Pretty Pantry {A Makeover Story}

One of the reasons we bought our house was because of the enormous walk in pantry.   

It can hold SO much food!

  I've periodically organized it, and then my sweet husband, who loves to cook, would un-organize it for me.  On a daily basis.  I mean, I love when he cooks, but the pantry was getting out of control!  Let me show you with some pictures. (EMBARASSING!)

Lots of shelf space, lots of storage.  My pantry was not being well utilized!

{click to enlarge if you want to further gawk at my messy pantry!}

Also, our pantry has tons of room up top, and we could easily add another shelf for storage.

I really dislike having no color on the walls.  

Off to Lowe's I happily went to buy lumber, and some paint!

Here's a quick run down of what I did to transform and organize my pantry:

* Take everything out of pantry (for a fresh start)

* Install new upper shelf

* Re-paint all shelves (Valspar Arctic White-semi gloss finish)

* Paint walls of pantry (Valspar Butterfly Bush-satin finish)

Here is a finished shot:

I'll show you the different "areas" of my new and much improved pantry

Baking Center:

Glass Jars from Walmart, vinyl labels from Say it on the Wall.

I LOOOOOVE my glass jars.  They are my *favorite* part of my new pantry.

Wicker Baskets from Target.  

They have been AWESOME for holding all my baking stuff.

Spices:

I order my spices in bulk from San Francisco Herb Company.  I bought mason jars, and labeled all my spices (with dates).  It has been GREAT!  I never run out of anything :)

We cook.  ALOT.  So, we have about every spice or seasoning known to man.

Snack Center:

This was purposely put on a high up shelf, out of reach of my little ones.  

Sorry Miss J and Mr. A!

Basket from Walmart.

Container from Tupperware.

Large Glass Jars from Walmart and Goodwill.  

Having the fruit snacks in a jar saves my pantry from having a lot of this crowding the shelves:

Canned and Dry Goods:

Notice that you can SEE all my canned goods.  

I made simple "risers" out of some 2x4's I had laying around.  

I stacked three 2x4's to raise up the very back row.  

For the middle row, I stacked two 2x4's.  

The front row sits on the shelf.  

A CHEAP and EASY solution for canned goods.

I LOVE keeping my pasta in these containers. 

(they are from walmart, and are supposed to be for cereal).  

You'll notice the container on the left has spaghetti in it.  I saw this genius idea on someone else's blog.  I can't tell you how many times my spaghetti has spilled all over the floor.  The box would never stay closed!  Not anymore!

Rice and Beans in their own containers (all from walmart) and awaiting their turned to be properly labeled :D

Here is a Final

 BEFORE

AFTER

Tips for organizing YOUR space:

• Take everything out of your pantry/cabinets, and start fresh.
• Have all labels on cans, bottles, etc face outward.  It looks clean and organized.
• Get can risers (or MAKE them) for canned goods.  It makes a huge difference!
• LABEL everything.  Even if you think it's silly, it will help you stay organized.
• Buy baskets to put the pesky stuff in.  I used baskets for all my baking odds and ends (vanilla, baking powder/baking soda, food coloring, chocolate chips)
• Paint can do wonders.  It really brightened up my space.
• Be consistent in putting stuff back where it goes!
 

 Other GREAT pantry projects to check out!! 

Decor Chick

House of Smiths

 

Linking up to these parties!