty hooks into studs in the kitchen ceiling. I had a harder time with this part, and a friend was kind enough to come over and help. I used the S hooks to secure the chain to the ceiling hooks and the eye bolts. And that was it. All my saucepans, colanders, and smaller skillets are up off the shelves, and I am constantly hanging things up there to dry. Furthermore, I just love the way it looks.
So, there you have it. An easy, rustic pots and pans rack for your farm kitchen. I think the ladder was something like $10 initially, and the hardware around $20. Happy building.
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