Pantry Part two Organization: The Reveal!

My pantry is done! I have to say, it was quite an ordeal. Not because of the work involved, but because of the opinions of everyone in the household. I wanted it to be functional and pretty, but the males in the house did not seem to understand the "pretty" part.

When I work, I find it most conducive to my creativity to be alone. This allows me to think clearly, make adjustments and work through things. With the pantry being in the hub of the home (the kitchen), that is not how it worked out. Throughout the process of organizing the pantry, there were many questions. For instance, my son wanted to keep his cereal in its original box for easy identification. I decided to cut out the cereal name from the box (a trick from "Home Edit") and place it discreetly at the back of the container to help him identify different cereals (even though I believe it's easy to differentiate between Frosted Flakes and Cheerios).  My mother-in-law also questioned me about my choices for item placement, which occurred multiple times with various items. Each time, I explained that I was trying to optimize accessibility and need. At one point, my husband moved the toaster next to the coffee maker which made it too cramped. We compromised; I moved the toaster below the coffee maker giving it more space to maneuver. It became apparent to me that I would have to finish the rest when everyone was not there. I worked last night after everyone went to bed and this morning when everyone was asleep. I was finally able to complete the pantry at my own pace without any questions.

To attain my perfectly organized pantry I used hard plastic air sealed containers, labels, glass containers and Lazy Susan's. I also had my book on how to organize your pantry in my arsenal (all products used in this post will be listed at the end).

My pretty pantry! Everything is categorized. First shelf baking, second is canned goods and dinner items, bottom is for breakfast, snacks and treats.

The recipe for Toll House cookies was on the back of the bag, so I cut it out and taped it to the back of the container. I also cut out the names of cereals and put them on the back of the containers.

I honestly think that taking everything out of the packaging gives you more room. Using containers and being able to stack them on top of one another is also a plus.

The outlet for the appliances was placed above the bottom shelf. We drilled a hole in the shelf where the Keurig and smoothie maker were located and dropped the plugs through. To hide the outlet and plugs, I placed a basket for bagels and one for bread in front of it.

This is the spot for the Keurig and smoothie maker. There really wasn’t enough room for the toaster. I did however find a more convenient spot with room for bagels and bread right next to it.

I now have room to store all my entertaining items. Extra plates, glassware and platters.

Having the pantry will cause a domino effect for storage in the house. By moving the entertaining serve-ware to the pantry, it will free up storage down in the basement. We can also move extra linens to the basement closet to give us more room in the linen closet and be better organized upstairs too.

If you enjoyed this post, please give it a "like' and subscribe to receive new posts as they are created.

Products Used:

The Home Edit

OXO Good Grips Containers

Large Glass Containers with Lids

Talented Kitchen Pantry Labels