Forgiving DIY: Pot & Pan Storage

We don't have a terribly small kitchen.  But I have a ton of kitchen stuff.  So I could always use more kitchen space.  A while ago I got really sick of unstacking ten different pots and pans (and lids!) every time I needed one so I knew I needed a hanging solution.  But the ceilings in my kitchen are pretty low, so hanging from the ceiling was certainly not an option.  We did, however, have a kind of awkward area across the island from the main work triangle area.  Normally I would use the wall space to hang pretty, pretty pictures, as I do with almost all the wall space in my house (funny story: I've been trying to do posture exercises, but I can't find any bare wall space to do them on!  I think I may have a problem...) but this turned into the perfect place to hang my pots and pans.



 When you install yours, be sure to anchor your hooks (preferably into a stud or with a drywall anchor) so that the weight of your pots and pans doesn't pull the hook right out.  Some pots or pans may not fit on a hook very well (e.g. my cast iron skillet), and fairly large headed screw will work just fine in keeping them in place, as long as you don't mind its appearance. These two wall are exterior walls on a 160 year old house (no studs!) so the hooks are anchored fairly sufficiently into the lath for the lighter pots and pans and straight into the (first layer of) brick for the heavier pots.

The pattern is fairly symmetric in a diamond shape on the left wall, and pretty random on the wall that you a facing here.  As with any collection, I would suggest marking out an area on the floor that represents the area where you want to be hanging your items and then staging your items withing this area before making corresponding holes in your wall.

I put the lids in a magazine rack (I think it was from Ikea) on the side of one of the upper cabinets.

And I am linking up to these great parties.