All the hub-bub over the release of Julie & Julia** has me waxing poetic about one of my favorite kitchen design elements: pot racks. I've always loved a great pot rack, well, more precisely, a pot rack full of great pots and pans - bonus points if they're copper.
I bought an inexpensive wrought iron pot rack in Laredo, Texas many years ago - before I even had a home in which to hang it. I have to say, it has become a very well-traveled piece!
It had its inaugural hanging in our first home in Houston...
I bought an inexpensive wrought iron pot rack in Laredo, Texas many years ago - before I even had a home in which to hang it. I have to say, it has become a very well-traveled piece!
It had its inaugural hanging in our first home in Houston...
It made its way to northeastern North Carolina... (for you attorneys out there - yes, we negotiated for the attachment in the sale of our home)
...And now hangs in Casa Giese in Brazil (sorry no pic, our kitchen here is kinda fug) I imagine some of you may wonder why I would go through the trouble of carting it from home to home, when it could be easily replaced... I guess, for me, some things taken from one home to the next, or from update to update, provide not only a continuity in design, but also a part of the previous home's soul.Perhaps I'm a bit strange - after all, it IS just a pot rack - but if I'm sentimental about my cookware storage, it seems I keep good company....Martha apparently likes her pot racks, too! Here's her original, in her Turkey Hill home kitchen - found at a Massachusets tag sale!
And it remained, after the professional remodeling of the kitchen. Do you think Martha polishes her own copper? Nope, me neither.
Why change a good thing, right? Here's a color-coordinated all-stainless version in her new, Cantitoe Corners kitchen.
Behold a custom unit in polished chrome. Nothing but the best for the deRothschilds. Does anyone even USE that fabulous cookware? I'm always a little sketchy on perfectly-shined copper - seems artificial - just sayin'...
At least in this Michael Smith-designed kitchen, it is a bit more believable there are serious cooks involved (well, maybe not with the silver candelabra in the middle of a prep station)
Sometimes I'll see more unique versions, and I always make a mental note. This single-bar style manages to share the space with the retro fixtures without overwhelming them.
Country LivingI happen to think this pot rack-gone-valance is pretty flippin' clever!
But the most ingenious (especially for a small kitchen) is this DIY version made of copper pipe. What a way to turn (I'll admit it) a rather common kitchen element into a wonderful convo piece! If you're interested, and handy like that - you can go here for all the how to deets.
Do you have a favorite kitchen design element? Have you taken it from one home to another? Inquiring Minds wanna know!**I'll likely be unable to see J&J in theater until 16 October - the Brazil release date. For the record, that is later than the release date in most civilized countries, including ESTONIA!!
