Monday, October 26, 2015

My New Food Pantry

Hello everyone!

Remember when I mentioned last week that my husband and I worked on something very important for our house?  Well...............

It was my new food pantry!  Why am I so excited over something so basic as a pantry?  Because this is the first one I have ever had in my life!  I didn't grow up with one and when my husband and I moved into our first house, it was small and didn't have one.  Then, we moved into this house and it STILL didn't have one!  I thought that I had enough cabinets at the time, but eventually I ran out of room and had to come up with other places to put our food.  

Well, I recently had a light bulb moment and realized how seldom we use our coat closet.  Hmmmmm.......maybe I could clean that out and turn that into our pantry. It's right off the kitchen too!  So, with a little help from my husband, that is what I did.  

We stored our coats in bedroom closets and found new places for vacuum cleaner accessories, important papers etc that were in there.  

This is where we started.




It was just a plain-Jane closet.  (Look how much the white paint had yellowed over the years too!)

So, my husband added some more shelves.


And then, we filled it with food.  


I like having the top shelf for tall items and the lower area for bulky items.


I have no idea why I never thought of this earlier!  This makes my life so much easier not having to look through multiple cabinets and bins for things.   When I need to go grocery shopping, I can look at a glance and make a list faster. 

Our baking and seasoning items are still in the cabinet beside the stove though.  I keep some of my paper products in my laundry room and in a deep drawer in the kitchen.  So, this is mostly for breakfast foods, snacks, canned goods and side items.

So..............after I removed food from our cabinets to go in here, that opened up more cabinet space. Now I have more room for  serving pieces and other items that I once  had crammed in hard to reach places.  

It made my kitchen feel much bigger just by doing this.

Do you have storage problems too?  Try re purposing a closet that you seldom use.  You will be surprised how it will change your life!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

Don't forget to sign up for the sheet set giveaway on my last post!


28 comments:

Linda said...

Oh I know your dilemma! That's why we purchased a pantry for our kitchen.
Love your idea! Now hubby can build you a barn door in place of the white door.

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Super idea! We always need more storage places.

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Great idea! I love having a pantry.

Doreen@foxdenrd said...

Having a pantry makes all the difference! I never had one either until we bought the cabin and I love it. Great solution Kelly!

Stacey said...

Way to go! You are going to love having that space. Our current house has a pantry under the stairs and it's huge. I just love it. :)

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

My pantry is a closet too and I love it. One of my favorite things is also using the inside of the door for storage. I found one of those fabulous hang over the door shelving units at Target and you can't even believe how much that holds.

Beach Realtor said...

Looks great and I love the idea of utilizing space. And, here in the South, we seldom have a need for a coat closet. For those smaller canned items as well as spices, etc., get one of those wire shelving attachments for the closet door to have even more storage space.

Deserae said...

What a great idea!!!! Yes, I have storage issues....I still don't have enough closets even though we added three to the house. I would LOVE to have a coat closet and a pantry.
~Des

Lisa @ Texas Decor said...

Our first house didn't have a pantry and we didn't even notice until we moved in! Can't believe we never looked for that when touring the house. We have a pantry now, but it's small. I would love to have one of those huge walk in pantries. I had to smile because my pantry contents look almost identical to yours...lots of the same foods and Holly's pet food is even in the same cereal container on the top shelf! And do I spy frosted shredded wheat cereal? I have a bowl every morning. :) You did such a good job making this closet into a pantry and how convenient that it's so close to your kitchen.

Art and Sand said...

Oh yes, I have storage issues.

We have a tall skinny pantry cabinet in the kitchen, but it has to hold so many things. But, now that it is just the two of us, we really don't store that much in the pantry. Steve shops almost daily for fresh food. Our kids do complain when they visit that there is nothing to eat. What they mean is that there is no junk food in the pantry.

Your solution is great!

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

This is wonderful, Kelly! We repurposed a linen close, located right off the kitchen, as a pantry...makes a huge difference for storage space!

Fox and Finch Antiques said...

I think everyone has storage issues from the comments. Geez, if I only had a closet!
Ginene

Unknown said...

Our 1930s cottage doesn't have a proper pantry, nor a linen closet. We do have a coat closet right next to the front door and I'm greatful for that. Creative storage solutions are often on my mind. All your newly acquired storage space sounds dreamy!

Betty said...

Oh, how I wished we had a closet to do that to. Hubby did make some sliding drawers in a couple of our cabinets and they are my mini pantries.

Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage said...

What a great idea! For the first time since we moved into our new house this summer I cleaned out and organized my pantry and it makes me so happy! I just keep staring at it and smiling! Sometimes it's the little things....

cynthia lee designs said...

We live in a tri-level that was built 1956. When we remodel the kitchen a few years back...we put in a pantry and I love it.
~Cindy

This N That said...

Great idea..I don't know anyone who has an extra closet though..Good job..

Katie Mansfield said...

I am so happy for you! How did you do it without one? My pantry is not that functional but I'm so glad we have it.

SImple and Serene Living said...

Great idea, Kelly. When I move to my little apartment I am probably going to turn my coat closet into a pantry too. xo Laura

Cynthia said...

Great solution. We have tons of cabinets but I couldn't live without a pantry.

Cindy

Christine at Little Brags said...

ohhhh I can't believe your perfect gorgeous kitchen is actually lacking something....lol....super idea!!

Cindy Lou said...

Looks terrific! Great job!

NanaDiana said...

It is really nice, Kelly. I love a pantry and I have been lucky enough to have them in a couple of the houses we lived in over the years. It helps so much to have the extra storage. Enjoy it. Seems like mine is always a mess....lol xo Diana

Amy at Ms. Toody Goo Shoes said...

What a great solution! And, yes, I'd get excited over a pantry, too. When we first moved to this house, I thought I'd never fill up the kitchen cabinets. Ha! They're bursting at the seams now. A few years ago, we renovated our mudroom, and it has some extra cabinets. I used them as a pantry, and like you, I love that I can store so much extra stuff. It's not as close to the kitchen as yours is, though.

Junkchiccottage said...

Awesome Kelly and with it being right there in the kitchen is great. Happy New Week.
Kris

Unknown said...

Genius idea Kelly - I miss having a pantry terribly and am in the midst of doing something very similar just off our kitchen !
I like the shelving you installed also - better than wood - easy to clean - it's perfect !
xxx

Bliss said...

I converted a small, very small broom cabinet in the kitchen for canned goods. The idea was to keep the broom handy but eventually keeping the canned goods handy was more convenient.

Vickie @ Ranger 911 said...

What a clever use of a seldom used closet! We had a huge old-fashioned walk in pantry in our former home and I sure do miss it! You did a great job converting your closet!