Do you have a pantry, but it’s a mess? Do you have a kitchen, but you can’t find anything? Here are seven pantry organization tips to help you clean up your cupboards and keep your fridge from becoming a disaster.
Given the limited space in most kitchens, you might think that achieving organizational success would be impossible. But with a little planning, you can fit a large variety of items in a small space. The key to kitchen organization is to combine a few key organizing strategies with a few simple rules to keep your pantry organized. Here are seven basic types of kitchen pantries, organized by type of kitchen drawer or shelf.
If you’re looking into buying a new kitchen, then you’ll want to make sure that you have all your bases covered in terms of organization. This is especially true if you’re moving into a house with an already existing kitchen pantry, or if you’re just trying to get your pantry organized.
When it comes to home living, having a large and well-organized pantry is like winning the jackpot. Because the kitchen is typically the most used area in the house, having it completely functioning is critical for many homeowners, particularly those who like cooking and entertaining. It’s a dream come true to be able to neatly store utensils and groceries.
To locate a good pantry, you must first comprehend your home’s general design, the space available, and, if you’re renovating, cost and innovative methods to store things you hadn’t previously utilized. Have you ever wondered how those color-coded pantries on HGTV, Pinterest, or Instagram were put up? We’ll go through the many types of pantries, as well as some of their advantages and disadvantages.
Pantry in a Freestanding Cabinet
Perhaps you don’t have the room or money to remodel and add a pantry to your house, therefore pantry space is out of the question. This is where you’ll find your salvation. A freestanding pantry may be put anywhere in the kitchen, moved about as needed, and is inexpensive to install. This may be built by a carpenter or purchased from a furniture shop to provide more storage space in your kitchen. These have evolved throughout time from double doors to barn-type doors or single doors, giving you additional options to fit your taste.
Contemporary Pantries with Drawers that pull out
These pull-out pantries attract modern and stylish houses like a magnet. They have a very elegant appearance and provide excellent storage in small areas. These should be avoided at all costs since they aren’t as sturdy as the others on this list and therefore only allow light weighted objects. If you exceed the weight limits, you risk damaging the rack and, more likely, the whole system, which would be very expensive to repair.
Pantry of the Butler
This little kitchen was a common feature in affluent medieval houses. The Lords and Ladies’ strongholds had a large amount of visitors pouring into their houses, necessitating a large staff to service them. Before the meal was prepared, a lot of the prep work was done in the Butler’s pantry. These chambers were used to store and preserve dry goods and wine. Butler pantries have evolved throughout time, but they still fulfill the same functions. Traditional houses, particularly estates handed down through the generations, still retain them in their original form.
Pantry with a Door
A walk-in pantry has all of the appeal and functionality of a walk-in closet. For every homeowner, this is a dream come true. Space is plenty with shelves adorning all four sides of the room, and everything is simple to locate simply leaning back on either side and scanning the things on the shelves, depending on your kitchen organizing abilities. If your house is still in the planning phases, you’ll need to set aside some room next to your kitchen for a walk-in pantry. Because many people do not have the choice or luxury of having one of these, it is money well spent.
Pantry with Open Shelves
A walk-in pantry is the ideal homeowner’s dream, but you may be unable to realize it due to a lack of room or funds. Choose a pantry with open shelves. You may already have a pantry cabinet but need a bit more room. Install shelves and arrange things neatly against any blank walls in the kitchen.
Pantry in a Built-In Cabinet
If you’re constructing your dream home or renovating your kitchen and want to optimize the room’s usefulness, include a built-in cabinet pantry in your architectural design. You have the freedom to build this pantry to match the style of your house, provide as much storage as you like, and place it in the kitchen area that is most convenient for you.
Pantry in the Style of a Cupboard
Cupboards aren’t really pantries since they’re contained, while pantries usually take up a whole room. Cabinets, on the other hand, have been updated and expanded to include shelf choices, even on cabinet doors, enabling them to serve as a conventional pantry. This is where pull-out drawers come in useful, since cabinets don’t always have enough capacity, but they can be used with the pull-out mechanism to give you access to things at the rear that aren’t always simple to reach.
How to Organize Your Pantry Effectively
A pantry is only as good as the food you put in it. A built-in cabinet pantry may seem to be dysfunctional to one family, but it delivers and then some for another. All of this boils down to storage and organizing, which we’ll discuss further down.
Pull-Out Drawers
These slide-in and slide-out drawers are a true lifesaver. Pull-out drawers enable you to optimize the depth of the shelf while providing simple access to all things in the pantry, making it easier to reach items that are at the back of the shelf. These may be wooden or wired, but be sure you buy high-quality racks that don’t rust readily, since this can cause them to get caught.
Maximize the amount of space you have.
When it comes to your pantry, leave no stone untouched. It makes no difference how many people are in the room. You’ll be able to use the pantry to its full potential as long as it’s organized. Maybe your shelf doesn’t reach all the way to the ceiling and there’s approximately 50cm of empty space. A rack for hanging pans or serving spoons should be included.
Stack spices, canned goods, and kitchen towels on shelves added to the pantry door. The bottom floor space can be used for rolling carts to store even more items. You may easily add an additional storage box to increase capacity. You need to be a lot more imaginative, and if you’re stuck, go to Pinterest for help.
Wicker baskets, transparent containers, and wire bins are also good options.
