Archive   |   November, 2009

help! i need to hang some pots and pans

pothangingpost
Remember when I wrote about a well-edited kitchen? I shared my plight of way too many pots, pans, gadgets, and dishes that I’m just not ready to give up. Well, it looks like I’ve finally exhausted all my current organizing options. While I intend to do a massive cleaning out over the next few weeks, I’d really like to put up a shelf and a bar for hanging pots in my kitchen. The walls in my pre-war apartment have the ability to elude the most accurate of stud-finders, so the only space sturdy enough for a shelf would be the window frame. I’m hoping to replicate this shelf, adding a sturdy bar underneath for pots. Does anyone have any idea how to do this? Should I get a tension bar? Should I put up hooks and a curtain rod? What hooks should I use to hang the pots? Help! — Erica P.

kinda genius: chef’s planet simply mash

simplymash
While having dinner over at a friend’s house the other day, I fell in love. HARD. For her potato masher. Yes, really. The object of my affection was one of these fabulous Simply Mash devices from Chef’s Planet. It’s designed for you to mash by rotating your palm rather than using an up and down smashing motion, which is supposed to save 50% of your mashing time and result in lighter, fluffier spuds. I loved the way it felt in hand, it’s cephalopod-esque looks, and best of all, its ease of cleaning. And since potato mashing season is in full swing, I just may have to upgrade. — Megan B.

almost too gorgeous to be towels: kitchen textiles from tikoli

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tikoli2
Tikoli has been on our radar for awhile, and you can probably see why — founder Maja Brugos got tired of finding nothing but cutesy kitchen goods, so she started making her own modern textiles. The results are amazing. The fractil pattern? Swoon. Mummy? Lovely. Blok? A far cry from kitchen kitsch. At $10 each, Tikoli towels might be an investment for your kitchen. But as art, they’re downright affordable.

strangely appealing: the suitcase sofa

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Ah, the holidays — our favorite time of the year to spend an inordinate number of hours at the airport. Designer Eric De Nijs of Nieuwe Heren addresses this problem with his Suited Case. Like an upholstered Transformer, larger suitcases combine with hand luggage to create a couch built for two. While I’m a fan of classic suitcases, it would be nice to have my own couch to sit on while playing the waiting game this holiday season. View more photos at Dezeen. — Sarah C.

guess the animal in the animal crackers

We picked up some animal crackers at Trader Joe’s the other day. I don’t exactly expect the cookies inside to look like they’re straight out of nature, but…

depressedspider

Seriously, what is that thing? It’s not a bear, because there appears to be another shape that more closely resembles a bear. And it’s not a fluke; there are many in the package that look just like it. The closest I could come is that maybe this is a depressed spider. (It’s missing legs, hence the depression — this made sense to me when I was thinking about it.)

Then I tried inverting it. Does this look familiar to you?

humanheart

How about now?

diagram

This one was more problematic. Your guesses are welcome:

simpsonshand

There are also lots of cookies that look just like this, whatever this is:

whatisthis

Hmm, what if we…

whatisitcu

Nope. That doesn’t help at all. — Mary T.

Just having fun, Trader Joe’s! You know I love you!

Human heart diagram via Osovo