Flatware

In an ideal kitchen, you have plenty of space to store all your utensils, containers, pots, pans, and flatware. But if you’re a renter or in need of a kitchen remodel, you might not be that lucky — which means you’ll have to get creative. Finding creative solutions for storing your flatware can be a challenge, but we’ve rounded up 10 options that should fit almost every kitchen scenario imaginable.

I travel a lot for work and fun, and shopping while abroad is one of my favorite things to do. With all the idiosyncratic treasures out there to be had, and the thrill of the hunt, bargain, and score, I actually prefer shopping in foreign locales! Plus, the items I bring home evoke fond memories every time I use them. Here are the five souvenirs I always bring home in my suitcase. I love tea and the magic of tea salons all over the world, so whenever I go somewhere, I seek out these hideaways.

You see the picture, so I don’t need need to explain what this is, but I’m going to anyway. A standing knife. I repeat: a standing knife. In other words, a knife that doesn’t leave a mess of peanut butter or jam or cream cheese all over your countertop. The future is here, people. I should be clear and say that this is really a spreader knife, not a regular dining knife.

When we got married, my aunt gave us two sterling silver iced tea spoons, promising I could use them for so much more than tea. Which is good, because — get ready to take away my Southern card — I don’t like iced tea. I know. But my aunt was right. These spoons are good for so much more. This Mother’s Day, maybe your mom would love to put her feet up on the ottoman and sip a lovely glass of lavender iced tea with lemon.

When our kids (now 16, 13, and 8 — how did that happen?) were little, I loved the sheer cuteness of Ikea’s set of kids’ stainless steel flatware. In all honesty, they didn’t get much use, since by the time the kids were eating food that required them, they were big enough to use adult-sized cutlery. But this little set of flatware still gets a lot of play in our house — at cocktail parties.

This week we’re doing a bit of a deep dive into some of the current trends in wedding registries. After all, we’re just a few weeks away from the official start of wedding season. Registry site Zola has given us a look at the most popular items that couples on their site are registering for, and when we saw the number-one pick last month, we were kind of blown away. Any guesses as to what it might be? Did you guess gold flatware? Neither did we.