Knives usually end up hidden in a drawer; here are five ways to stow your kitchen arsenal in plain sight.

Above: Fitzhugh Karol and Lyndsay Caleo, partners in the Brooklyn Home Company, added a clever kitchen addition to their brownstone in Brooklyn, a custom island of sapele wood with a built-in knife block.

Above: First spotted on AT—a Vancouver couple renovated their kitchen and didn't want the typical magnetic knife strip or a bulky knife block. Instead, they used a $20 Ikea Kraftig cutting board, created holes to fit their knifes, and sunk it into the kitchen counter a knife block (the blades disappear into an empty space beneath the counter).

Above: Kitchen design company Viola Park integrated a knife block into a stainless steel backsplash. The wood block holds 12 knives and is available in walnut, rift-cut white oak, and bamboo; $125.

Above: Kaela Porter writes the blog Local Kitchen and lives in a 1,000-square-foot cottage. Because of space limitations, she needed to come up with a clever storage solution for her knives. She installed a magnetic knife rack at the base of her kitchen cabinet, so the knives are in easy reach.

Above: In a house in the Netherlands, designers Ina & Matt added a built-in knife rack in a work table.

How about making your own knife rack? Have a look at Alexa's recent DIY: Wall-Mounted Leather Knife Rack. For more easy design ideas, go to our Quick Fixes archive.

Looking for a place to store garden tools? On Gardenista, check out a Powder-Coated Steel Tool Rack.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on April 12, 2012 as part of our Kitchen Remodel issue.

More Stories from Remodelista

The perfect summer picnic setting comes with a healthy mix of sun and shade, plus a bit of a breeze. To prevent your tablecloth from turning into a parachute, here are five handy table anchors some of which can be concocted on the spot.

Above: Keep outdoor tablecloths from flying away with a set of Four Metal Pegs of stainless steel; €7,20 from Manufactum in Germany. We first featured the pegs on Gardenista in Steal This Look: The Last Outdoor Dinner of the Season. Another option are Coleman's less heavy-duty but still effective set of six Tablecloth Clamps; $3.49.

Above: Take a tip from paint and color expert Eve Ashcraft and paint a set of rocks and shells natural objects in different colors and patterns. Use the rocks to hold down each corner of the tablecloth on the base.

Above: Alternatively, wrap twine or sisal around heavy stones and hang over the sides to weigh down the tablecloth. Seen on Lush Home.

Above: Enjoy sewing? Take the idea a step further and stitch four pockets into the corners of your tablecloth. Insert small weights to each, a project seen on Creations by Kara.

Above: The Martha Stewart approach is, not surprsingly, a bit more elaborate: she tidily anchors the tablecloth below the table with a few strategically placed grommets and a bungee cord.

To complete the experience, find the The Perfect Picnic Table on Gardenista. And consider making your own DIY: Natural Turmeric-Dyed Tablecloth. Then sift through some of our favorite ways to set the table presented in Gardenista's Photo Gallery.

More Stories from Remodelista

Beyond the standard issue hose hanger; five practical and innovative ideas to detangle the garden hose and keep it off the ground.

Above: The galvanized Steel Hose Hanger from Swiss company Alba Krapf hangs on to any existing tap wall mounting, neatly solving the problem of where to stow the garden hose; €19 at Manufactum.

Above: Old wooden textile spools (found at antique shops and flea markets) bolted to a backyard fence create a hose hangar. Via Sunset.

Above: An industrial-strength steel bracket is bolted to a deck support beam for instant hose storage. Via Modern Cottage.

Above: This Galvanized Bucket bolted to the wall not only serves as a hose hanger, but also as a caddy for the sprinkler (or other gardening implements); $13.99 at Amazon. Go to Martha Stewart for instructions.

Above: Another simple bucket solution: store your hose in a large galvanized wash tub, like the Behrens 35-Gallon Round Steel Tub ($46.80 at Amazon). Via Addicted to Homes.

More Stories from Remodelista

Gift wrapping is one of the easiest ways to personalize a gift. In Japan, the art is known as tsutsumi. In Kunio Ekiguchi's book Gift Wrapping: Creative Ideas from Japan, tsutsumi is described as the "gentle concealment" of the object: "Just as one helps a friend into a coat carefully and courteously, a gift should be wrapped tenderly and conscientiously." In that spirit, we offer up these simple but thoughtful ideas for presenting your present.

