This Is the Most Unexpected Spot To Hang a Pegboard for Pot Storage (It’s Basically out of Sight!)

Experts encourage people to think outside the box regarding storage in smaller homes — especially in the kitchen. Take it from my experience: There are only three and a half cabinets in my tiny Manhattan kitchen, so I have to be precious about what goes into the cupboards. 

I’ve learned that you should always take advantage of vertical space on walls, and to me that’s always encouraged me to look upwards. But what if I was looking in the wrong direction? When I came across Nik Sparks and Christine Leahy’s kitchen in their dreamy Brooklyn loft, a totally new concept was unlocked in my brain. 

When the couple moved into the rental loft, there wasn’t a ton of existing counter space or storage opportunities in the kitchen. “The original kitchen had almost no counter space and builder-grade cabinetry that really served as an illusion of storage rather than a functional space,” Christine said at the time of the tour.

Besides installing a kitchen island, Nik and Christine added plywood fronts to the existing MDF open shelving and created the most aesthetically pleasing spice wall on the side of their refrigerator. Personally, the star of the show is the genius pegboard placement — mainly because of its subtlety. 

Instead of placing it in the middle of the wall, as you might typically expect, they put it closer to the ground. This way, it’s still easily accessible, but the placement makes it feel more out of sight even though it’s obviously visible. Especially if you’re standing in the living room or sitting at the bar, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to spot it. 

As someone who appreciates the look of organized spaces but realizes that space is sometimes limited (and can, therefore, look more cluttered), this pegboard placement really spoke to me. It doesn’t have to just be for pots and pans, either. You could apply this placement to truly any room in your house — as long as it’s safe for animals and young kids to be around. 

To see more of Christine and Nik’s gorgeous and clever apartment, visit the full House Tour.