Let’s face it: When it comes to home design and organization, we prioritize the areas that guests see and tend to ignore what’s behind closed doors. As we ignore these spaces, they become more cluttered and we become more stressed. In fact, researchers at Cornell University found that people were more likely to snack on junk food when they were surrounded by a cluttered kitchen. If your kitchen clutter accumulates in the pantry, then this pantry makeover is for you!
All it takes is 3 easy steps to achieve a complete pantry makeover in one weekend.
1. Visualize
First, imagine what you’d like the completed version of your pantry makeover to look and feel like. A Google or Pinterest search is a great way to get ideas, but it’s important to be realistic about the space you’ll be working with. Pull everything out of your pantry. Then, take measurements of the depth, width, and height between the shelves.
2. Organize
Next, it’s time to purge and toss! Look through the items you pulled out of your pantry. Throw away anything that is expired, stale, or has never been used. On a sheet of paper or tablet, take an inventory of what you have and what you need. Then, sketch the most functional order for storing your items.
What items do you use most often? Those should be placed in an easily accessible area around eye-level. Do you have children who need easy access to cereal or after school snacks? Consider placing those items toward the bottom of the pantry. Personally, we keep all of our snack foods on the bottom shelf because out of sight, out of mind, right?
Now you can start organizing what you have. Group like items together. For example, canned goods should all be in one spot. Then, sub-group the items. For example, all of the canned beans should be next to each other. Then, using the measurements you took, look for storage solutions that will maximize your space and make it easier to see what you have.
Here are few photos of the organization solutions we chose:
Displaying products in clear storage makes it easy to see how much of everything you have. It also gives your space a cleaner look than the store bought packaging.
To organize our pantry, we purchased:
- Swing bottles for our vinegar
- Glass oil bottles for our oils
- Glass storage jars with clamp lids for salts
- Spice jars with shaker lids for spices
- OXO Good Grips POP food storage containers for dry goods
- A combination of Binz containers and shelves to organize canned goods and other items
- Wooden storage boxes for boxed items and snacks
- Chalk labels and a bistro chalk marker to label bottles, jars, and containers
3. Personalize
Before you put everything back into the pantry, consider giving this space a personal touch. This could be as simple as painting the wall or shelves in a color that makes you happy. If the pantry is already painted, you might touch up any scuffs or chipped areas. Depending on your space, you might decide to hang a wreath on the outside of the door.
If the back of your pantry is a simple wall like ours, you could have a little fun with backsplash! During a visit to one of our local landscape stores, we saw some beautiful talavera tiles. We decided to use them to spice up the pantry! Using the measurements we took at the start of our project, we purchased a combination of talavera and plain white ceramic tiles to fit the space.
Now is a great time to start your pantry makeover project! Although it may seem like a major task, you’ll be surprised by how much you can transform this space in just one weekend. We were so excited to organize our pantry that we forgot to take a photo before we removed everything! Here’s how it turned out:
Got kitchen clutter challenges? Leave us a comment and let us help you with ideas! Don’t forget to pin this post for inspiration!
Great post! Practical and creative – a great combination! Love that you put tiles in your pantry!! And one more thing, how about coming and re-organizing the pantry in my kitchen? It’s seeing some wild times these days…Thanks for the ideas and inspiration!!
Hi Debra! The tiles are definitely an incentive to keep things organized, otherwise we won’t be able to see them! 😆 Maybe we should to plan a pantry party to get yours organized!
Pantry Party it is – with social distancing, of course!! Love that notion!!💖 Name the time and date. You bring your mask and we’ll provide gloves and sanitizer. My pantry and my family thank you! Let the Party Begin…😷🧤🎉
Love your ideas! I have always organized products in their categories. It will be even better when I can stand and look in my pantry! Good job
Ruth Aipperspach
Hi Ruth! It’s great to hear from you. We are probably similar when it comes to keeping things well organized! Thanks for reading!