New Uses for Old Metal Grates

Some of the nicer home decor magazines have a column in which an expert will look at photos submitted by readers and answer the question, what is it? Usually it's an antique something or other with a use no longer applicable to today's lifestyle.

I'm puzzled by this approach. I look at something and the first question that pops into my head is what could I do with it? Not what was it, but rather, what could it become?

I found this old grate in a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. And I must admit, I did wonder a bit about its unusual shape, but only after I had come up with several possible current uses.

I see it as a mail/daily paper sorter in a front hall. A wall-hung magazine rack. A coffee filter and mug rack. Even a pot rack in tight quarters. The minimum required pots could hang on the hooks, with the lids being tucked into the space up top.

Maybe asking what could it become just gives me more to think about.