Bad Mood Cure

Whenever I find myself slipping gracelessly into a foul mood, I know one unfailing pick-me-up that always inspires me to feel better: big, lap-sized decorating books with their perfectly kept, clean,tasteful, and most of all, peaceful rooms. (I'm currently leaning toward "country" at the moment, whether English, French, or American.) Last week, I found myself particularly inspired by the idea of hanging rods for copper pots and the more modern idea of magnetic strips for utensils. A trip to Ikea produced rods expressly for this purpose, not to mention the magnetic strips that I'm now using for my favorite brand of Watkins spices, which come in pretty metal tins.

Here are the pictures that cultivated my whimsy into necessity (And if you don't cheer up just a little by looking at these kitchens, then I'm afraid there's just no help for you.) :