a better spice rack?  

a better knife block
I use (and I gave the slanted unit to my sister) the straight Eva Solo knife block. The positive feature of these units is that the insides are removable for cleaning.
I bouhgt the bulk of the JA Henckels Five Star collection. I like the ergonomic handle design. and the German quality.
As for the pepper mill, Olive is correct, and my favorite for the table is the Paolo Pagani unit for Alessi. I have all the other Alessi-Twergi pepper mills as well as a salt mill and a chili grinder. They all look great. For use in the kitchen the Peugeot salt and pepper mills rule.
I just love to shop and there is never enough.

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Remove the magnet from your old hard drive (very strong) for hanging knives.

ah needs and wants... perhaps...
ah needs and wants... perhaps I should just keep using the ones I've got, the food still tastes good.
Love this spoon and bowl, know just how to make the spoon too.

Heath
Your design reminds me of this Catherine Holm spice reck we have which is pretty nice. But there are practical considerations that could be improved on, like the ability to label the jars so you know which spice is inside.

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Its all the seperate bottles, capping and unscrewing and labeling that shits me...maybe its just the way it is.
I wonder if some good wider flatter glass jars with printed out labels (Helvetica neue on some white card) that is rolled up and inserted inside the jar would spring out, absorb any excess moisture and block light? Recycled soft drink bottles, jam jars...wood lids with an O ring to seal?
A bit like this but consistent and not so retro f^%king twee.

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I have a set of these packed away somewhere. Considered them for
spices but i don't mind the original containers. I just gather depending
on the dish and use mostly whole spice and grind at the far end of the
counter. Once you have a system down, it is just part of the process.
I did receive the massive, maddening, Dean and Deluca tin set as a house
warming. We did build a wall rack in cedar to keep them out and visible.
listed on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/1-1-ALUMINUM-TINS-CLEAR-TOPS/dp/B002UZFDO6/ref=sr_...

This looks simple enough..
~

spice carousel?
Sounds like a "spice carousel" might be the thing you desire-- a turn of the dial dispenses a 1/4 teaspoon. It's no beauty, but it eliminates the need to unscrew lids, and is mountable to hang under cabinets.

Gack!
That thing's hideous! There just must be a better way than that fugly thing!
As for knives, I've got Wustofs that are 20+yrs old at this point and they are holding up incredibly well considering the daily use/abuse they get. But I gotta admit Global knives are indeed "bitchin"

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Never, besides being ugly I'm trying to use less plastic...this global knife set is more to my budget, love to cook but not so much as to throw a few krugerrand at some Wusthofs.
Kitchen gear...new fetish.
http://www.yourhomedepot.com.au/products/global/4-piece-chef-s-set-with-...

That's a nice set, Heath.
And a really good price. If you're tempted to also buy the Global sharpening stone, or the ceramic or diamond steel, I hope you'll at least look at the EdgePro Apex first. It's the finest sharpening tool I've ever used, and I've used them all -- the Global stones and both steels, the MinoSharp rollers, the Spyderco Sharpmaker, etc. Ben Dale, the designer of the Apex, really knows what he's doing.
http://www.edgeproinc.com

Why knife blocks suck.
Let me count the ways...
1. They're rarely deep enough for 10" knives, and never deep enough for 12" knives.
2. If you keep kosher or have some other reason for preventing two sets of knives from coming into contact with each other, you'll need to buy two blocks even if each is less than half-full.
3. Blocks with slots cut in various sizes only work with knives that fit in those slots. Have two wide knives? Too bad, there's only one wide slot. Have a cleaver? It has to go somewhere else. The distribution of knife widths in your collection is pre-ordained by the manufacturer of your block.
4. Angled blocks must have shorter slots in front than in back, so the distribution of knife LENGTHS in your collection has been decided for you, too.
5. Blocks with pre-cut slots only hold as many knives as there are slots.
6. Stuff falls into the slots and stays there forever. Put a wet knife in the block and you may get mold. Put a soapy knife in the block and you'll draw it out a half-dozen times with soap on the blade. Put a dirty knife in the block and god knows what'll be growing in there next week.
7. If you have carbon steel knives, your block must be kept away from moisture to avoid rust.
8. Straight blocks like Niceguy's force you to remove the knives by pulling straight up. This is probably awkward for short people, and it also means that the block can't live on a counter under a cabinet.
9. Accidentally twist the knife or catch its heel on the slot as you're removing it, or miss the slot as you're replacing it, or get a little tipsy and bump into the block or the knife handles -- or do any of the other clumsy things that people occasionally do -- and you're likely to knock the thing over. When you do, the knives will fall out. If the block is angled and you tip it forward, the knives will probably FLY out. Toward you. I saw this happen once and it was terrifying: A couple of the knives skittered across the counter and fell to the floor right next to my roommate's bare feet.
10. Blocks live on countertops, which means children can reach them... Or worse, can ALMOST reach them. I don't ever want to see a child on tiptoes reaching over the edge of a counter to tug on a block full of knives.
11. Blocks hide your knives. This is not only aesthetically disappointing, but also a usability problem: You have to pull each knife out just to see whether it's the one you want. Differently-shaped handles help, but there are only so many different shapes. Always putting each knife into the same slot helps, but that isn't easy with blocks like Niceguy's which don't have well-defined pre-sized slots... And neither of those hints will help anyone who's new to your kitchen.
Ok, I'm tired so I'll stop there. Hang your knives on magnets.

HA, you know I totally agree...
HA, you know I totally agree though never thought about it, when I first got this set it came with a block and I used it for 2 days and promptly threw it in the junk room, thinking, well this is bullshit...but I've never thought about it.
I will buy the Global set I linked to, just right and if I want to buy the odd extra knife as I need to thats fine.
What mortar and pestle? I really want a marble block for kneading and pastry, they used to be common and cheap but no more...might have to go for a wander to the stone mason, have a lovely green granite block in storage but not sure if its sealed...

Small colored wire bail jars...
Small colored wire bail jars is what I keep mine in. They're all kept in a cabinet, so they don't need to be in solid containers to avoid quicker oxidation.

I really want something that ...
I really want something that I don't have to rummage for, have had another thought about the pencil box, open all at once idea, see what happens, will ruminate.