Pantry projects are always interesting to me.
They tell a lot about who my clients are, and I find them absolutely fascinating. The kinds of food they eat, or don’t eat, and their reasons why. I never walk away from a pantry project without learning something new about food, cooking, and entertaining. All of which I love. There is always that one item in the pantry that I come across and say, “So… what is this?” And my client responds with, “That stuff is AMAZING!!! We use it ALL the time!”… and the story continues.
This particular pantry had some unique challenges. It’s a beautiful pantry, with solid wood shelving that I adore, and a wall built specifically to fit a myriad of spices. However, the shelves were not all that wide, and not all that deep. I definitely had to rely on my handy dandy tape measure to make sure I acquired the exact organizing tools I would need for this project. Luckily, the Container Store was having a great sale, and my Target staples fit in juuuuuusssst right.
I started with my typical questions: “How often do you cook?” “What items do you reach for every day?” “What items in here are considered ‘extra’ and could go on a higher shelf, to be retrieved when needed?”
And I rearranged a few things based on the answers.
The built-in spice rack shelves were SO cool, and there was plenty of room to keep all the spices without purging any of them…but you know me…I HAVE to check those expiration dates! I’m sure there are many “expiration date skeptics” out there, but I draw the line on foods that expired over a year ago…bleh! Let it go, folks, let it go. (Cue the “Frozen” theme song here!)
And you can hardly tell… but I placed some of the loose tea bags in the wonderful clear bins from the Container Store. They’re great because you can actually SEE what’s in your pantry!
Of course I used one of my favorite organizing tools, Lazy Susan
All the canned goods got moved to the deeper back shelf in order to fit them onto my trusted tiered shelf organizers from Target. I love those things.
Just a few simple organizing strategies and tools can totally trasform a space you access multiple times a day!
What project will you tackle next?
Happy organizing!
Stephanie
Simply Home Aid 
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