A few months ago Adam and I finished our master closet, which became the first finished room in the house. It was so organized and amazing that we decided to skip some of the bigger projects we had planned and instead pick another tiny room and finish it 100%. We debated doing a bathroom, the office, or the pantry, and eventually landed on the pantry.
The pantry is 3 ft by 7 ft and is situated under the stairs, which means one of the walls is shorter than the other. It’s a tiny little room, but to me it feels huge for a pantry…our last one was probably 1/4 this size or less.
Even though that one was small, it was pretty much the only space in our house that was always organized. I spent some time thinking through the organization on that one, and when everything has a place things actually stay organized. The trick for me was getting all the pantry items out of their original packaging and into clear containers that were easy to see and stack.
Anyway, enough about the old pantry…lets talk about this one. Here is a before picture with its temporary shelf and no door….so other words less of a pantry and more of a toddler play area. I can’t wait to be able to shut the door and keep him out.
And here the mess inside …
So Adam and I went to online (to Houzz, mostly) to find some pantry inspiration. The first thing we decided we wanted was counters…
- 18.6 cup clear container
- 8 piece canister set
- 2 gallon mason drink dispenser
- Acacia wood bowl
- Oval galvanized tub
- Indigo arabesque covered jar
- Stainless steel bread box (will be used in part II)
For even more inspiration follow Better Homes and Gardens at Walmart on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.
*This post was sponsored by the BHG Live Better Network. All opinions are 100% my own.
Adam says
January 19, 2017 at 12:20 amFirst comment! I think the pantry is great! Your husband seems like a pretty awesome guy. You’re so lucky to have him. I think he deserves a day off from his diet, maybe you could bake him a cake or something… just spitballing as a totally indifferent impartial third party with no vested interest in your situation. All the best to you and your super handsome husband!
Ashley says
January 19, 2017 at 9:46 amMy husband IS an awesome guy….so awesome that I bet he would be pretty bummed if I baked him a cake and ruined our joint new years resolution that we are 2/3 of the way finished with. That’s just the kind of guy he is. Dedicated. Loyal. Loves to give massages and watch all the kids while their mom enjoys a nice hot bath.
Fiona says
January 20, 2017 at 7:03 amHahaha you guys are too funny, and cute!
Janee says
January 27, 2017 at 8:35 pm? I didn’t read the name on the first post and I was thinking “wow! That woman is blatantly hitting on her husband”! ?
Jan Elizabeth says
January 19, 2017 at 3:03 amThat’s beautiful! Are those the counters that wrap around on the bottom, or are they going in the next phase? And what about that gorgeous door?
Ashley says
January 19, 2017 at 9:43 amThank you! No, that is just the lower shelf. You will know the counters when you see them, they will be huge and wooden.
Jan Elizabeth says
January 19, 2017 at 12:50 pmNiiiice. :)
Tara says
January 19, 2017 at 11:45 amFirst off, HEB!! My favorite! Second, do those clear containers keep it pretty fresh?! Cause I hate to make a bowl of cereal with milk to find that it is stale!!!
Ashley says
January 19, 2017 at 1:09 pmHEB really is the best! I’ve never have any problems with things going stale in these containers. Although, the cereal has always been in those rubbermaid ones on the bottom shelf, but everything has always been fresh.
Samantha says
January 19, 2017 at 3:45 pmI don’t remember what my life was like before moving to Texas and having H-E-B :-) it was definitely worse, that’s for sure! Are the links to the containers affiliate links that you get paid for? I’m considering picking some up because they are so much cheaper than the Oxo ones and I’d love for you to get credit!
Ashley says
January 19, 2017 at 7:39 pmHaha, I thought the same thing when I was living in upstate NY, sad and HEB-less. The links to the products are not affiliate links so I won’t get any credit for them, but Better Homes and Gardens pays me to use some of their products in a post every other month, so I’m being taken care of :) I’d buy these even if they weren’t though…actually I’m about to order another set on my own dime because I need a few more.
Samantha says
January 19, 2017 at 8:20 pmGood to know! I’ll just buy them in-store then! I have serious pantry mess anxiety. My kitchen is literally the only part of my life I keep consistently organized… your new pantry looks like it is going to be a dream come true!
Maria from Oz says
January 19, 2017 at 8:17 pmLooking great! The bench idea to put swags of groceries on is an idea I hadn’t thought of. I am planning my new pantry and that is something you can tell Adam I think is a terrific idea! My pantry at present is too shallow to store much at all, and too many shelves, so things get missed or fall out!
Can’t wait to see the rest of it!
Booklady says
January 22, 2017 at 1:55 pmHave you considered drawers for canned goods? I am told by friends that they are the BEST for rotating the products. The trick is to move everything already in the drawer forward and then to put the newest cans in the back. (This works best if the canned goods are arranged in rows by product.)
Ashley says
January 24, 2017 at 5:51 pmYes, that is exactly what we are doing! They are more like vertical drawers that you access from the side.
Elton says
January 27, 2017 at 10:24 amthanks for share information
Karen says
January 28, 2017 at 2:48 pmOh this is just lovely. We are going to start building our house in the next few months (Lord willing) and I’m thinking I’ll have to go look at your old blog posts for inspiration! I’m also getting a pantry for the first time in my life, woohoo! This looks really nice and great organizational tips! It took me a sec to see that the little pot was holding chalk, I thought you might keep your secret stash of cigarettes in there. :^D
Conor says
January 29, 2017 at 2:59 pmIt looks like you used 3/4 plywood. How much weight do you think each shelf can hold?
Ashley says
January 31, 2017 at 9:11 amYes, it’s 3/4 plywood. I asked Adam how much he thinks they could hold and he said maybe 100 lbs or so for the short ones (they are in studs on three sides).
Tracy Serno says
February 17, 2017 at 9:01 amWow, that’s some inspiration for us! My only thought is, how long do you take to complete this project? From planning to finish…
Amora | tilecentre says
February 23, 2017 at 1:18 amHey Ashley….Open shelves are easy and affordable solution for this problem..you both did a great job.
kelly gundersen says
March 20, 2017 at 3:28 pmI really enjoy you blog and come here a lot to see if you’ve posted! :) Have been thinking a lot about re doing our pantry and was wondering what you’re doing for a door on the pantry? It looks like maybe an antique, unfinished door on regular hinges is what you’re using? Is that so? And where did you get the door? Thanks so much!
Ashley says
March 20, 2017 at 4:37 pmHey Kelly! You are correct, the door is an old antique door on regular hinges. I bought the door at an antiques fair and had a doorframe made for it. I have a blog post coming up about the finished pantry and door in the next week or two, I’m just having a hard time keeping up with posting these days.
kelly gundersen says
March 20, 2017 at 10:56 pmUmmm, I’m SO impressed you even replied to my comment, and SO quickly too! Give yourself a HUGE break! The 4 little people (and 1 big:)) that you take care of are more important than posting, in my opinion, at least. Invest and enjoy, the days go by so fast when they’re small and snuggly!