Asker Rail System

demicent · Sep 22nd, 07, 3:04 pm

Today I finished sealing the tiles on the sink wall backsplash.

I purchased some ASKER items from Ikea: Two hanging rails, two fold down dish drainer shelves, and a white pot, and some hooks.

I also purchased three of the magnetic strips, one for knives and two for spice tins.

The measurement from the bottom of the overhead cabinets to the countertop is 26", about 23.5" from the counter to the bottom of the light rail.

I plan on hanging the suspension rail fairly close to the bottom of the cabinets, maybe 2-3" down. The first plate rack will be hung over the sink, so things can drip in there, or I can stack a few serving bowls on it. So it will be high enough over the sink so as not to interfere with the faucet or rinsing of dishes.

The other rack will hang to the right. I'll toss garlic, and fruits up there that I don't like to refrigerate.

I can't quite figure out where I want to place the three magnetic strips. They need to be high enough off the counter that I can wipe and dust under there. Is there any reason why the spice strips couldn't be mounted vertically, other than looking strange? The little spice tins stick on there just fine either way. The knife rack would probably look better horizontal.

And what the heck can I put in this white pot? If it is only a couple of inches down from the overhead cabinets, top access will be tight. Maybe I can find some kind of hanging succulent plant.

By the way, I can NOT figure out how they got those coffee cups to sit on top of the rail in the Ikea catalog photo above! Looks like my rail will be much too narrow to put anything up there unless maybe I use velcro!

Oh well, I'm just not good at making pretty groupings of elements. If anyone else has used Asker, I'd love to see photos.

Emmie9999 · Sep 22nd, 07, 3:19 pm

You could probably put garlic in the white pot, although a hanging succulent sounds pretty!

I think the coffee cups on that rail are espresso size, FWIW. That's the only thing that might be able to fit up there!

I think the vertical strips could be a really fun look for the spice tins. Can you blue tape them into place, and see how they look? Then you don't have to drill into the tile unnecessarily.

erikakn · Sep 22nd, 07, 3:44 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by demicent

I can't quite figure out where I want to place the three magnetic strips. They need to be high enough off the counter that I can wipe and dust under there. Is there any reason why the spice strips couldn't be mounted vertically, other than looking strange? The little spice tins stick on there just fine either way. The knife rack would probably look better horizontal.

And what the heck can I put in this white pot? If it is only a couple of inches down from the overhead cabinets, top access will be tight. Maybe I can find some kind of hanging succulent plant.

I was also very curious about the Asker Rail system and had hoped others would describe their experience with it. When I finally saw it in person, I was surprised how narrow the rail was--those cups in the catalog must be hobbit-sized espresso cups! Still, it's very handsome.

A couple things I've observed:

1) Horizontal knife racks are perfect. Vertical, however, is a nightmare safety-wise. You're pulling your knifes down and off and don't want to bang into the knife below. Also, the magnetic pull is strong but not so strong to keep the knives perfectly horizontal on their own. We actually tried this in our basement/temporary kitchen. The knives sort of slid at an angle. Vertical spice racks though are a great idea!

2) The white pot that comes with the Asker Rail system is so cute. It would be so adorable to have a little plant--even some some sort of trailing herb--tucked inside.

3) Your kitchen is extraordinary. Do you still think, "Wow. Look what I did." when you're using it? I hope the novelty never wears off when we've completed our reno.

--Cheers,

Erika

kelly · Sep 22nd, 07, 10:17 pm

Could you do basil in that pot? So great to have fresh basil going into the winter...

Raven1025 · Sep 26th, 07, 6:43 pm

I'm not super familiar with the picture in question, but could it be the Asker light? The light is wide enough to hold stuff on top.

We're getting some Asker stuff for our kitchen, and I want to do a couple of the white pots with herbs in them. The question will be whether we have enough space or not. Then, will the poor things get enough light. I like the idea of a plant in them.

demicent · Sep 29th, 07, 4:16 pm

The Asker rail is installed! We still need to hang the magnetic strips for the spice tins and the knives. I want to purchase a few more of the smaller pots also.

There is an Asker light? I didn't know about that.

More pictures and comments in my Blog.

Raven1025 · Sep 29th, 07, 5:42 pm

Yup, there is a light. It is both an under cabinet light and suspension rail. They look cool, but I was told by an Ikean that they are a pain to install. I am still debating whether I want to go with the light or not.

Anyhow, your rail looks good!

No Hawaii Ikea · Mar 1st, 09, 3:16 am

I just installed the Asker light with the suspension rail. Initially, I couldn't install it, but I removed the side cap from the light and slid it on the rail attached to the wall. Once I tapped it in place, I snapped the side cap back on. I really like it but I was frustrated until I figured out this method of attaching the light. This was the only way I could attach it to the rail -- even when the rail wasn't attached to the wall, I couldn't snap the light onto the rail without sliding it on. The other Asker rail systems were easy to attach.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raven1025

Yup, there is a light. It is both an under cabinet light and suspension rail. They look cool, but I was told by an Ikean that they are a pain to install.

macro · Mar 8th, 09, 5:38 pm

Hi No Hawaii Ikea. I just saw the Asker under cab flourescent light with suspension rail and was confused about where it should be exactly installed. Considering the light has the suspension rail, does it have to be installed underneath close to the back of the wall cabinet?

No Hawaii Ikea · Mar 8th, 09, 7:58 pm

There are two ways you can install the light. First, you can attach it to a rail that is attached to the wall. If you do that, you can use the rail to hang hooks, ceramic shelves, etc. I did it this way and placed the light several inches below the bottom of the cabinet. That way, I could use the top of the light for a small shelf to store containers of herbs and spices.

The second way you can install the light is to attach it to the bottom of the cabinet with some clips that are screwed into the bottom of the cabinet. I think if you use the clips, you can't use the rails, although I didn't really look to closely at it because I wanted to use the light for a little shelf.

Quote:

Originally Posted by macro

Hi No Hawaii Ikea. I just saw the Asker under cab flourescent light with suspension rail and was confused about where it should be exactly installed. Considering the light has the suspension rail, does it have to be installed underneath close to the back of the wall cabinet?