It’s not often we tell our readers to hit the liquor store, but the crates used to make these wood shelves are freebies from the wine shop. It’s a thrifty way to bring some stylish storage into your cook space. They’re also a cinch to assemble. Just call local wine sellers to see if and when they put crates on the curb for customers. You may need to remove staples and sand rough edges. We used a light-to-medium stain (Minwax in Gunstock) on the wood to ensure that the vintner’s imprint could still be seen. Then we attached them to the wall with iron brackets ($6 each; at home centers) for a storage solution worth raising a glass to.
Tip: Make sure the brackets measure at least two-thirds of the depth of the crate.