I don’t know about you but I love a good pantry and by good I mean organized, neatly arranged in sections with baskets and glass jars and cans and small appliances, all proudly occupying their designated area. Everything is polished and pretty and in it’s place, ready for the taking on a moments notice. A pantry that is stacked and racked and lovingly arranged to look aesthetically pleasing but also functional and practical is a wonderful thing.
I know that not everyone has a conventional walk-in pantry but happily, you don’t have to. A pantry can be a couple of designated cupboards. It can be a free standing armoire or buffet. It can be a pull out shelf, it can be a wall of shelving behind closed doors and it doesn’t have to even be in your kitchen. Your pantry can be in your mud room, laundry room, spare room or even your garage. You may even be lucky enough to have a Butler’s Pantry which is the ultimate Pantry goal. Whether you live in a tiny space or one that is bigger than an actual apartment, having an organized pantry changes everything.
I am fortunate, in my opinion, to have a walk-in pantry. It’s not large but it is big enough to fit my food stuffs, small appliances and items like large pots and punch bowls. Punch bowls and Fondue Pots were standard wedding gifts back in the day. I actually thought of giving away those punch bowls, but you know, they have come in handy time and again when we’ve had larger gatherings. Those shindigs don’t happen as often these days but when they do, it’s punch bowls to the rescue! I gave the fondue set away and yes, what goes around comes around and they are definitely popular once again. I’ve always had a pantry, except for a few years when we lived in a town home and the kitchen was quite compact. I didn’t know how we would manage with just a couple of cupboards and make them work but we did. Some good old ingenuity and a little bit of planning went a long way to have a functioning pantry in a very small space.
I’ll never take my walk-in pantry for granted again. I am constantly arranging and rearranging mine. I’ve made some great choices when it comes to racks, baskets and containers and how I’ve set up the shelves and the placement of said pantry necessities. I’ve also made some not such great choices that just don’t really make sense in the space so I’m always “redoing” the layout. This may sound complicated and time consuming but it’s really not. If you are like me, a tad OCD but not OTT then pantry parlour games are definitely for you.
I like to keep the pantry as simple as possible as it’s not just me who uses it and that’s important to keep in mind. For example, my Hubby now knows exactly where his nuts are…Oh STAWP! He loves nuts and has a daily practice, perhaps three or four times a day, of walking into the pantry and reaching for his nuts…seriously, that’s enough now! They are sitting on the shelf, front and centre and there’s no need to search for them hiding underneath chip bags or behind cans of baked beans, another of his favourites. Almonds, walnuts, brazils, cashews, they each have their own jar and then there is a mixed jar, in case he wants them all at once. I buy nuts in bulk and then mix them myself. I also like making flavoured nuts as it is super easy and much more budget friendly then buying them already done. Nuts are ridiculously expensive these days, it’s just nuts!.
My children are also kept in mind when it comes to the pantry. They are so funny and it makes me smile every time they come home for a visit. The first thing they do is open the pantry, stare quietly at it’s content and then head for the fridge where they do the same thing. I almost expect heavenly light and angelic voices to shine upon them as they stand in awe at the abundance before them. Even though they are grown and have their own kitchens it is an automatic throw back to when they would return home from school and look for that snack. Then they would come home from college and revel in the sheer amount of food they didn’t have to buy themselves. It‘s like Christmas every time, even if it isn’t. To this day my son takes a moment to take it all in, even when he doesn’t want anything, like he’s 18 again and my daughter, she’s taken to reorganizing the shelves, you know, tweeking the arrangement with a fresh eye. I don’t mind, sometimes I like a new perspective.
An organized pantry takes some planning and a few things need to be purchased but it doesnt have to be an expensive venture. I save jars with nice lids, remove the paper and glue and sterilize them. I was recently given about twenty glass candle jars with gold lids. Again, I sterilized them and they are exactly the right size for all sorts of things. I have a large basket where I store my empty jars, in the pantry, so they are always on hand. If your pantry is smaller, save your jars elsewhere but, don’t save them all. I made that mistake thinking I could have a selection and it became a bit of a jarring issue. Be discerning with your collection and recycle the rest.
When it comes time to buying items for storage I head to the dollar store for a lot of them. That’s where I get things like labels, tacky mats, stacking racks, wire and woven baskets, plastic tubs and glass containers. Personally, I use glass to store my food items but if you are ok with plastic please make sure you purchase Food Safe products. Obviously, the dollar store is not the only place to go for great pantry items. IKEA has a plethora of selection when it comes to storage and they are really reasonably priced. If you have one near you it’s worth checking out. There are some pretty amazing container stores like The Container Store or Crate and Barrel. Higher end and more expensive but hey, if you‘ve got it to spend, do your thing. Of course, there is always online shopping and things conveniently come to your door. Just make sure you know your required dimensions. What you order and what will fit or work in the space may not if you don’t measure twice and order once, you know, that old addage.
I used to have a spice drawer. Oh boy, I loved being able to stand at my stove and pull the drawer open and all of my spices were lined up and lain down at a slight angle, ready for the picking. If you have the drawer space I highly recommend a spice drawer rack. If you do not have the drawer space, as I no longer do, that’s ok, you can spice up your kitchen spices in innumerable ways from rotating spice racks that sit on your counter or shelves to hanging wall racks, to under-mount shelving racks, to hidden spice drawers that pull out from between cupboards. The number of available spice storage ideas is mind-boggling and choosing what is right for your pantry can seem overwhelming. Do your research, always, have a plan and a budget and then make the decision. When you label your spices make sure it’s in clear, concise lettering. I made the mistake of ordering a spice set that isn’t labeled well and I find it challenging to read without my glasses on or in dim light. Fortunately we have a motion light in the pantry so it goes on when we go in. That’s a lightbulb moment right there!
