february organization project: the pantry

Feb 2

this month i’ve decided to tackle a big problem area in our home – the pantry. i’m sure i’m not alone in this one! this tends to be a high traffic area of our home and imagine it’s the case in your home, as well. even if you don’t have a walk-in pantry, cabinets and drawers can easily become disorganized because we make meals and snacks 3-5 times a day.

we are so grateful to have a walk-in pantry in this home. thankfully, there is a door that closes so no one has to know my little disorganization secret. the problem is not only that things are in disarray with seemingly no order, but our pantry is also not being used to its full potential. there are plenty of other things scattered through our kitchen cabinets and laundry room that could make a great home in the pantry. thus, freeing up more space in other areas.

have a look…these photos have been taken over the last few weeks – some even back in December when i was trying to figure out a plan of action…

we have a lot of shelving, which is awesome….however, if you look up you will notice the shelving stops and there is several feet of wasted open space around the perimeter…

not only do we have a lot of room around the top, but also along the bottom…

ideally, i wouldn’t want anything on the bottom – unless it’s non food items. i prefer nothing be on the floor since we have all of that shelving. a clear floor space also makes for easy floor cleaning when we clean the hardwoods.

we store all of our wine in the pantry…here on this top shelf…

my husband would like to invest in something to house the wine – but not a wine fridge….

and then there is all of the open shelving…

this open space makes it too easy for the shelves to become a dumping ground…and items end up sitting with other non-like items….

we keep non-food items in here as well – like ziploc bags and lunch bags…

i currently have a few small baskets. this one up top holds all of our treats. it’s up high and out of the kids reach…

these 2 down here hold snacks that are ok for grabbing. we were VERY low on those when i snapped this photo. normally the basket is overflowing with all sorts of good, healthy snacks…

 

ultimately, i would love to have baskets with cute labels. that way, the pantry is more appealing to look at when you open the door. the baskets will contain all of the baking items, pastas, small misc items, crackers, condiments, etc. that way most of the items would have a place to live. this would also alleviate the issue of questions…where is this? or where is that?

some of the bigger items, like chips and canned goods can stay directly on the shelves….

since most projects start from inspiration, i thought i would share some of my favorite pantry inspiration photos. wow – there are some absolutely amazing pantries out there!

i love this one! look at those hide-away pocket doors and the built-in counter with baskets underneath. love love it!

i love everything about this pantry – the color, the shelving, the lighting, the flooring…and the ladder!? awesome…

uuummm, yes please! where can you sign me up for this pantry??!!..

i’m such a sucker for an all white and clean-looking pantry or kitchen. i love the drawers, the cabinet with glass doors, and the built-in countertop – love everything!

this one is beautiful and highly organized – but that is just screaming for trouble in my home with 6 little hands. i can still dream about it though – isn’t it pretty!?…

i love the added beauty in this pantry between all of the shelving…

she did that with gray paint and the white design is actually vinyl! now that i have discovered that option, maybe i’ll add some color to our pantry, too!

there is no shortage of inspiration and i could continue sharing all day!

so, this month i am on a mission to organize and beautify our pantry. and i’m going to do it on a very small budget! michael’s and another local craft store have great sales on baskets. i’m going to spend time researching baskets, organization supplies and shelving (for that big open space along the top) in the coming weeks. as my project moves along i’ll share a progress report with you. then (hopefully!) by months end, we’ll have an amazing pantry to share!

are you planning any big home projects this month? tell us about it!

 

(i’ve linked this project with org junkieΒ and clean & scentsible)

comments +

  1. Nadia says:

    Good Luck I am sure you will do a fabulous job!

  2. Warrior MAMA says:

    Samantha-

    I can't wait to see your beautiful creations! I love taking a space other's feel is already "organized" and then really getting fun with my baskets, etc.

    Unfortunately the space I am currently organizing {the storage room} is not up for the cute award. I am in PURGE city!

    πŸ™‚
    Lisa

    • Lisa, you are so funny! Love it! Do you have a blog where I can see your progress with the storage room? I love reading those kids of stories!

      Thanks for the nice comment!!

  3. Heidi says:

    Samantha —

    Excited to see what you have planned since I'm doing my pantry as well. I do have to say that I'm hoping that my pantry looks like yours when I'm finished. "Out of sight out of mind" has worked well for me but I'm on a mission.

    Good luck! … and I'll be watching you! LOL
    Heidi

    • Heidi, thank you so much for the sweet comment and stopping by here! You are too kind – my before shots were so embarrassing to share! I can't believe how random everything looks in there! I do feed my children and hope my pantry doesn't look like it's bare bones. haha!

      Are you blogging about your pantry anywhere? I would love to read about it so share your blog address with me – or come back and share the pics here!

  4. Is says:

    Hi Samantha! Stopping by from A bowl full of lemons link party. Your pantry is great, I love walk-in pantries, and yours looks as nice as the ones you were inspired by!
    I'm following you now, come and visit my blog!
    Greetings from Spain
    http://www.handmadebyizz.blogspot.com/

    • From Spain? I am so jealous!!! Thank you so much for stopping by! I will definitely be checking out your blog, as well. Thank you for the kind comment! Thank you for following me, too. All the best from the U.S.!

  5. Just found your blog tonight, I am your newest follower πŸ™‚ Your pantry looks almost exactly like mine. I love your inspiration photos! I went pin crazy! Please stop by my blog and follow if you like.
    Blessings,
    Diana –

    http://AnyoneCanDecorate.blogspot.com

    • hi diana! thank you so much for taking a moment to stop by my blog AND leave me a sweet comment! thank you!!! since our pantries look almost the same, i hope i can inspire you with yours. i'm a little worried about the end result, because as i said i am always second guessing my moves when it comes to paint. but i am really excited to have a more organized pantry where everything is in easy to understand categories. everything is pretty much all over the place right now! πŸ˜‰ thanks again!!! off to check your blog now!

  6. I wish I had a pantry at all. Yours looks very organized. I just can't get enough of organized pantry pictures.

    • thank you! it *looks* organized but its contents have no rhyme or reason. i am hoping to gather like items together through this process. i love looking at pantries too – it never gets old!

  7. girlofgrace says:

    Oh you have such a wonderful space. I just found your blog thanks to orgjunkie.com whom I adore! I love that you have a blank slate. House of Smiths is my absolute favorite, she did an amazing job and a I cannot wait to see how yours turns out. Maybe I can be motivated by all of you creative women! Good luck!

    • girlofgrace, thank you so much for your kind comments! i love orgjunkie too! i'm nervous that our pantry won't be completed by the end of the month – things keep popping up. you know how that goes. but she has been so reassuring! thank you! i hope you will come back to see how it all turned out. i'm worried!!! πŸ˜‰

  8. InMyOwnStyle says:

    Hi Samantha – Thanks for linking up your post to the blog crush party. There are so many great looking pantries out there – love your inspiration photos and the House of Smiths is now a classic! Enjoy getting yours done.

    • hi! thank you for coming over to see me here. yes, there are many many awesome looking pantries out there. was hard to narrow my own design focus because i love them all! but, yes – the house of smiths is one of my favorite blogs and i love their pantry! thank you – i will enjoy getting our pantry completed. we are 99% there and can't wait to share the big reveal soon! hope you'll come back to see it and share your thoughts with me! and i love your blog too!!!! πŸ˜‰

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