Hanging Mugs From The Ceiling: Smart Storage Solution Or An Accident Waiting To Happen?

Bringing your favorite cups out of the cupboard and into the open can not only free up tons of cabinet space, but also allows you to show off your coffee and tea mug collection — be it delicate vintage teacups or fun novelty mugs. There are numerous mug storage ideas that don't take up cabinet space, available from retailers or DIY-style. Popular options include free-standing mug trees and expansive racks that allow you to display dozens of mugs on the wall. There is, however, another spot you may not have considered for mug storage. In a recent episode of HGTV's "Flipping Showdown," the show's crew stumbled onto a huge collection of mugs hung from the basement ceiling of a fixer-upper, using a complex mix of screw hooks, chains, and wires. How useful this means of storage was in terms of safety can easily be debated, but there are some ways you could take advantage of this often underutilized vertical space more securely.

Since this dramatic display of overhead mug storage was in the basement and not the kitchen, it was likely intended for visual display purposes more than functional use. Hanging mugs in a basement could be subject not only to breakage (think vibrations from the floor above), but the space could also invite dust, debris, and pests you wouldn't want in your drink. There are ways, however, to make a similar idea work in your kitchen that are safer and more functional for both you and the cups.

While suspending teacups from the ceiling itself may seem, at worst a hazard, and at best inaccessible, you can definitely consider more strategic ways to take advantage of the vertical space in your kitchen if you need somewhere to stash your mugs. Better options include mounting cup hooks on the undersides of cabinets or overhead soffits that are still within easy reach. Or try a strip of cup hooks on a rack at the top of your window or underneath a highly-placed floating shelf that's strong enough to hold kitchen supplies. To get maximum use of space overhead, hang a pot rack from your ceiling with hooks and add your mugs to that. You can even use a repurposed piece for the project like an iron grate, fence panel, ladder, or antique window with attached hooks.

If you love the visual idea of hanging teacups from the ceiling itself, a better approach is to hang them from twine, chain, or wire with small S-hooks at the bottom, ideally in a spot with no traffic and less chance of breakage, like over a coffee bar or center island where they are not in the way. You could also suspend a chain from the ceiling in an unused corner, add some hooks, and hang your mugs along it vertically for easy access.

If you want to incorporate pretty cups or mugs into overhead space for purely cosmetic reasons, there are a number of clever ways to repurpose teacups as lighting that can get your mugs in the air. You can make a whimsical teacup chandelier or hanging teacup lights by drilling holes and stringing electrical wiring through the base of each teacup.