OUR JULIA CHILD PEGBOARD WALL

We call it the "Julia Wall".

In fact, we have since we bought the farmhouse.  It was this big, blank wall as you walk into the kitchen from the living room.  It was too shallow for a piece of furniture, which would stick out into the path of the doorway.  Shelves would also have to be very shallow and thus not very practical.  The obvious use would be pictures but in a small house, where space is valuable, that just seemed frivolous.  But once the house was painted on the inside and we saw the empty, white kitchen for the first time, we just KNEW we had to have our very own Julia Child inspired wall.  

2nd Man and I were huge fans of the late, great, Julia Child.  We've both read her biography and both watched her on television for years while growing up and then into adulthood.  She inspired both of us to cook, create and enjoy time in the kitchen.  And one thing we always noticed in the background of all of her kitchens was her pegboard wall filled with cookware:

They were there at the beginning of her career...

Then in the middle of her career...

And even in her later years...the pegboard was ever present.

It was a constant.  A welcoming reminder that the kitchen is the heart of the home.  There was something so warm about them, so personal.  They also seemed magical, as you looked at all the pans and pots and tools and gadgets you would wonder what amazing foods they could create.  Her husband actually did hers for her to help her stay more organized, to remember where things went after they were used, and to have them easily accessible.  They, along with the rest of her kitchen, became so iconic that all are included in the Smithsonian Institution, exactly, inch for inch, pan for pan, whisk for whisk, as they were in her home before she moved and retired.

It all just seemed so practical, we knew we had to have our own magical pegboard space in the kitchen.

Here is the wall I was talking about.  See?  Big, blank and just crying out for something.  But you can see the door frame of the living room (on the right in this photo).  No piece of furniture or shelving would fit here.  And pictures, while pretty, would just waste the valuable space.

So I found this awesome METAL PEGBOARD.  It's made by Wall Control and in the past, they sold it for use in garages, but now it has also spread to other rooms of the home. Best of all, it's powdered coated in a bright, farmhouse red color.  It should stand up to years of use and abuse without scratching the paint off when pots and pans and utensils are constantly moved around.  So this weekend, I cranked down the a/c and spent a couple of hours getting this put up.

AND HERE IS THE END RESULT...

Of course, these aren't the final position of things and not everything we will hang.  We wanted to put up a few things just to get a feel for the look and convenience of  having items so accessible.  When we get ready, we'll take everything off and then as we use the space, it will evolve.  Naturally, 2nd Man is already eyeballing more cast iron pans.  We have several in the city, so we might take some more out there.

Red Julia Child Kitchen Pegboard

This is what it looks like when you walk from the living room and into the kitchen.  It definitely makes an impression and is the focal point of the room.

I think, and hope,  Julia would be proud...