Pantry Organization & Makeover

It all started with a simple question on an empty Saturday in lockdown: “Hey Chris, which should I deep clean today, the fridge or the pantry?” Little did he know that answering “pantry” to that seemingly innocuous question would lead to an intense project wrapping up FIVE MONTHS later!

Like most middle-aged, basic women in 2020, I got super into deep cleaning. I wanted the entire house to smell like bleach and #gocleanco provided all the justification and resources I needed to accomplish that goal. (Side note, if you aren’t familiar with Go Clean Co, please do yourself a favor and find them on Instagram. You’re welcome.) My original goal was to simply purge and deep clean the pantry with their magical solution (i.e. hot water, bleach, and Tide…again, head over to #gocleanco for the details!). So that’s what I started doing…

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However, it was at the phase of the project that I got a little too big for my britches! As the ultimate goal for our home is to eventually have all of the trim and cabinets painted white instead of the original ivory/off-white color, I thought that I might as well paint these shelves and trim white since it’s all cleaned out! And then…I might as well paint the walls too while I’m in here! Ya know…no time like the present! When I returned all the food items (that weren’t expired!), I realized that if I don’t want to be right back here with a dirty pantry in a couple weeks, I might as well work on ways to keep it organized and easy to clean.

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Now, something about me…I love things to not only be organized but look super organized as well. Functional and well-thought out design is just the tops. It’s also a rarely talked about form of self-care for me. When my surroundings are organized and pleasant-looking, my mind is more at peace. So, I decided to really get extra with organizing our pantry…ya know, since I had already cleaned it out! (See how I just kept pulling the thread!)

Enter the Container Store products and labels! My first step was to think about how we could use this space in a more functional way. What were our pain points and needs? A nice little “wish list” was started and included things like:

• easy grab & go items for the kids (so they could be a little more independent!)
• better utilization of the rigid corners
• stacked canned goods so they are easier to see at a glance
• no wasted space

I started with clean, white bins to keep all of the snacks neatly contained, turntables for the corners, and pantry stairs for the canned goods. (Don’t worry, all is linked below!) To help my family get on board with keeping everything in it’s new place, the labels remain key! (Also linked below!)

My last add was the wallpaper. I LOVE lemons in a kitchen and if you pair those lemons with a deep navy, I’m just DONE. I found this temporary wallpaper on Amazon and just fell in love. It was fairly easy to install and wasn’t too expensive. A lesson I learned here was to have accurate measurements before you order and order more than you think you’ll need. Even temporary wallpaper can be tricky so it’s better to have extra on-hand, just in case. Nothing is more frustrating than having the goal to finish the project one weekend, only to discover that you don’t have enough wallpaper and you have to wait for the Amazon truck!

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All in all, I’m super pleased with how it turned out! I feel a little more “in control” of our food. Because everything has a distinct place, I am more aware when we are running low on something and can avoid over-purchasing. I think even Chris finds the space easier to navigate…or he is just good at indulging me. Fine, it’s probably both! 😉

Product Links (includes Amazon affiliate links):

• Baskets/Bins (Shelves): The Container Store (Large)
• Crates: The Container Store
• Recycling Bin: The Container Store
• Labels: The Container Store (Clips) and Amazon (Clips & Stickers)
• Turntables: Amazon
• Stairs: Amazon
• Wallpaper: Amazon