My favorite products are the ones that are the most simple, and can do more than one job.  Like most families, we are on a limited budget, with many evolving needs.   So when we do invest in something new, it needs to first be useful (there are way to many products out there that are not), and if possible be useful for more than one thing.   A place where this is especially true for us is in the kitchen.  We spend the vast majority of our time there.  Food is getting prepared or cleaned up, toys are flying around on the hard floor, homework or coloring is going on at the table, and three small girls are constantly running in and out at top speed.   The tools related to all these activities are strewn around everywhere.  Anything that can help organize and streamline the processes here are greatly appreciated.

One of the first things we ever purchased from Ikea was the stainless steel Grundtal Rail system.   Specifically for use in the kitchen and restrooms, it can pretty much be used anywhere for anything.  Pot and pan hangers, utensil storage, towel racks, shelving, drying racks, tool holders, shoe racks, the list goes on and on.  It can be mounted to the wall, to the ceiling, to the underside of cupboards, and either horizontally or vertically.  It is a really open system that can adapt to almost any use.  Be sure you aren’t exceeding any weight limits, and that you are using correct anchors and you are off and running.

Assembly:  Because it is either a single rail, or a set of rails, install is about as simple as it gets.  One connection point on either end of the rails to the mounting brackets (for which Ikea supplies a tiny wrench).  And two connection points on each bracket to the wall.  The small screws that attach the ends of each rail to the mounting brackets are not very big, but seem to be enough to hold the recommended weight limits.   And since Ikea does not supply the hardware for attaching anything to a wall, you can chose how sturdy you need the wall anchors to be when you purchase them separately (Ikea does sell sets of drywall anchors/hardware separately).   If you are inexperienced in that area, find a rep at your local hardware store and they will point you in the right direction.  While the installation is relatively easy, you will want to double check to make sure your mounting points on the wall are level before you go drilling four holes and inserting any anchors your are using.

We have been using this systems now for a couple years without any problems.  I am very careful to mind the weight limits given by Ikea, because although they are very sturdy, I imagine it would be easy to bend the rails over time, or all at once if they are in reach of small grabby hands that like to climb (the full image with the hammers below showed a rail with a slight bend from the weight of all the tools in the center).  Some of the hanging shelves/racks for the Grundtal Rails use very small screws, which can become lose but this has not been an issue for us other than an occasional tightening of all screws.  These shelves have proven themselves very useful for us, and extremely adaptable.  They are easy to install, and easy to clean and maintain.  My only worry would be losing a small screw from the end of a rail, or the even smaller screws for the suspended spice shelves, and not being able to find a replacement at the local hardware store.

Images via Dwell, Flickr, & Ikea