Pantry Mood Board Goals
Pantry Plans & Goals
Having a beautiful and organized pantry has been sitting on my wishlist since we moved into our new home. I find the pantry an incredibly inspiring place, bet ya didn’t see me getting so serious about it? But seriously, how often do we open the door and peek our head in to see what we will find? How often do we stand there searching for the items we need? It’s a place where we can sneak is some joyful organization and a little place of calm inside our kitchens. I have long been pinning images of organized pantries that seem calm and orderly. Our pantry has been a place of haphazardly placed cans and bags of chips that just can’t seem to be closed properly (ahem, husband, ahem.).
let’s show our pantries some love
Source: The Organized Home: California Idyll: A Pitched-Roof Midcentury Revival with Dramatic Valley Views. Photograph by Joe Fletcher, courtesy of Malcolm Davis Architect.
Well, during our whole staying home quarantine with COVID-19, we had some unexpected visitors show up. A little colony of ants decided to check out the goods we’ve been keeping in our incredibly stocked pantry. It’s probably the most stocked it’s been since we’ve moved into this home, so the whole thing is really not ideal timing. However, after emptying it out and cleaning it, I can’t help but think maybe this is a good time to start working on shifting our pantry to be a place of joy.
To dip my toe in the pond of pantry organizational dreams, I’ve rounded up my inspo and vibe I’m searching for, the tools I would need to do it, and the articles I’ve read and used to help get things sorted and organized. Let’s dive in.
THE INSPO
Think decanted goods, natural materials and everything grouped in some sort of organizational heaven. Too much? Truthfully, decanting items not only looks beautiful, but it helps us have less waste (I can see exactly what and how much I have) and it has helped preserve freshness of our snacks and other goods- win!
>>THE VIBE
Natural materials, natural textures (wood, porcelain, glass, etc.) and little bits of brass are all on my radar. I love the idea of incorporating a painting or two to make it feel a little more like a room. I’m loving that beige color in the DeVol kitchen below. I want to add in some anchors of digital downloads of old looking vintage prints to bring in some character too.
I’d like it to feel like an extension of our home and almost feel like another room. We have the benefit of having a closet, so the door opens up to a whole other space. Even if you have a cabinet or small area, I think there are lots of little opportunities to make it have it’s own moment.
I plan on painting the pantry to freshen her up and adding in a new light fixture to swap out the icky boob light we have. We aren’t going to be ripping down shelves or completely starting new. The bones are good enough and working with what we have makes way more sense for us since this isn’t our forever home. So while I won’t be able to add the bead board and have the pantry of my dreams, I can complete a mini facelift and find it a more enjoyable place.
STRATEGY
Form, function, and beauty is the name of the game. To get ready I started with some thorough research from my favorite website, The Organized Home. I first read this article to cover the basics and learn some new things like how food should be kept. (I’ve been storing my onions with my potatoes! I’ve learned that’s a no-no for preserving freshness.)
I pulled out my two favorite organization books: The Home Edit and Remodelista: The Organized Home. The Home Edit has entirely separate chapter dedicated to organizing Pantries. I’m here for it. I read the chapter start to finish and made lots of notes.
>>GETTING STARTED:
Empty the entire pantry (Already done thanks to the ants)
Group the items together as you empty (know what you want to store)
Go through and toss anything that is expired or old
Arrange the groupings that work for your household/daily life.
Measure your pantry to make sure the organizational items fit and make sense
>>Here’s a little sneak peek at what we are working with:
The space is not bad per say, she’s just a bit bland and the painted shelves have seen better days. Our update will be about fixing up what we have with paint and organization. She’s a basic builder grade pantry that gives me space and function and now I gotta bring in a little character and personality.
THE TOOLS & GOODS
lighting
The lighting has got to be budget friendly. I love, love lighting, but I think something industrial and classic and budget friendly is a great way to achieve a beautiful look with very little dollars. My two favorites are this IKEA pendant and this warehouse/barn industrial pendant.
STORAGE CONTAINERS
Finding containers that can store flour, sugar, rice, pasta, chips, cookies, etc. The possibilities are endless. This is actually more than just a pretty treat in your pantry, decanting or storing your goods in sealed containers will help the longevity of the item and will keep other pests out. For example, storing flour in a sealed container will help keep out flour beetles (they are a real thing and I found out the hard way when we lived in our historic apartment in St. Paul, MN. Guys, they are really gross and unfortunate).
>>Decanting Considerations:
How well does this item need to be sealed (remember the flour beetles or think about brown sugar)?
