Remodelista

My friend Eric Gower, the Breakaway Cook, taught me the importance of keeping a small bowl of salt and ground pepper by the stove for easy seasoning (use an electric coffee grinder on the peppercorns). This mahogany Spice Block, handmade by Brooklyn-based Domestic Aesthetic from recycled wood, does the trick; $56 from Branch Home (order before December 21 and get 20 percent off; enter "friend" at checkout).