A Practical Guide to a Pinterest-y Pantry
For anyone who loves an organized space, the pantry can be one of the biggest areas of frustration in the home. Stacked cans, wine bottles, bagged pasta's, a million little spice jars, and Costco-sized sacks of potatoes don't necessarily pack away onto a shelf nicely, especially when you toss all of those kitchen appliances into the mix. Let's be honest — not all of us have kitchens large enough to house our crockpots and juicers in their own cupboard space, so it's only natural that they'd end up on a pantry shelf wedged somewhere between the vitamin bottles and baking supplies.
So when you have limited pantry space that needs to work overtime to house all of your kitchen and food essentials, and a limited budget to work with, what do you do? (Let's be real — how many of us are actually going to refill all of those beautiful, clear containers? Trust us - we're laughing WITH you.)
1. Baskets. Lots and lots of baskets.
In particular, square or rectangular baskets that fit nicely on your shelves, and have a cloth liner in them. A cloth liner that's washable, and hides every little clutter-inducing thing you put into it.
We recommend measuring the depth of your shelf, the length of your shelf, and the distance between shelves (height), writing it down, and taking those measurements with you when you go to purchase your baskets. Make sure you get varying sizes, as your pantry items will vary in size.
Some things to consider: Determine how high you want your baskets to sit. Concealing all of your pantry items completely inside a tall, lined basket will make the pantry look cleaner and less cluttered — however, you won't be able to see exactly what's inside the basket. If you opt for clean lines, we recommend labeling your baskets somehow, like with our DIY Hard-Backed Chalkboard Labels. If you choose to get baskets that fill the entire expanse of the height of your shelf, you'll find them to be quite handy!
2. SOME cute jars. Not ALL the jars.
Some products, especially those that you buy in bulk, don't need to be hidden away, such as sugar, rice, coffee beans, pasta noodles, or even non-food items like cookie cutters or tea packets. In certain cases, using clear jars to add texture, color, and variety to your pantry shelves can be fun, but don't overdo it. Make sure you choose jars in different shapes and sizes to accommodate various food products, adorn them with matching chalkboard labels for consistency and make sure you only display food items you're willing to use and refill on a regular basis in order to maintain that perfect Pinterest charm. Our example includes the ingredients needed to make bread from scratch, including the wheat grains. Aren’t they lovely?!
3. Create visual balance.
Don't put all of your baskets on one side of the pantry and all of your jars on the other. Instead, try mixing them together to offer visual balance. If you have 6 baskets on one side, make sure there are anywhere between 5 and 7 baskets on the other, and likewise with the jars. It can be helpful to store similar items on the same shelf or at least next to each other, such as veggies and grains, or cereal and coffee.
4. Maximize all space.
Even floor space is precious, but cluttering the bottom of your pantry with water bottles, mason jars, cleaning supplies, etc. isn't what we're aiming for here. Giant baskets or crates will help store all those cluttering items away from sight, and also provide an easier, no-mess way of accessing them.
Additionally, if there’s empty wall space, consider hanging a spice rack, broom/mop rack, or even adding more shelves if there’s room for more.
5. Don’t forget the final touches.
If there’s room for it, hanging cute signs and other décor items (minimally) can add that final personal, “Pinterest-y” touch.
Have you updated your pantry recently? We’d love to see pictures! Share with us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
