Raise your hand if you love your pantry. This client did NOT love her pantry. She has 2 very active boys. She works full-time plus, including weekends. The space was very cluttered which was causing her anxiety. It was also costing her money because she was buying items she already had, and things were going bad because they would get buried for months. During the first visit we set goals, the main one being to increase function in the space. She also wanted to create a uniform look through products, acquire specialty organizing products for cans and spices, and move less used serving pieces elsewhere. We set a time frame to complete the project within 30 days. We removed some things she rarely used and started defining and consolidating the categories.
After that first visit, I was tasked with finding products for the space. The client completed my product questionnaire, in which questions are answered to narrow down product choices based on color and material preferences. I completed analysis of her specific needs and sent suggestions via email and text, with links, based on her preferences and products which I knew could provide the quantity needed. It took about a week to decide on products, and I then set about making purchases. Once I had the needed products, we scheduled the next visit for me to set everything up.
I had spent significant time creating the layout within the specific pantry measurements, accounting for items the family most uses and the unique dimensions and restrictions of the space. For example, on one side, the front wall was set at an angle, so there wasn’t much space in front of the shelves that could be used to pull products out. In the middle, the double sliding doors created a harder-to-reach space and had a diagonal support bar that had to be accounted for. On the other side, there was a narrow bit of shelf behind a wall. For these areas, we used products to work with the existing design. For cooking oils and vinegars, we used a lazy susan turntable. For most of the pantry, we went with the Montauk gray woven basket line from The Container Store. This line has numerous sizes that allowed us to create the uniform look she wanted. We also used Oxo pop-top air-tight clear plastic containers for bulk foods like flour, sugar, and rice. For cookies and other sweet snacks, we used Oxo plastic pop-top cookie jars, which are air-tight and make it easy to access what’s inside. I LOVE the look and function of these cookie jars. For cereal and dog food we used Oxo cereal containers, to match the other Oxo containers. For her coffee syrups we used stackable wine bottle holders. Finding the right can organizer proved more difficult than I expected. The common wire shelves installed in the space have around 11 inches of height in between, and the front ‘lip’ requires products that must fit underneath so reduces the vertical height even further. The vertical space between the floor and the lowest one is always more than between the other shelves, but this pantry was installed with less. The first can organizer I went with was slightly too tall for even the floor, so we changed course and went with a shorter product. For spices, which was causing her significant angst, she purchased a spice organizer and moved all the spices to a cabinet, which freed up pantry space.
This project was my first for which I did the set up without the client there. Before the visit, I defined the process I would use so I had an outline to keep me on track. I estimated the time it would take, but I knew my estimate was probably inaccurate and I would need to be flexible, which was exactly what ended up happening. I arrived at the house around 9:00am, planning to stay until around 3:00. I set all the products out, along with my printed layout document that had previously been approved by the client. This time during the set up I decided to record a time-lapse video. This was a learning process too, since I found stopping the recording to review texts, send the client questions, etc. First, I hand-washed and dried all the products. Some were dishwasher safe, but I didn’t want to wait on the dishwasher to run. I took a quick video to document my plan for reference, then went to work. I worked in sections, first removing existing items, then cleaning the existing area for a fresh start. At her request, I checked packages for past ‘best by’ dates and threw out those items. I moved packaged items to their new homes. The categories we used were paper towels, disposable, first aid kit, backstock, large bagged snacks, sauce packets, bulk baking, baking mixes, bread, peanut butter & spreads, boxed meal items, rice & grains, nuts & dried fruit, cookies, sweet snacks, cooking oils & vinegars, condiments & sauces, pasta & mac & cheese, potatoes, individual snacks, beverages, pet, cereal, plastic grocery bags, and cookbooks. I emptied bulk items into their appropriate containers and labeled the Oxo bulk items with chalkboard labels. Since she wasn’t home, I recorded me walking her through the new layout and sent it to her. I left the house around 4:30 that afternoon, exhausted but very satisfied.
She went back and forth about labels on the baskets. I labeled one basket in the first set up visit to show her an example. She found that her family needed some additional help using the new categories, so when I went back the next time to finish up, we decided to label the rest of the baskets. The basket labels can be easily removed in the future if she decides to stop using them. In the last visit I also set up the 2nd can organizer. This one requires specific can width sizes and is limited, so I sorted the cans she had to create the slot widths. The result is quite a contrast to what it was before. The sleek baskets provide not only a uniform look but also look very neat in the space while containing items and creating a functioning system. The products we chose work with the space and allow for quick access to items. She is thrilled and has told me she’s saving money because she can see what she has. Be sure to check out the before and after pictures!
Close-up of shelf brackets Oddly shaped wall on left side Left side – Before Right side – Before All the product options I brought with me for the project. So fun! Left – After Right – After
