I don't have one, but I like the ones I have seen.
If you need lighting as well, I know I saw one in a house that was a combined pot rack and light. That way, you get the best of both worlds....

Here's mine. We used four can lights on each corner. I use it every day.

Do your pots look like this?

Or this?

Or this?

When I took down my PO's pot rack, my neighbor came over and thanked me.

One thing to think about is sight lines across your island. Will the pot rack be in the way visually of a window view, or worse, each other? I have seen pot racks over islands where people standing at the island have to sway back and forth to see each other. On the other hand, if you hang the pot rack higher, then you may have a problem easily reaching the pots.

If storage space is at a premium, then a pot rack is a solution for that. It's sort of in the eye of the beholder whether it looks cluttery, or charming.

Regarding shadows over the island that Wildchild mention - a gorgeous pot rack that comes with lights is by Howard Kaplan. Very french. Very expensive.

Here is a link that might be useful: Howard Kaplan Pot Racks

Wild child raised some good points, but I haven't had an issue with most of them. My pots are a mix of shiny and well-used. I hand wash my stainless/copper, so they look shiny. But I also have my grandmother's cast iron skillet and some well-worn stainless. I like the mix.

We don't get shadows on the island because we placed the lights on the corners. Our island is very bright.

Dh and I are tall, so our pot rack it high. Thus, it doesn't interfere with sight lines.

Finally, our kitchen is small, so we wouldn't have room for all these. And it matches the style of my kitchen, so I love it.

I had a pot rack in a previous home 30 years ago. They haven't improved at all since then. I didn't have room for an island, so I hung it in front of the window as a "valance". It made the room incredibly dark in feel even though there weren't but a few pots hanging from it and the only other window treatment was a sheer across the bottom.

Unless you have good ventilation, the pots will be coated with a greasy film that dust sticks to. (And unless you have good ventilation the rest of your kitchen will be covered with greasy dust as well.) They will also take up a LOT of visual space and block your view. It's like hanging cabinets above your island. You will always feel like ducking and even with some light provided, there will always be shadows on the work surface.

My kitchen was so incredibly tiny that I needed the storage, but I never liked having my pots and pans on display. Plain old Revereware never looks like anything other than it is: functional but not at all decorative. 30 years later, I still have not so pretty but functional pots and pans and I would much rather have a well organized kitchen with plenty of cabinet storage where they would be hidden behind doors.

If you have a tall ceiling with a very bright kitchen with lots of additional artificial lighting and hang the rack almost too tall to use, then it can be a nice decorative element if you have thousands of dollars worth of gorgeous copper pots that you keep maintained.

I have the basic Enclume pot rack. It is small -- about 30x18 and fits well in my small kitchen. I liked it so much in the old kitchen that it just stayed exactly where it was in the new kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I had a pot rack in my last kitchen, necessary due to an apalling lack of cabinet space, especially convenient cabinet space. It was over a peninsula, not an island, and adjacent to the range. It was 4x2, homemade out of copper plumbing pipe. What I found was that dust was not a problem with our frequently used pots and pan. If you are using something even once a week, dust just isn't going to be a big deal. But the stock pot, and the roasting pan that we used less frequently definitely needed to be washed before using.

I have a pot rack again in my current kitchen, a linear one over the perimeter cabs (no uppers). This one is also homemade out of plumbing pipe, but a single 10 ft length of galvanized pipe. So I guess the answer to "would I do it again" is yes. But I only have my frequently-used pots out on this one.

They are visual noise, so if you want a very tidy everything-put-away behind doors look, they are not for you. Better if you like a country or rustic look, or if you want your kitchen to be about function, and you want to have your tools at hand.

I love mine, unequivocally. That said, it's probably because mine is stationed over the end of my peninsula, not in the center of the room over an island, and doesn't interfere with lighting or sight-lines at all. While at the stove, I can just reach over and grab one with my left hand.

I think proximity to the stove is pretty key for keeping it functional rather than decorative.

Unlike Marcolo's pic, ours can be hung with their backs to the wall, so if the sight of a naked used pan bottom offends you, that's one solution for the more prudish among us.