Above: A feather adds a flourish to a package discovered via Haus Press. Wrap with White Butcher Paper ($26.12 for a 200-foot roll on Amazon) and Gray Hemp Cord ($6.28 for a spool of 205 feet from Hemptique on Amazon), and attach a Kraft Paper Envelope ($6 for 25 at Jam Paper) and a feather from your nearest coop.

Above: Fresh fir and pine strike a holiday note; photographs via Sunday Suppers. Tie up a brown cardboard box with braided jute twine (Natural Twine is $9.42 for a 325-foot spool at Amazon), and tuck in cypress leaves or acacia florets.

Above: Go monotone with a fresh sprig of rosemary imperfectly wrapped in White Cotton String (a roll of 475 feet is $5.48 on Amazon) against white paper. Photograph courtesy of Love That Party. 

Above: Keep it simple with a reusable cloth bag; photograph via In Haus Press. Charming and affordable, Cotton Drawstring Muslin Bags are $17.90 for 25 from Amazon.

Above: Paint splatter adds a little amusement to kraft paper. To personalize it, attach a Soft White Gift Tag (a pack of 50 is $3 from Etsy seller Prairie Dog Paper Co.) to black string (see below). Photograph by Molly Winters. 

Above: Brown paper packages tied up with string; photograph from Cox and Cox. Black Waxed Twine is $6.24 for a 25-meter spool from Fire Mountain Gems.

Above: Repurpose an old magazine or newspaper by using its pages as gift wrap. Use Shimmery Gold Washi Tape ($3.95 for a roll of 25 feet from PaperChase) and red berries to make it festive. Photograph by Erin Boyle for Reading My Tea Leaves.

For more inspiration, take a look at Having a Moment: Black Gift Wrap. Wondering where to stash your wrapping paper? See 7 Quick Fixes: Wrapping Paper Storage Solutions. 

Looking for gift ideas? Take a look at all our Holiday Gift Guides.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original ran in December 2011 as part of our Christmas Parties issue.

More Stories from Remodelista

Beyond the standard issue hose hanger; five practical and innovative ideas to detangle the garden hose and keep it off the ground.

Above: The galvanized Steel Hose Hanger from Swiss company Alba Krapf hangs on to any existing tap wall mounting, neatly solving the problem of where to stow the garden hose; €19 at Manufactum.

Above: Old wooden textile spools (found at antique shops and flea markets) bolted to a backyard fence create a hose hangar. Via Sunset.

Above: An industrial-strength steel bracket is bolted to a deck support beam for instant hose storage. Via Modern Cottage.

Above: This Galvanized Bucket bolted to the wall not only serves as a hose hanger, but also as a caddy for the sprinkler (or other gardening implements); $13.99 at Amazon. Go to Martha Stewart for instructions.

Above: Another simple bucket solution: store your hose in a large galvanized wash tub, like the Behrens 35-Gallon Round Steel Tub ($46.80 at Amazon). Via Addicted to Homes.

More Stories from Remodelista

Candlelight was the first—and for centuries, only—truly reliable source of flattering illumination at outdoor dinner parties. No more. Here are five up-to-date lanterns, all of which use high-efficiency LEDs to light things up.

Above: Molo Design's Hobo Lanterns owe their glow to light-emitting diodes (doesn't that sound so much more melodious than the acronym "LED"?) inside simple felt bags. With battery packs, they're portable. We'd like an assortment to light the patio this summer; $100 each.

Above: Un Sac de Lumière is a set of four white waxed paper bags and tea lights, all hung with a piece of wire; $16 each.

Above: The rechargeable Portable LED Lantern comes in two colors, white or amber; three levels of brightness can be controlled by touch. It's $79.99 at Mr. Light.

Above: The rechargeable Luau can be dimmed by twisting its base; $199.99 from Oxo.

Above: The battery-powered Soji Solar Lantern is white; a colored LED inside is responsible for the amber glow. We'd hang a cluster in a tree at the far edge of the garden.

Above: Ikea's solar-powered Solvinden Lantern ($14.99) uses the sun to recharge its built-in battery; after nine to twelve hours of sunlight, it will last for up to twelve hours.

(N.B.: Happily, the price has been cut to $17 since the last time we admired it.)

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on March 27, 2012.

More Stories from Remodelista