Organizing the Pantry

It's done! It's done! And it didn't take a millenium to complete! I am, of course, referring to my little pantry project. In case you don't recall, Hurricane Sandy + Jill Vegas' School of Speed Decorating class = pantry project. When I last left you, having cleaned, organized, planned and shopped, all I had left to do was wait for my packages to come rolling in and have everything installed. Taking my own advice, I did obtain the help of a professional so as not to repeat my mistakes of the past.

But to really understand the scope of my problem, I have to start with where I began. Here is an annotated depiction of my "before" pantry:

And here is the pencil-sketched plan I drew up, complete with measurements, placements and product details:

Once the goods were in hand, it was time for installation. My trusty handyman replaced those sketchy worn shelves - did I mention that each shelf was composed of not one but TWO slats of wood?! - with bright white custom-fit shelves. That alone was an instant improvement in providing light and increased visibility.

Next up, I positioned the baskets in my desired locations to make sure everything still fit and could operate as intended. Once I was set, we installed the baskets.

After the baskets, there was nothing left to do but return all that food back to the pantry and pray for the best! I will be honest, the pantry is still not my dream pantry but it is definitely much improved over its original state.

• A brutally honest cleaning resulted in the removal of many unnecessary pantry items
• White shelves are clean, provide light and improve the visibility throughout the space
• Sliding baskets help organize food and provide easy access to items towards the back
• Open front mesh baskets on the floor organize all those seldom-used and back-up items

 

 

I'm quite pleased with my results - and pleased that it didn't take me ages to complete. It's enormously satisfying to knock that off my project list. Now the challenge is to maintain my lean pantry inventory and not become the next subject of Hoarders: Pantry Edition!

Comments

[Susan Cohan]

Where did you get the basket system? I have a large overhead cupboard that could use them...somewhat desperately!

--S,

[Mae]

Susan: The pull-out baskets? Because my pantry is such an odd size, I ended up purchasing these from Crate & Barrel - you can see the array of options here http://www.crateandbarrel.com/kitchen-and-food/food-containers-storage/1 - because the width is expandable. (Note that these are the same as those found on Shelf on Wheels www.shelfonwheels.com.) If you are able to use more standard sized baskets, there are more options, like those from The Container Store.

If you meant the open-front ones at the bottom, those are from The Container Store. They come in silver mesh (http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/stackingBinsBaskets?productId=10012560&N=71232) and white mesh (http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/stackingBinsBaskets?productId=10029588&N=71232).

[Pretty Pink Tulips]

I have a fairly similar, small pantry and I love how you made the most of your space!! The sliding baskets as well as open ones are great ideas....I'm going hunting!

~ Elizabeth