Pots and Pod's...

 If you know me you know I LOVE to bake and have a reputation as a good cook, if you like casseroles and homey type food.

The older I get them more I like quality tools.  I am not too keen on cheap pans or crummy spatulas... you get the idea.

My kitchen in the new cottage is very small and wonderful. [Isn't it cute?] However it presents some unique challenges  because it is just under 7 x 10 feet.

Looking out my kitchen window.

That is less than 70 square feet for the whole kitchen and it had to have a dishwasher, stove, microwave, fridge, sink and a place to store some food, dishes and of course it has to house a set of good cooking pans.


We put the pans on top of the cupboards which would work great if I was 7 feet tall, but since I'm not, dragging a chair into the kitchen when I wanted to make hot cocoa or fry an egg was a bit silly. 

David marking where screw should go

We have a friend named David that is a blacksmith and he does awesome custom work. So, for Christmas Bob told me he talked to David about making a small pot hanger for my new kitchen.

He came out to the farm two weeks ago and he helped Bob and I figure out where to put a hanging pot rack in this less than 70 square foot kitchen.




He brought some thick wire and bent it to my specifications to as a pattern for the pot rack.

"Do you think he will hit a stud?"

We wanted it to be practical and beautiful --as a side note Bob says I am the most practical woman he knows--so useful and practical are extremely important to me.

Also, we had to be careful to put it where I   wouldn't knock myself unconscious by hitting my head on heavy duty pans while I am scurrying around the kitchen getting a meal around. [I am not only practical, but a bit of a klutz.]

One week later he had it made and this past Saturday he again came out the farm and he and Bob made my kitchen absolutely perfect.



I want to add that David is a skilled craftsman and has a website that you can order from if you would like. Even if you only want some hardware, he can make it. His work is the best we have ever seen. His business is called Pod's Forge and you can go to his site to see the wonderful items he makes. If you order a custom piece you will not be disappointed.

You can see this was serious business. Actually David said that people come by his booth when he goes to craft shows and tell him they love his pot racks, but their kitchen is too small.

This is the smallest rack he has ever made and it will  hold at least seven pans. That frees up a lot of cabinet space.


I truly believe if you have a small kitchen you NEED a pot rack.

Here he is hanging it on hand-forged hooks with hand-forged S hooks.







When we were talking about what kind of rack I wanted, I told David that I wanted something simple. Our whole cottage is decorated with a kind of  Shaker/Amish style and we didn't want anything fancy.


I was very pleased with the rope style. I have no idea how he can take three pieces of iron and make them look like a rope, but it really does.

 

Once we got the pots hung I coaxed him to pose with my rack. I cannot believe how great it looks. You will notice that it is hung from only one stud. That is because it was so small and had such a small space it could fit in without me knocking my head into when I use the oven or the cupboard, we couldn't mount it between two studs. He designed it  to hang on just one.

Usually the rope would go the long way and it would be hung with the hooks in two different studs. But, that is why everyone NEEDS their own blacksmith.So it can be perfect for your kitchen.




So, because of Pod's Forge my pots have a new home. Don't they look great? I have to pick up a cast iron skillet for making corn bread and some pan-frying, but it will fit on the rack with no problem at all.

Here is the finished kitchen with the pot rack over my baking cupboard on the left. My broom which is made from an antique tobacco stick hangs on the outside wall.


See how nice the pots hang against the wall? Perfect. You might notice we have our coffee cups hanging on pegs over the stove. I also have my tea steeping in the teapot covered by a tea cozy I made.

 Another view.

This is another small kitchen helper. I have a 3" spice rack in the tiny section next to my sink.  I LOVE this.

 Closer up. The spices are on the top and second shelf and then all those little cans are various types of loose tea. Do you think I have a tea problem?

 I have a vintage tea pot just like the one my mom used to use to make my Dad's tea. Ebay is amazing sometimes! I put a little mesh basket in it so I can use my tea leaves.

I cover with a tea cozy and wait till it is done.

 You may wonder what I did after that? Well, because I am a bit of a pyromaniac, I put more wood in the wood stove, opened the damper and relaxed. You can see the windows are open because it was too warm for a fire. That usually doesn't stop me though. 

It was a great weekend. And, when I got home and opened the mail, there was a package from my sister Gail. She had been working on a quilt for Bob and I for a housewarming present.  It has a castle on the inside corner with our name and the date.

The perfect end to a perfect weekend.
Jill

Oops! I forgot to mention that you don't have to live in Kentucky to have David as your personal blacksmith. You can  email him and he will work with you to make just the piece that you need. He can ship it to you, so your personal blacksmith is as close as your computer.