My pantry is done! I have to say it was quite an ordeal. Not because of the work involved. It was the opinions of everyone in the household. The pantry has been a dream of mine for a long time. I wanted it be functional and pretty, but the males in the house did not seem to understand the pretty part!
The best creative scenario for me is when I am alone. I can think clearly, adjust and work things through. With the pantry being in the hub of the home (the kitchen), that is not how it played out. During the entire process of putting the pantry together, there were questions, questions and more questions. My son asked me if he could keep his cereal in the box so he tell which cereal it was. I told him I would cut the name from the box (Home Edit trick) and tuck it in the back of container so he would know which cereal it was (although I think you can tell the difference between Frosted Flakes and Cheerios). My mother-in-law would ask me about where I was trying out spots for different items. This happened several times with several different items. Every time, I would tell her that I did not know, because I was working through the process. Things have also been moved. My husband moved the toaster next to the Keurig and smoothie maker. This space is meant to be a coffee bar area. The toaster makes it too tight. But we compromised. I moved it from the coffee bar to a more accessible area. It became apparent to me that I would have to finish the rest when everyone was not there. I worked last night after everyone went to bed and this morning when everyone was asleep. I was finally able to complete the pantry at my own pace without any questions!
While I was working in the pantry I did ask myself a question. Was I being unfair to the males in my family for not being excited over a well organized and pretty pantry? What do you think? I would love to hear other opinions.
My pretty pantry! Everything is categorized. First shelf baking , second is canned goods and dinner items, bottom is for breakfast, snacks and treats.
I am glad I went with the white lettering instead of black.
I honestly think taking everything out of the packaging gives you more room. Using containers and being able to stack them on top of one another is also a plus.
The solution to my son’s dilemma… I cut the name of the crackers off the box and put it in the back of the container. I did the same thing with chocolate chips except I cut out the Toll House Cookie recipe.
When we were planning the pantry, I asked them to put in an outlet because I knew I wanted a coffee bar in the pantry.
This is the spot for the Keurig and smoothie maker. There really wasn’t enough room for the toaster. I did however find a more convenient spot with room for bagels and bread right next to it.
I now have room to store all my entertaining items. Extra plates, glassware and platters.
Having the pantry will cause a domino effect for storage in the house. By moving the entertaining serve-ware to the pantry, it will free up storage down in the basement. We can also move extra linens to the basement closet to give us more room in the linen closet and be better organized upstairs too. Yeah!
Don’t tell the men in my family, but the refrigerator is next!