Organized Pantry? Piece of Cake!

When we first toured the cottage, I remember being so happy to see a walk-in pantry. Hallelujah! It was one of the things I had lived without in my Illinois house, and it took me a year and a half to come up with a system in our cabinets that made use of the space. It was a big kitchen, no pantry. Odd.

This house had a small kitchen, big walk-in pantry. But the previous owner was using it as more of a utility closet. It is right around the corner from the kitchen, opposite the laundry room and adjacent to the door leading to the garage. A funky little cluster or strange doors, including the pantry slider that wasn't closing properly.

We fixed the sliding pantry door, but the interior needed some help.

There were some wire shelves attached to one wall, but only a few. A lot of wasted space where everything seemed to be getting piled on the floor.

As I said, fine for the previous owner. I have the feeling she stored food in kitchen cabinets, and used this space to store kitchen appliances, the iron and ironing board, the vacuum. But I found ample room in the laundry room for those items. What I needed was a real pantry where I could safely store my food and have it all visible and within reach.

We took a trip to IKEA and purchased four OMAR shelving units. My husband took down the existing shelving, did the assembly of the OMARs, and put the new shelving in place. And then I got to work making it function.

Ta da!

Floor to ceiling shelves! Yay!

A place for everything, and everything in its place.

I used the existing bar on the back wall to hang a few aprons and baskets. My IKEA stool comes in handy, too.

One day, I'd like to replace that sliding pantry door with a cute vintage screen door. Wouldn't that be adorable? And the opposite wall from the shelves can probably use some attention in the future. Today, this space makes me so happy. It is useful and practical, clean and organized. And when I consider how often my family uses this space on a daily basis, that is important.

Organized pantry? Piece of cake!

And speaking of cake, here's a card I made yesterday to add to my birthday stash!

{Today's Brew: Piece of Cake stamp set (MFT), MFT dies, Lawn Fawn papers, enamel dots, PTI inks and card stock, wink of Stella}

Blessings on your Saturday, cafe friends!