Best Baker's Racks
Buy the best best baker's racks selected and recommended by interior designers. By Emily Hilton.
When you hear the term Baker’s Racks you might immediately think of big, wire racks full of loaves of bread or other baked goods, and you would not be wrong. But baker’s racks can be so much more. Decorative versions make a beautiful addition to your kitchen. Styles include shelving that fits flat against the wall or neatly into a corner. Some have beautifully tooled metal scrollwork, while others include a butcher block work surface at table height. They can be used for anything you wish, but they do look great loaded with pies, cakes or bread.
Best Baker's Racks
Buying Guide
Emily Hilton
Interior Design Expert
Emily is a young, talented designer, whose professional interests gravitate towards kitchen and dining spaces. She prides herself on her attention to detail, obsession with functionality, and appreciation for craftsmanship.
A baker's rack is a versatile piece of accent furniture for display and storage in a home. When you find yourself trying to make a selection out of the best baker’s racks currently available, here is a step-by-step guide that is guaranteed to cover all the parameters for you.
Here are the main types:
- Standard Baker’s Racks
Standard baker’s racks rest against walls. They are available in a broad range of designs and sizes, and they are capable of being the focal point of a room. They can even help convert small unused spaces into handy work areas.
Because a number of baker’s racks come with open storage shelves, they’re handy for the storage of small appliances e.g. a toaster or blender. They can also incorporate features such as stemware racks, compartments for liquor, and enclosed cabinets. They may come with storage baskets, a serving tray, and drawers.
- Corner Baker’s Racks
Another kind that you should consider is a corner baker’s rack, most especially if space where it is intended is limited or if it will be placed in a room with an awkward shape. A corner baker’s rack is specifically designed to be decorative and functional at the same time.
Although it tends to be small in size, its compact build makes it ideal for the display of pictures, mementos, china, kitchen accessories, and cookbooks. Also, a great place for storing towels, decorative soaps, and bath products, it makes for a charming statement within a guest bedroom or bathroom.
- Storage Baker’s Racks
Combining drawers and shelves with nearly all the features of a standard baker’s rack, storage baker’s racks are perfect places for both the storage and display of collectibles and decorative items in kitchens and family rooms.
Aside from the common storage options like cabinets and drawers, the racks can include decorative plate rails, wine bottle storage, utility hooks, stemware racks, and cup rack holders. They're currently available online in various materials like copper, wrought iron, wood and metal, and all wood.
Since they come in various styles as well, from farmhouse and traditional to contemporary and modern, you shouldn’t have a hard time seeking one that matches with your room décor.
Here are the materials available:
- Genuine Wood
Considered to be a durable material for home furniture including baker’s racks, a unit made of genuine wood will become a beautiful heirloom furniture if it is made from beech, maple or oak. As it does not have the construction of recycled materials, it’s going to cost more.
If your budget allows for a baker’s rack that is made of hardwood, get one with a protective finish in order to minimize damage from use. A resilient finish can also offer easy cleaning and maintenance.
Take note that the terms ‘softwood’ and ‘hardwood’ refer to whether wood used in making the furniture comes from a coniferous or deciduous tree.
- Wrought Iron
Wrought iron is another option, and it’s easy to clean and maintain. It does not house mites or pests, plus it lasts a long time from its unnatural component.
- Copper
Copper is also is hard and tough, which means chips don’t occur. There will be scratches over time, but you can easily polish them or paint them over.
- Engineered Wood
Engineered wood is also available, and baker’s racks made from these have a material construction of wood fibers that are glued together with heat and pressure. They're made of recycled materials and that makes them more affordable in comparison to genuine wood.
With high quality, well-made baker’s racks, they can be relied on in terms of durability. The most common type of engineered wood that is used in making these furniture pieces is MDF or medium density fiberboard. It has the look and feel of real wood.
Wood veneers are made when real wood that is turned into thin slices is adhered to furniture using heat and pressure. As they may be applied to nearly any smooth and flat surface (but often ones that are constructed using recycled materials), they are commonly used in giving furniture the appearance and texture of real solid wood while making sure costs are kept low.
Take a look at these styles:
- Traditional
Traditional baker’s racks are characterized by graceful curves and a medium to dark finish. Classical accents such as leaf motifs and inset panels are reflections of previous trends and past eras like the Victorian era.
A traditional baker’s rack can include ornate detailing like elaborate scrollwork or ornate brass finials.
- Modern
A modern baker’s rack is characterized by a more polished surface and geometric shape. The features of a modern design include asymmetrical detailing and angular lines.
The focus of the style is more on the unit’s form and function. Glass and metal and the most common construction materials.
- Contemporary
As for a contemporary style baker’s rack, it is like modern wherein it is distinguishable from its geometric shapes and clean lines.
However, unlike modern style, it is often** softened by tempered or curved lines**. A baker’s rack with a contemporary style has *a mixture of materials and finishes* that create impact and visual interest.
- Transitional
Transitional baker’s racks merge elements of contemporary and traditional styles. Forms and lines tend to be a lot simpler yet sophisticated at the same time. Its emphasis is on the uncluttered detailing.
Demonstrated by the careful use of lines with the contrast of tapered legs, transitional baker’s racks blend easily with more traditional or contemporary furnishing in complementing indoor décor.
- Country
The last but not the least option is the country baker’s rack, which is a scaled down version of a more traditional piece like Colonial, English Country, or French Provincial. Country style has muted colors, milk-painted woods, a comfortable feel, and simple lines.
It also includes whimsical details such as hand-carved insets, soft, graceful curves, and hand-painted stenciling. Country-style units add tranquil and charm to the atmosphere of a room.