Stacking snacks or canned goods on the shelf may quickly create a mess, and if the pantry is always crowded, the kitchen will quickly become your least favorite place in the home. Wicker baskets, wire bins, and see-through containers with labels will not only help you locate what you’re searching for, but they’ll also make your pantry seem like it came right out of a Pinterest board.
Coordination of color and category
You must be deliberate in your organizing skills; else, you will quickly get dissatisfied with your pantry. You must arrange things in zones to perfect the color and category type of coordination. Cereal boxes and storage containers, for example, require more shelf space than canned goods and spices. Separate the wheat from the oils, and then separate the oils from the snacks. Color coordinate with your reds, yellows, and blues separated yet in related categories for greater visual appeal. Because it’s tidy and easy to locate things, this will make your kitchen a more appealing place to cook and entertain visitors.
Container Labeling
Labeling baskets, jars, and containers will help you spend less time in the pantry. Also, since the pantry is used by everyone in the family, labeling will make it easier for everyone to locate goods without disorganizing the space. Knowing where everything is not only provides psychological comfort, but it also helps in keeping things in order when restocking goods from the grocery store since you already know where everything is going.
Pantry Doors should be installed
Some pantry doors are missing, preventing convenient access to and from the kitchen. During a busy holiday season, such as Christmas or Thanksgiving, when there’s a lot of traffic in and out of the kitchen, you’ll want the pantry to be hidden so that any mess you make there isn’t apparent to your visitors. Barn doors, glass sliding doors, and swinging doors are all options.
Dry foods should be kept in containers.
To add more organization to the space and offer greater accessibility to things, empty cereal, sugar, spaghetti, and everything else from their packing bags into airtight see-through jars. These containers and jars are often offered in sets at the supermarket or retail store, and they come in a variety of sizes, with those for spaghetti and cereal being longer than the others.
Colors and wallpaper that are uplifting
Wallpaper can help bring a boring, lifeless pantry to life, as well as make the coordination and neatness of the space stand out even more. Look for bright, eye-catching hues that will bring your whole culinary experience to life. Bright surroundings elicit positive subconscious responses in humans. It makes people happier and more willing to do things they wouldn’t normally want to do.
Pantry Doors Made of Chalkboard
You’ll want a blackboard in your kitchen if you’re a parent balancing life and making sure your kids are eating well. This board will remind you of all the grocery things you need to stock up on, and having everyone in the home jot down their requirements provides the shopper an edge in preparing and keeping the whole family pleased on grocery shopping day. In addition, this feature gives the kitchen a more homey and vibrant feel. The handwritings of many family members indicate that the kitchen is being used by everyone and that it is fulfilling its goal of bringing everyone together.
Containers Should Be in Drawers
Don’t just put teabags and other little items inside the drawer; it will get cluttered, and you won’t be able to locate anything. Place open containers in all drawers and organize things according to their categories. Knives should be kept separate from forks and serving spoons in their own container. Everything gets done quicker with this kind of structure.
Items that are often used should be kept at eye level.
Cereals, baking goods, snacks, and other similar items should be stored at eye level on the middle racks. Items that aren’t used often may be placed on the top and bottom shelves. You may also have a stool on hand for reaching things on the top shelf.
Follow the 80-20 Rule.
While this guideline in sales means that 20% of sales originate from 20% of consumers, we are utilizing this comparison in spacing in this situation. Don’t go above the 80 percent mark when it comes to pantry use. It’s a bit too much after you’ve gotten beyond this. Allow yourself 20% breathing space so you may move about and locate what you’re searching for.
Pantries’ Design
While pantries are mainly storage areas, they do not have to seem lifeless or unattractive. Your freestanding pantry can be painted to match the kitchen’s color scheme, or you can go big and contrast an all-white kitchen with a bright orange pantry.
Barn doors, sliding doors, and swinging doors are all options for adding flair to your kitchen. Additionally, using bright colors in the pantry can highlight your design style and improve the overall mood of the space. Pantries may be built to be concealed behind paneled doors and drawers that appear like cabinets but open into a walk-in pantry for minimalist homeowners who value the look of an uncluttered kitchen.
To summarize all that has been said so far, pantries are only as excellent as you make them. The heart of the space is set up and organization, and relying on either will stifle the pantry’s intended ingenuity. You’ll have your work cut out for you if you want to DIY your pantry. Make sure your dimensions are correct, then remove all of the goods from storage and evaluate what needs to put where and what containers are ideal for them. While the goods are out, you may replace the wallpaper and install a whole new pantry design, such as converting a closet pantry to an open shelf pantry.
Whether you’re organizing your own kitchen or working with someone who has already made the decision to get organized, the process is often overwhelming. So… what’s the first step? Many people think of organization as a time consuming hassle, but it doesn’t have to be—especially not when you shop for the proper tools!. Read more about small kitchen pantry ideas and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to organize a kitchen pantry?
The best way to organize a kitchen pantry is by using a shelving unit. Shelving units are designed to be sturdy and durable, and they can hold a lot of weight. They also have the ability to be adjusted in height so that you can place them on different levels of your kitchen pantry.
How do I organize my pantry professionally?
You can organize your pantry by color, type of food, or size.
How do I group items in pantry?
You can group items in your pantry by placing them on the shelves.
Related Tags
This article broadly covered the following related topics:
- pantry organization categories
- kitchen pantry ideas
- how to organize a pantry with deep shelves
- pantry organization
- how to organize a kitchen pantry
