Look! DIY Spice Rack

We love it when our readers send us their DIY projects, and AT:LA reader found inspiration from her favourite Dean & Deluca spice organizer for her own collection of herbs and spices that will undoubtedly aid her with any Kitchn inspired recipes and is a great inspiration to get our own spices better organized. More lovely photos and instructions under the cut...

Inspiration comes from this spice rack from Dean & Deluca. Cost for the spice rack is about $145 for a small size spice rack.

I found these shelf inserts for only $3.99 at Ikea. and bought a bunch of metallic tins with a magnetic bottom from Bed Bath and Beyond for $1.99 each. The total for about 17 spices and shelf insert is a little under $40, not bad for how the results turned out!

I bought the spices from the Spice House in Evanston and I added clear labels to each metallic tin.

And the final result:

Comments (16)

Cool -- I did something similar, only with seemless tins from the Container Store (identical to the Dean & Deluca ones), and my label maker with plain old labels. Oh -- and spices from Penzey's.

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?searchId=12776567&itemIndex=1&CATID=262&PRODID=62104

posted by mschatelaine on February 6th 2008 at 8:33am
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A friend of mine also did something similar: she put the labels on the top of the can and used the magnetic bottoms to put them on her refrigerator door. It's a great way to save counter space in a small kitchen.

posted by jolly on February 6th 2008 at 8:41am
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What is the name of the font used for the labels? It's pretty. Thanks.

posted by Pteetsa on February 6th 2008 at 8:51am
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Lovely lovely job LA reader. You could probably glue magnets in the bottom of the tins and do a nice wall collage in the kitchen with your spices :-) Space saver YOu would need clear round labels for the top - but I don't think they make them in clear and round... :-(

posted by Anusha73 on February 6th 2008 at 8:57am
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Oh wow. I've been wanting to do this for years!

posted by CapitolHille on February 6th 2008 at 10:29am
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Great idea.

posted by hrhprincessfiona on February 6th 2008 at 11:13am
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Oh, this is lovely.

posted by Cassis on February 6th 2008 at 2:24pm
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Thanks everyone! I originally stuck the magnetic spice tins to the fridge and I moved them over to the counter because we had some leftover space. The font type is called "fling" and it's the same one they use for Blueprint magazine.

posted by sugarpond on February 6th 2008 at 4:49pm
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If you don't have the time to make your own rack, or prefer to buy regular spices from the grocery, try SpiceStack! Its a new spice organizer that holds 27 bottles in your kitchen cabinet (away from heat and light) so it won't take up space on your countertop. SpiceStack's drop-down drawer design allows you to find your spices fast while cooking. $29.95 plus S&H - Check it out at www.SpiceStack.com.

Happy Organizing!

posted by Lauren Elizabeth on February 7th 2008 at 5:33am
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Thanks, Sugarpond, for the font info!

Lauren, I bought one of your SpiceStacks. It is great - really did organize my spices. Very clever idea.

posted by Pteetsa on February 7th 2008 at 7:44am
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I have been using the same spice tins from bed, bath, & beyond for about a year now on my refrigerator (yes I did the whole label w/ the label maker).... however, I am in the process of finding new spice containers because after a while, these containers start to stick and rust...I have the hardest time getting the lids off and when I do... half the time the spices in them go flying onto the floor. I love the idea, but they don't hold up, especially if you are a heavy cooker like I am.

posted by BrookeinBoston on February 7th 2008 at 10:08am
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OH and I have the hardest time keeping the plastic lids clean... ugh

posted by BrookeinBoston on February 7th 2008 at 10:09am
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Very, very nice!

posted by moneylender on February 7th 2008 at 12:19pm
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The labels are stunning. Did you create them yourself, and, if so, what is the font? Thanks.

posted by LauraE on March 11th 2008 at 1:05pm
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Count me in on the rusting, too. Trying to find some tins with a screw top - I've given up on the pull on-off ones. The good ones only seem to come with a rack!

posted by feathers on October 28th 2008 at 12:03pm
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DIY spice rack? I'm hoping to use the wooden slats of my retired computer table to build a set of shelves for my collection of recycled jars and second hand spice pots. It may fall apart but it's worth trying and it won't cost a bean! Because I want to make it myself, I was drawn to reading this blog. However, I don't mean to criticise but, WHAT DIY? That's like going out and buying a blouse and skirt, and calling them homemade because you chose to wear them together, isn't it?

posted by AcrossThePond on June 16th 2009 at 6:47pm
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