12 Creative Ways to Use Utilitarian Kitchenware As Decor
Photo: Belle Morizio
When the interior designer Nick Poe revamped his Chinatown loft’s kitchen, the spatial restrictions convinced him to invert typical storage solutions: utilitarian kitchenware came to the forefront of his design. To complement industrial stainless-steel appliances and a spare approach to decorative flourish, he opted for open shelving on both the walls and beneath the island table to display not just a perfect assortment of ceramics, but an array of pots, pans, kettles, knives, serving utensils, and more.
To parallel a rise in industrial kitchen layouts and ceramics serving as decor, many designers are implementing this highly practical notion of exposed kitchenware in all kinds of spaces; some value function over fashion and others make it work in the reverse sense. Think everything from a gallery wall of copper pots that never leave their mark to the stainless variety that shuffle from the wall to the stove to the sink and back on a daily basis. We spoke with four designers to learn how they’ve capitalized on exposed kitchenware in an array of spaces. For those who find a trip to Williams Sonoma, Sur La Table, or Whisk more stimulating than a visit to Bergdorf’s, these tips might justify your next purchase.
For starters, where should you look for inspiration?
When Frances Merrill of Reath Design was reimagining a kitchen for Brynn Jones Saban’s Los Feliz home, she turned to hyper functional spaces to inspire her work. Her favorites? Julia Child’s renowned pegboard, Georgia O’Keeffe’s Abiquiú workspace, and Joan Didion’s Malibu kitchen. The AD100 designer’s implementation was slightly less utilitarian with a curated array of copper pots, skimmers, ladles, and more.
As for Poe’s strategy, he led with function. “I’m always inspired by my upbringing in the ’90s NYC loft era, as well as my travels, especially in Italy,” he explains. “There are countless references for kitchens, storage, and embracing beauty in pure function, economy, and necessity.”
When Affair Collette Dinnigan, an Australian designer and author of Bellissima: An Australian-Italian, transformed a 500-year-old Italian farmhouse into the Puglia vacation home Casa Olivetta, she was inspired by the collection of kitchenware itself in lieu of any design techniques: “I didn’t use references. I just went around the markets. There’s a lot of old copper pots in the south of Italy,” she insists. Said pots are something she collects personally and professionally and she displays them in her own home as well. “It’s part of the Italian kitchen,” she adds. “You pick something off the wall to put on the stove.”
What is suitable to hang and what should be kept behind closed doors?
“We exposed a lot of beautiful kitchen utensils, pottery, cookware, and vases,” Poe explains of his liberal approach to exhibition. “Pretty much any object that is not made from plastic or doesn’t bear a corporate logo is fair game to display.” His table boasts everyday pans rather than copper pots sourced from a market in Italy, yet it still achieves the desired effect.
Stylist, cook, and decorator Helma Bongenaar led with her collection of kitchen objects and utensils when she arranged her Amsterdam home. “Secondhand is my motto,” she says of the process. “I find the lived-in nature of it and the story of how I got it inspiring.” She sourced high quality items from thrift stores and flea markets throughout the years and now wants to display her spoils. Despite the visual flamboyant, “everything that hangs there is also functional,” she reiterates. “They are the items I use the most in the kitchen and are therefore easy to have and grab.”
How do you curate the hanging rod or shelf itself?
According to Merrill, “for a more playful look, I like to include decorative objects among the functional pieces.” The AD100 designer spaces unique objects equidistantly in a gallery-esque display so that each item has its own space to shine. A silver fish hangs a few inches from a sculptural ladle, which is a few inches from a copper baking dish.
In opposition, Bongenaar prefers the cluttered look to complement her old kitchen and exude the eclectic nature of her treasure trove. “We decorated the kitchen classically, which suits the old house,” she says. “Naturally, old kitchen utensils came to fit the kitchen, and I love cooking in copper pans.” She hosts dinner parties from her kitchen, so all of these interests bolster one another. “From the kitchen table, where people sit down to dine, everything has to look nice!”
What should you use to fashion the hanging or shelving units?
Bongenaar kept with the secondhand theme of her collection and used a hanging apparatus from the 1930s. She used old fish hooks above the stove, upon which you’ll also find a few ceramic moka pots. Dinnigan also sourced nails secondhand to complete her look. Whereas Merrill hung an aged brass DeVol hanging rail to begin. “To achieve this look, we used a combination of a pot rail behind the stove, shelves integrated into the windows, and some wall-mounted shelving,” she says.
Poe opted for more natural materials in addition to the industrial ones. “It was all custom woodwork, but with readily available common materials and humble fabrication techniques. We used a combination of open shelving, hooks, and hanging baskets,” he says. “The kitchen table is key,” as it offsets the utilitarian nature of the rest of this portion of his loft. “Edit your world of objects as much as possible. Use open shelves above the counters and closed cupboards below. Most glassware and pottery are beautiful, especially if organized, so let them shine.”