Now, when we look at all the lovely pictures of pantries on Pinterest, an excellent source for anything and everything (even all of my products from my Konnect with Kiki Shop are on Pinterest, as is my Blog) or in decorating and home magazines, we see gorgeous layouts and ideas and think, ooooo, that would be lovely. Well, I’ve tried a couple of those ideas and some of them looked amazing on paper but not so much in practicality. Open baskets for storing things like potatoes and onions, squash and garlic are a good idea for your produce when it comes to off gassing and they last longer, especially in cool dark spaces. Everything looks all organic and farmhouse chic and so idyllic… and then the bugs come. The fruit flies show up. The Moths and weevils and beetles show up. You may end up with ants or if you live in areas where there are cockroaches, ugh! I’ve lived in Hong Kong and if you want a pantry surprise, think flour or rice and roaches bigger than your thumbs...just sayin’!
Mice love a good ole pantry party too. Did you know they can fit through a hole the size of a pencil eraser? All those creatures are enjoying your foodstuffs much more than you are. I mean it’s free and for them it’s like the open salad bar at Pizza Hut. Well, they don’t have them anymore but, they were well know for their cheap pricing and customers who built salad towers. One bowl, one price, 6 diners. I know, I get it, all those perfectly curated photos look fabulous but, pantries are not cold cellars and bugs and rodents happen. Do your homework to learn how to control those pesky pantry crashers. They are definitely not welcomed in my house!
As I am writing this my hubby has just returned home and is standing in the pantry eating nuts, I kid you not!!!!!
Moving on to small appliances. We all have them, we all need some of them, we all don’t use many of them and we all don’t know where to store them, how to store them or have room to store them. I have dedicated a portion of one side of my pantry to just appliances as I fortunately have the room. The items I use the most often are at eye level height and the next shelf down and the least used are at the highest level. The lowers shelves are for mid-usage items. As for the electrical cords that are the bain of neat and tidy, cord organizers for appliances are the bomb. They stick to the back of the appliance and have a double hook so you just wrap the cord around them. They are available online, in hardware stores or super-centres and the cost is minimal. It’s worth taking the time to coil your chords and avoid cord chaos!
Another thing that is quite important is to place items that could be dangerous to young children out of reach. Appliances have sharp blades or finger catching bits. Mandolins are definitely not good to keep within reach, for kids or adults. I threw mine out after nearly cutting the top of my finger off. Whether they live with you, visit you or just show up uninvited because they heard you have a candy drawer…and they will…you have to put their safety first. It’s also very annoying when you go to your secret stash only to find out it’s not a secret anymore.
Adding tiered racks or single shelf racks are a super way to double your space as you can put your items on top and underneath, anything that can do double duty is super smart. This allows you to see what you have at a glance, know what needs restocking and you can move your products from back to front as you use them so there are no expired and/or outdated science experiments brewing in the back of your cupboards.
If your pantry is a cupboard, an armoire or sideboard/buffet, think about adding slide out draws and lighting. I bought my slide outs on sale and I don’t know how I lived without them. It’s a mid-level expense but makes a huge difference for easy access. I would prefer the wooden slide outs but they are quite a bit dearer than the wire ones so I chose budget over beauty but they function the same. No more needing to remove all the cans and boxes to get to the pasta at the back. Who puts the pasta in back anyway?
I have a buffet where I keep my occasional and holiday dishes. There are platters and teapots and tea cups and Christmas dishes and olive trays and gravy boats. I put shelf racks inside to double that space and I added a corner rack to put the tea saucers and side plates on, what a game changer. My cups are no longer sitting inside each other all topsy, turvy and on the verge of falling over. There is room for everything and it also looks very nice when you open the doors and see how neatly arranged it is.
If your pantry is a couple of shelves in a cupboard think about hanging some racks above the shelves so there’s extra “floor” space. If you have no hidden cupboard space at all, use open shelving and containers that are to your decor taste. Make them a decorating statement as well as a storage solution. Conversely, put your dishes on the shelves and use the dish cupboards for your pantry items. Think outside the box then throw away the box. (The bugs and mice love cardboard.)
If you are wanting a Pantry or Bar but are not sure where to have it or you do not want to spend the time or expense of building one, I have one last idea. We have a beautiful, large armoire that was in our bedroom many years ago. When we moved we did not have room for it in the bedroom so, with a bit of thought and very little expense it found a new home in our kitchen area, as our BARMOIRE. We put in strip lights that operate with a remote and added a couple of mirrors to the bottom shelf that our bottles and decanters sit on. The various drink glasses are on the top shelf and on top of the whole BARMOIRE are some items we’ve collected over the years. The whole DIY took about 20 minutes, cost about $50 for the lights and mirrors and looks terrific, especially at night with the lights twinkling off the glass and mirrors. It fits in seamlessly with our decor and there is always a friendly Barkeep to konnect with and tell your tales to at my house.
That same armoire can also be a PARMOIRE, or Pantry/Armoire. Just use the same principles for design as I’ve suggested to you and you will have a perfect piece of furniture that doubles as a pantry. Seriously, the pantry possibilities are endless and so too will be this blog if I don’t stop prattling on.
Right, I am off to make a Pumpkin Apple Cake...now where the heck is that brown sugar…
Love Kiki,
xoxo
”A mouse in the paws is worth two in the pantry.” — Louis Wain
This is half of my buffet or sideboard. Funny, this piece is 30 years old. It’s a little dinged up and I worried that the green was dated. I needn’t have, green is in and all those dings are what gives our inanimate objects life. Every ding is a memory!
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