MNN - Mother Nature Network

While visiting a very rainy Boston this past weekend, I popped into my favorite home furnishing store in the Hub, the expertly curated Lekker. I’ve always trusted Lekker to have reliably great merch up for grabs -- I’m wild about the Rack oh Deer coat rack that gives urban apartments a countrified edge -- and this time around a certain kitchen accessory caught my eye. 

The Mikoto Knife Blocks -- designed in France by Ekobo and made with bamboo in Vietnam by local artisans -- fill the dearth of masculine, functional, design-forward sustainable accessories for the home that don’t fall into the often dubious gadget category.

The bamboo boxes -- available in three sizes and in a range of colors including black, white, red, mandarin, and lime -- are crafted from bamboo and filled with hundreds of bamboo skewers that safely support knives of various sizes without dulling the blades. It can be irksome slipping knives back into the size-appropriate slots in traditional blocks…this cutting edge kitchen staple renders cutlery storage annoyances a thing of the past.

In terms of holiday gifting, the knife blocks are sure to please light green Martha Stewart-esque mommas and dads looking for sleek but not particularly showy places to store carving accoutrement for the holiday roast.

Aside from Lekker, I’ve also spotted a similar version of the knife blocks over at VivaTerra with a more limited selection of colors and sizes and lower price points.

Image via Lekker