How will you want to get your ingredients out?
If you want to use measuring cups (which many times we do), you will want to make sure your vessel has a wide mouth.
Do you want to be able to stack the containers? Keep this in mind when you are imagining and laying out how the pantry will function.
And of course this may seem obvious, but is worth noting, how much of that item do you typically like to keep on hand? The size of the container is important for considering this.
I’m also totally open to mixing and matching the items. I plan on having some items in mason jars and some items in other containers. My rule of thumb is keeping a consistent theme, glass/clear. I will have copper canisters with brass and porcelain accents from my mom as a little pop of something different.
I am very, very curious to try these Better Homes & Gardens air tight containers. They have great reviews and are very comparable to the OXO containers, but they are much cheaper. One thing to note from the reviews, make sure you take off the silicone seal before washing or putting in the dishwasher. If that seal goes in the dishwasher it will lose it’s ability to seal properly.
And as always, IKEA is one of the best and most affordable places for tricking out a pantry. These prices are some of the best I’ve seen! I love this 1/2 gallon jar and it has a silicon seal! This will keep the glass from clinking on itself and helps with a little extra protection when storing.
Sources:
Other items to consider:
Ball Mason Jars I like doing a mix of large and small size ones. These are also great for freezing and storing bone broth!
Weck Jars (I absolutely love these)
Storage for larger/bulkier goods:
Storage for bulkier items like potatoes, onions, garlic, canned goods, dog food, etc. can be addressed in a few ways. How do you want to see your items? Do you want to see all packaging and containers? Or do you want the space “quieted” by items that must stay in their containers (think cans, jars of pasta, etc). Placed in an opaque container (wood crate, anyone?) to help things flow and go together. For me, I don’t want to see these packages. I’d like to see peeks of them, but have the majority of them contained in a containers that match. So I’m opting for the IKEA Knagglig Pine Box listed below.
I love the IKEA Knodd Bin & lid for storing Stella’s dog food! It looks great and is so, so functional. It also comes in a smaller size that could work for smaller dogs, cats, or anything else that can be stored in a container like this. I’ve also seen people use these bins for recyclables!
additional items
I also like layering in functional, but beautiful items that will help add texture and give a little depth. We already own this step stool and I will definitely be buying another one for this space. It’s super sturdy and the price point is perfect! A turn table/lazy susan is a great option for storing items in a corner or rallying together canned goods and jars. The wine rack is perfect for wine or really any bottled beverages (sparkling water, juice, etc.).
Napkins and this set too
Book ends to hold up cook books
MOOD BOARD & ROUND UP
So this is my feeling on how the items will all come and play together— I have my eye on this vintage downloadable print from Shop Vintage Supply (so good!) and adding some darker black accents to play off the black counters in the kitchen. This IKEA lighting pendant is so good and so affordable.
THE ACTION PLAN/LIST
Here is how I have broken down our pantry shopping list and this is my approximate number of items to my general categories. Please note, we are a family of two, just my husband and I. I know this will look very different for various family sizes and people in different seasons of life. Also, it’s going to be really fun to look back at this list and see if I’m in the ballpark of a correct plan or if I am going to be way wrong. It was actually kinda hard coming up with this list right now because our pantry is so stocked due to quarantine and sheltering during this time of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Categories:
BREAKFAST (Pancake mix, oatmeal) — 2 Half-Gallon gallon canisters
STAPLES/SHELF STABLE ITEMS (canned goods, boxed stables, jars of sauce, etc.) —6 small crates
SNACKS (tortilla chips, potato chips, crackers, popcorn)— 1 crate, 2- BHG 23.5 canisters, 1 small pack of BHG canisters
SWEETS (candy, chocolate, cookies) — 1 small crate
BAKING (still need flour, corn meal, and a crate for misc. baking items) — 2 Half-Gallon Canisters, 1 small crate,
OVERFLOW (Beverages, etc.) — 2 Large Crates
PERISHABLES (Potatoes, onion, garlic, loose fruit, etc.) — 4 Mesh/Wire Baskets
Estimated total:
4 Half-Gallon Canisters
8 Small Crates
2 Large Crates
4 Wire Mesh Baskets
2 BHG 23.5 Tite Lock Containers
1 BHG Small Pack Tite Lock Containers
TO BE CONTINUED— We will let time pass and me get started on this project. Stay tuned for updates on how my ideas turn out in the real world (Spoiler- it’s never as smooth as you hope it to be)
Hugs,
Mere
