6 Clever Ways to Use Pegboards in Any Space

Lots of coffee breaks are a WFH perk for Chicago blogger Mara Greenwald (@designevolving). But when her collection of mugs began to take over her apartment’s little kitchen, she hit the wall. Mara had a pegboard cut to size at The Home Depot, painted it Black by Behr, and neatly arranged peg hooks. “I cook a lot, and I’m glad I didn’t have to sacrifice counter space,” she says. An unexpected benefit is the buzz she gets from her colorful new display.

A narrow wall in the decorator’s home in Des Moines, Iowa, found its calling when it got a pegboard. “I have pans within reach and vintage treasures up top,” says Ruthie Jackson (@miracleonthirtyfourth). She had a pro who was working on her kitchen frame a pegboard, then Ruthie painted it the same color as the walls (Black Forest Green by Benjamin Moore). Hot tip: “If paint builds up in the holes, clear them with cotton swabs or you won’t be able to push in S-hooks.”

Tired of rummaging through a Mary Poppins–like tool bag for projects, DIYer Tresha Armstrong (@designsbytresha) of Woodbridge, Virginia, made magic out of two galvanized steel pegboards from Amazon. After hanging them with drywall anchors so they were secure, she outlined geometric shapes with painter’s tape and filled them in with black, white and pink crafts paint by FolkArt. “I love the modern, industrial feel the board brings to my crafting room,” she says.

The constant pileup of jackets, shoes and baseball caps in Kate Van Sluyter's (@kimballmodern) entry was not an attractive look. “A pegboard cut from plywood made the most of our little space and gave me and my partner a place for everything, even sunglasses,” says the Boulder, Colorado, designer. Special touches on a mini shelf — her grandpa’s piggy bank and a potted cactus — make her smile while she’s coming and going.