See how pretty? If you think about it, it also makes good sense. Lab glass is heat resistant, cold-resistant and crack-resistant, and beakers are shaped and marked for cooking practicality. Now I’m craving a couple beakers for my kitchen, too. (I’d also like use them for floral arrangements, like this.)

You can pick up beakers at any scientific supply store or on amazon.

Obviously, this room is a step away from the modern kitchens I like to feature here- it’s an art space and not a home, after all. I certainly couldn’t live with this kitchen as-is, but I think that’s partly due to the cluttered counters and piles of “stuff”. But that recipe-card wall (postcards would work well, too) as the only dash of chaos in a clean, minimalist kitchen? Love.

The look needn’t be limited to the wall, however. There are lots of options for using this cheap DIY design idea- check out some of my favourites here.

The whole wall works well in a loft-style space, like in this image from the photostream of chutes and ladders:

From the photostream of ooh_food, I love this charming eating area. The section of blackboard wall behind the table adds the perfect touch of whimsy:

If painting the walls isn’t an option, how about a piece of furniture? No.8′s Vintage Blackboard Cabinet (found via Ohdeedoh) comes ready-painted, and has the added bonus of being movable to another room:

For just a touch of the trend, I like this blackboard-painted range hood from This Old House:

I like this idea from Living etc: use a section of wall as a calendar/organizer! Pretty and practical:

From the same source, the pantry door option might be my favourite. It keeps the trend limited to a small space, but still has impact:

Until I saw this at La Dolce Vita this week, I’d never thought to do anything about my bottle of dish soap, though. The photo is from the kitchen of Brooklyn Limestone, a fab reno blog that I read occasionally, and a little research taught me that the idea came from the incomparable Martha Stewart. 

I think this is a great idea, especially if you can get as pretty a bottle as the one above. I imagine a pump-style would work better, though, so I’m on the hunt for one of those. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

I found this great rollaway nook while browsing the galleries over at Living etc. It rolls out when you need it, and back in when you don’t. What a great idea for seldom-used appliances, too.