Last week we shared our freshly painted and organized pantry and this week, we thought it would be fun to give a little video tour. There were a few skeptics that thought not everything came back in the pantry, and I can confidently say that all the major players and small appliances are here! We did find a spot in the kitchen for our kids plates, and moved the coolers to the garage, but other than that organization is magic!
Here's what it used to look like--woof:
Watch the short tour below or on our YouTube channel here!
A couple notes I cover in the video:
• I love to group by kids/adults mainly because I eat special food for my health and I like to keep it separated from Chris's (who mostly eats keto) and I keep the girls' options at their level. It makes it so much easier for them to grab a snack, breakfast or help pack their lunch.
• Besides snacks, I have a breakfast shelf, lunch shelf, baking shelf, drinks all together, pasta/rice and canned goods. Despite popular opinion, labeling does not an organized pantry make. In fact, I only believe in labeling things you could actually confuse with something else (ie. I don't label the pretzels, but definitely the tapioca flour).
• HERE'S the label maker we have. I use the clear tape with black lettering and just put the label near the base of the canisters.
• All of the small appliances, vases, trays, live out of the way and the rest is organized according to how often and whom is accessing it. Chris's spices are right at the entrance (Here is the link to his spice jars!) and the girls breakfast options are at their level and my snacks are out of reach--haha.
• The system is what is going to keep you organized. Decant the things that you buy the most often or your pantry staples, put the other things in bins or baskets. I have a few different storage containers in here, some from our last house and some we bought new for this pantry. But the OXO POP containers are hands-down my favorite of the bunch!
To wrap it up, I wanted you to know there are so many options out there to fit a variety of budgets. I rounded up my my 6 essentials for pantry organization below for you to check out and make a plan. An organized pantry will greatly greatly improve your quality of life and I'm speaking from experience. Set a budget and work towards making it happen!
Leave a Reply
WE'RE CHRIS + JULIA
Portfolio
Projects
We use our pantry for small kitchen appliances. But we have two (an upper & lower) corner lazy susan cabinets. We use the upper cabinet for spice storage, and the bottom cabinet for lightweight objects. Do you have any suggestions on organized lazy susan’s. The bottom susan has two shelves, and the upper has three. Any suggestion would be incredibly appreciated, those shelves are a pain in the touchas!
Thank you!
Hi! Love it! Can you put a link for the spice jars Chris bought from Amazon? Thanks!!!
Love the pantry! My question is how do you plan which containers to get? How did you know what size/shape would work? Did you buy extra and then return what didn’t work? This is always a big mystery to me but I want to do my pantry for Xmas.
So I'm very interested in the "drink flavorings" on the top shelf. I don't think that's a thing here in SE Arkansas. And if it is, I'm missing out. I know Shelley at the House of Smiths does "mixed drinks" i.e. sodas. Do you guys have a post on the drinks you make? Or would you be willing to do a Chris Cooks- Fun Drinks Edition. Thanks! Love following along :)
I love how you took a bold leap and went dark in the pantry. It looks good! I like how maybe if it does get cluttered down the road it wouldn't be as obvious if it was light and bright in there and a mess would be more obvious (?). I can't say I would go dark in my pantry but it looks surprisingly great! Love your design surprises :)
This is really beautiful. The one thing I noticed was how dark it was toward the back of the shelves. Would you ever consider putting in some rope lights or something like that to shed some more light back there?
Yeah, we have plans to!
I still notice many items didnt make it back
into the pantry, to say "oh it all fit back in no problem" isn't being truthful.
Well that comment wasn't kind or helpful or useful or inquisitive. I have always been impressed at how things seem much less chaotic and crowded after they have been appropriately organized. It's all still there! Whether your "discerning" eyes can see it, that's the question????
well done!
Anytime you organize a space, you end up getting rid of things. How strange to hold them to some standard that they need to keep 100% of the stuff they previously had there.
agree Kristen - when cleaning out any space, purging is a given.
Beautiful pantry! Can you share the brand of oatmeal that you have in the containers?
Bob's Red Mill
Hey guys! So sorry this question is not pantry related but I didn't know where else to ask. When you first moved in your new home you recommended a streaming service as an alternative to cable. I think it was in your stories and now I can't find it :( What was it again please??? Thanks in advance! Love you!!!
I feel like the checkerboard floors would play so well in here with this moody and dramatic pantry. :) This pantry gives off a very rich and luxurious, but cozy vibe. I can't describe it but the room just feels like a hug! The 'before' felt so "exposed." I know that all sounds crazy, but I have no other way to describe it!
I agree whole-heartedly!
I loved following along with your pantry makeover! It looks amazing!! Also, I have been wondering about the virtues of decanting. We have a large family (7 kids at home) and I wonder if it will be worth it to decant or if we run through things so quickly that maybe it would not work well for us...anyone have thoughts???
Would love to hear from large families on this! I imagine you go through cereal a lot quicker. For us, it is a clear indicator of what we're running low on and keeps us from over buying or buying multiples!
I have the Oxo Pips but everything ends up stale :(
Looks amazing! Anyone who uses canisters or any type of bulk storage container should also check out what options they have locally for refilling these directly (like Bulk Barn here in Canada or any sort of zero waste store)! I have a zero waste store near me and it's great to be able to skip the decanting step. I just put any empty containers in my car right away and then stop in whenever I'm driving or walking by to refill, takes two seconds and all the stores have scales and make it soOoOo easy.
Great tip!
I have turntable #3. My husband and I were fed up with our oil/vinegar/sauce storage and I decided to buy three turntables and rearrange the cabinet that day. We live in a small town and #3 is the only option I could find locally. I initially was disappointed that it doesn't look very "high end" but after seeing how it functions and how it has improved our lives I now regard it as a thing of beauty :)