How do you achieve the desired result?
Dinnigan arranged her eclectic assortment of copper pots and pans, each hung by its own nail, in a gallery-like display across one wall of Casa Olivetta’s kitchen. A trained interior designer, she did so with the skill of her own eye, but she recommends the rest of us take a few more precautions. Start with a piece of butcher paper, she says, and lay out all of your pots and pans in a manner that satisfies you, then outline them. Adhere the butcher paper to the wall and then hammer the nails through it.
The Easiest Step in the Door Is a Hanging Rod
For a recent Los Feliz project, Merrill used a DeVol brass hanging rod. After screwing the rail in above the oven to complement the minty green tile, she hung an array of kitchenware (i.e. copper pots, unique strainers, and eclectic ladles)—in a sparse manner so that each object’s uniqueness could shine. Her approach favors form over function with items like an antique silver fish next to the more practical pots and pans.
Disguise Your Hooks
If you’re less partial to the industrial look of an exposed hanging rod, disguise yours with a custom wooden add-on beneath your shelving unit, like this one of cook and interior designer Isabelle Moltzer’s renovation of a 16th-century Normandy estate. The wave pattern of this one compliments the fairytale-like demeanor of the rest of the home and, of course, parallels the rustic nature of this cottage kitchen.
Embrace Secondhand Collections
Bongenaar has quite the eclectic collection of kitchenware. She favored a maximalist approach, squeezing numerous items of an array of shapes, sizes, and finishes onto each hanging rod, all of which, she says, she uses regularly. To come full circle, she even has a coordinating copper hood and an arrangement of wooden spoons stored near the oven.
When In Doubt, Use Individual Hooks
Dinnigan sourced secondhand nails to hang her collection of unique copper pots and pans flanking an entire wall in the luxury vacation rental Casa Olivetta that she designed in Italy. She was inspired by the nature around the house’s residence in Puglia, specifically the way the terra-cotta soil looks against the greenery, so she mimicked that look with aged copper and deep green tilework.
A Table With Open Storage For All Your Wares
“The kitchen table is key,” Poe says of the kitchen in his Chinatown loft. The designer favored an un-precious approach in curating the open shelving with everyday stainless steel pots and mixing bowls and cast-iron frying pans. He displays everything from apple cider vinegar to ceramics to hand towels on the above-the-counter shelving units. A bonus tip? Adhere a magnetic strip to the wall to sport scissors and knives.
Custom Woodwork Adds Depth
When Poe remodeled Krissy Jones’s old studio apartment, he fashioned custom cabinetry and shelving out of refurbished wood for the kitchen. From cup hooks above the sink, he strung a hanging basket in addition to pots, pans, strainers, and more. Poe suggests keeping the cabinetry below the counter closed off and leaving the above open. Otherwise most of your collection is fair game to display, sans a junky corporate logo or a plastic makeup.
Mount a Hanging Rack Instead of Just a Rail
Designer Z He mounted a wire hanging rack, the industrial energy of which offsets the green custom cabinetry it hangs next to. The pans hanging from it exhibit a mix of finishes and functions, from a copper baking dish to a stainless-steel pot to an oversized wok.
Hang the Rack From the Ceiling
Interior designer Lilse Mckenna opted for a hanging rod adhered to the ceiling of a historic waterfront home in Maryland to display her client’s assortment of copper pots and pans. Mckenna embraced the centuries-old age of the house with materials (like copper and brass) that would patina with it.
Architectural Digest July/August 1976 Architecture
Try a Pegboard
Julia Child is, of course, famous for her cooking, but we can’t stop thinking about her creative use of a pegboard in her personal kitchen. Its initial function—to free up space—is one we can all relate to. Saucepans, skillets, and more were then available to grab and go. The centerpiece evolved almost like a piece of utilitarian art and it looks as modern today as it did back in the ’70s.
You’re Not Just Working With Pots and Pans
For her client’s Connecticut house, interior designer Virginia Tupker decided to forgo mounting utilitarian kitchenware on the walls and instead hung vintage copper gelatin molds in a seemingly random (though obviously studied) fashion to tie in with the rich history of the home itself.
Stay Neutral With Your Rails (and Your Collection)
In his 1950s Sag Harbor home, interior designer Bryan Graybill set about to give his house character. The kitchen, designed in collaboration with Andrew Cogar of Historical Concepts, features a brass hanging rod adhered to a white marble backsplash. They opted for copper to compliment the neutral palette of the kitchen.
Let the Kitchenware Add the Color
Listed as primary inspiration for aforementioned designer Merrill of Reath Design, artist Georgia O’Keeffe’s Abiquiú kitchen has served as the catalyst for many modern renovations. The sparely designed whitewashed space features built-in open shelving upon which she displays all a young chef could need—and in a large assortment of finishes and colors.
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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