During my travels through the Northeast last week, I spent a few nights at my mom’s lifelong best friend Lisa’s house. Lisa admits she’s not much of a foodie, but her husband Stephen is all about it, as evidenced by their fabulous kitchen.

In addition to a massive island topped entirely with wood cutting block (swoon!), they’ve got not one but two big stainless sinks, a gorgeous gas range with storage space directly below the tiled vent hood above, and an overhead rack big enough to hang every pot and pan they own, along with some ladles and wire sieves.

When I grow up, I want one of these hanging racks. Is there anything more tedious to cram into cabinets than our pot and pan collections? They’re heavy, they’re loud, they have to face just the right way so that the handles don’t stick out at odd angles, and there’s always one that doesn’t fit quite right with the rest.

Plus, I’ll just go ahead and say it, I’m lazy. Frankly if the pan I really want to use is at the bottom of the stack or shoved way in the back behind all the rest, I’ll just as soon resort to using the one on top than taking the time to pull everything out and fish out the one I want.

Hanging pots and pans not only offers much easier access, but it also frees up larger storage spaces, which goes especially far when you’re an apartment dweller with limited cabinetry.

It also puts our full cookware arsenals on display, making sure we don’t forget about that little sartan pan that always gets buried under the big guys and making it much easier for guests in our kitchen to find what they’re looking for.

Of course, keeping everything out in the open isn’t for everyone. Some might see it as clutter. Or hazardous, for the tall and clumsy folks out there. I love being able to see all of my choices at once, though. I think of it as inviting. And convenient. Which works great for all of us short, lazy folks. Just make sure you hang your stuff within reaching distance!