There’s a party in my pantry. Everyone’s invited—though it’s not really a party and the pantry is far too small to host anything. The invitation is awkward in a Brick Tamland sort of way.
See the pantry tucked in the back of the kitchen by the fridge?
This is the only “before” picture I could find with the door open. With the wallpaper and brown trim I’d have guessed it dated from before we moved in, but the groceries tell a different story, so this is clearly post-move.
As you can see, it was lacking in order and organization—aside from the artfully jumbled pile of bags on the floor. Take a second to pin that mental snapshot.
We weren’t particularly loving the space at first, despite being excited to have a real pantry. In our previous house we used some upper cabinets, and in the one before that we had a complicated pantry-cabinet contraption that was both useful and maddening. So a standard pantry closet—like the ones we grew up with—felt like a welcome change.
Over the eight months we lived with it, our frustration with the lack of function led to a few ideas. First up was moving the microwave into the pantry. It’s not the usual spot, but after ditching the bulky over-the-range unit we didn’t want it taking up counter space. We’d had success hiding a microwave behind a cabinet door in a previous kitchen (we don’t use it often), and the deep pantry seemed like a natural fit: good ventilation room on the sides and back, and we’d leave the door open when it’s in use. The only problem was there wasn’t an outlet in the pantry—until recently.
We actually had an outlet installed about a month ago (you may have noticed the microwave was missing for a bit). Right before Christmas our electricians stopped by and added an outlet where we wanted it for $110. With that, the microwave had a place to plug in, our counter was clearer, and the pantry felt a step closer to functional.
We’ve used the microwave in there for over a month with good results. To make space for it, though, we had to remove one shelf. The solution was simple: reposition the shelves to make use of the freed space. Simple solutions just sometimes take weeks to reach the top of the to-do list.
Yesterday we finally emptied the pantry—an entertaining task full of discoveries like, “I didn’t know we still had cookies back here!”—and adjusted the shelving. Our first idea was to lower the bottom shelf (which would hold the microwave) so the shelf above could return to its original spot. But we’d already moved the trash can into the pantry on a trial basis, and lowering the shelf any further would stop the bin from opening.
Trash can note: we moved it in over a month ago and were worried it might stink up the pantry. Like a trash can under a sink, though, it hasn’t been a problem—especially since it has a lid. Even with a pregnant wife who currently has an incredibly keen sense of smell, it’s been fine.
Instead of lowering the microwave shelf, we put the missing shelf back in above it. By hanging that shelf a bit higher, it became a half-shelf that’s perfect for cans and shorter pantry items. To gauge the height I very technically used a pasta sauce jar as a template.
Next, I pried off the existing braces (they were just nailed in), marked level lines for the new placement, then screwed the braces back into place. A level double-checked everything.
The whole job took about an hour, most of which was spent emptying the pantry, taking pictures, and savoring back-of-the-pantry finds. When it was done we were oddly excited to try out the new small-items shelf. It’s great to have a bonus shelf for shorter items that used to get shoved to the back or clutter other shelves.
We didn’t restock everything yet because there’s still more to do: priming, painting, and further shelf organization. We plan to add systems to keep larger shelves organized and might hang extra storage on the door. Sherry has been thinking about cheerful, wipeable shelf paper, so this pantry party is still half-baked.
After painting and letting everything dry we’ll organize it so it looks more appetizing and less like a grocery store mid-looting. We’ll share the final result when it’s ready.
It looks so nice empty and clean, though of course the rest of the kitchen isn’t nearly as tidy—so the empty look isn’t a long-term solution.
How do you organize your pantry? Do you use bins or systems you love? Have you admired those gorgeous, room-like pantries on Pinterest? Sometimes I catch Sherry staring at them and whispering, “magical unicorn pantry.”
If anyone’s hosting a pantry party soon, let me know—I’ll bring Brick. He’s a hoot.