I'm also not sure why some people report layers of heavy grease/dust on theirs -- we don't have layers of grease anywhere on our kitchen surfaces (??). We just hang the pots/pans we use regularly, and none of them stays unused long enough to gather dust. I do give the potrack bar itself a swipe whenever I'm wiping down the cabinets.

LOVE ours, and REALLY love not having to stoop to pull a drawer out to lift up a pan -- we use a lot of cast iron, and these suckers can be heavy. Much easier just to swing it down to the stovetop when needed.

YMMV.

Great rack, vsalz.

Pot racks seem to be something that people either love or hate - & that's something only you can decide. I've had them in various forms for 30+ years & can't imagine owning a functioning kitchen without one but YMMV.

I like the convenience, abhor & despise digging thru stacked cookware, & don't have a problem with cleaning my pans - they're scoured after washing regardless of where they're stored so they're always polished. Currently the rack is in front of a large window next to the range & the grease/dust buildup is no greater than anything else in the kitchen nor is the area noticeably darker because of the rack.

I had a great big Calphalon one in the old kitchen. It was full of cookware, even the giant stock pots hung from it.

When I took it down for the reno, it was as if my kitchen doubled in size.

It was convenient to have every pot handy. But in hindsight, it really did not do anything for the kitchen. And, taller people would hit their head on some pots. I had my stainless/brass pots, the copper ones, the Le Crueset ones. the cast iron skillets, etc.

If you decide you want one, let me know, maybe you don't live far, I've got in the basement with a ton of hooks!

Gee, what a great response. Thanks everyone, this really is a great community. You gave me some great points to consider.
Vsalz I really love your island and the pot rack. How high are your ceilings?
Currently the island has a 1972 huge vent hood protruding from the ceiling. My husband, who never cooks, is always hitting his head on it so I don't think he will be happy with anything hanging over the island. But I still love the look and storage is not an issue.
Beekeepperswife, I may change my mind when the hood comes down and opens the space up, I never thought about that.
I will keep you posted on which way I go thanks again everyone for your knowledge.

More than anything, what I love is the phrase "naked used pan bottom" in circuspeanut's post! I won't say who/what this reminds me of.

FWITIW my opinions are: 1) dual function pot rack/lights disturb me in the same way that dual function ceiling fan/lights do, for some reason -- I almost never see one that wouldn't be improved by taking away the second function 2) If you're going to hang your pots out to dry, they should be gorgeous copper, so be sure and build that into the budget, and 3) it is just a question of time before one of those pots misses its hook and takes a chunk out of the counter beneath, so let your counter be something that tolerates patination....

Lynn

Arbry- my ceilings are only 8 feet (1970s house). My pot rack is actually a piece of decorative iron I bought on clearance at kirklands and spray painted black. Hooks are from Ikea. Part of why I like it is because it is big, almost the size of the island.

"I'm also not sure why some people report layers of heavy grease/dust on theirs -- we don't have layers of grease anywhere on our kitchen surfaces."

If your fan does not vent well (or if you choose not to turn it on), then the steam and any food particles in it go upward and tend to coat anything in the upper extremities of your kitchen. I knew my ceiling had issues and would wash it down occasionally with 409 and a rag. We also had a cabinet where the door was apparently not tight fitting. I found the dishes on that top shelf (seldom used) had become just coated with that thick grimy gunk.

Just want to add my experience with pot racks; I love my pot rack, and have had one in my current and previous homes. I don't have the best spot so it hangs over my sink. On the other hand, my grandmother can't stand my pot rack and complains every time she is at the sink that the pots are in her way (not sure how since she is 4'8" and 93 years old)...to each his own. I admit the lighting is a little bit of an issue coming through the high hats, but the rack is so functional for me that I don't mind as much. I added extra hooks and also store long utensils on the sides. Next month, I am gutting my kitchen; and while I'll gain on the storage space that I currently do not have, I'm not sure if the pot rack will stay or go. It's a big decision, because I too love the look.

Good luck with your kitchen.