Rude Mechanicals Press Blog

I decided some time back that, despite my original plan, I didn’t want cabinets over the sink. Once I removed the old ones (only to reveal yet another an unexpected repair project), I liked the open feeling and how much larger the kitchen seemed. Plus, I already had a lot more storage in place. (And perhaps – just perhaps – I was tired of making plywood boxes.)

So after stapling up some wire mesh, I mixed up some plaster and sand for a first coat, because that dries a great deal more quickly than straight-up plaster. After slapping the stuff into the bulk of the patch, I went back over it to make sure I inset the sand/plaster mix below the finished face of the wall; were it to protrude or be even with the surrounding surface, the sand would make the topcoat more difficult to get smooth. So I erred on the side of caution; it was actually two coats of straight-up plaster to get the patch smooth, looking good and flush with the existing wall. Then, I primed and painted.

But that’s a whole lot of yellow in a whole lot of what looks like wasted space. So here’s the plan: A Shaker-inspired peg/pot rack that runs just below that pesky chimney bump-out from the stove edge of the counter to the wall. I’m thinking maple with a natural finish, with a 3/4″-diameter stainless steel rod between the left counter edge and the sink, and  picks up again for the short run from the sink to the wall. (Seems like a bad idea to hang heavy things over a porcelain sink…and anywhere, that’s where the clock goes.)

On it, I’ll hang just a few pots – more decorative than necessary, really. I now have all but one drawer finished, and more than enough storage space.

But I’ve some concern that the rack will cut the room in half…as did the old cabinets. So I might run a simple peg rail up above it just to break up the area (whether it’s with or without a shelf remains to be seen), then hang another one next to the back door for visual balance in the room. And for coats, natch.

Here’s my quick sketch. While the other components and design are subject to change, the stainless is a definite; it was delivered today.