Pantry Organization

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Jun 26

From Food Piles to Functional Pantry

When I say our pantry was a mess before… I mean it was a mess. We had a couple of basic IKEA cabinets, but no actual shelving. Everything else? Just piled on the floor. Boxes stacked on top of bags, cans rolling around, and a constant game of “what expired in here and where did I put the syrup?”

It was not working.

So we finally decided to give it a real setup, and I pulled together a bunch of my favorite organizing pieces to help make it actually functional.

Pantry Shelving That Actually Works

We added real shelves along one wall, and that’s where all of our everyday pantry storage lives now. I used clear containers for pretty much everything, like flour, pasta, cereal, baking ingredients, snacks, you name it. Nothing’s falling over anymore, I can actually see what we have, and it doesn’t feel like a mess every time I open the door.

Spice Racks & Lazy Susans

All the smaller stuff, like condiments, oils, sauces, baking extras, used to get lost in the shuffle. I’d forget what we even had. Now I use a three-tiered shelf to line things up so nothing gets hidden in the back, and lazy susans for anything in a bottle or jar. It keeps everything visible and easy to grab without knocking over five other things in the process. Highly recommend.

Counter Space, a Drink Fridge & Open Shelving

We already had some counter space from the original cabinets, but we extended it a bit and made it more functional. I set up a little drink zone with a mini fridge, a few pull-out bins, wine bottle storage and a bread box. It’s super practical but still feels put together.

Above it, we added open shelving, which gave me the perfect spot to display a few of my prettier pieces, that I usually pull out when we’re entertaining. Some pretty jugs, a teapot, a couple of serving items, and a few things that just make the space feel a little warmer and more personal. It balances out all the practical stuff and makes the room feel like it fits in with the rest of our home.

Finally, a Pantry That Works!

I honestly still can’t believe the difference. We went from a “stuff everywhere on the floor” situation to a space that finally works for us. And coming from our last house, where we didn’t even have a pantry, this feels like such a luxury. Having a spot where everything has a place (and actually stays there) makes such a big difference in day-to-day life.