Open Pantry Makeover + Organizing Ideas

Ideas and inspiration for creating a functional, open pantry with storage solutions for a multitude of pantry basics and staples. I’m sharing our refreshed pantry makeover with you today, and it’s everything we needed to bring it up to date and make it work best for us. We went with organizing options that are pretty enough to keep our shelving open, I can’t wait to show you!!!!

Because — there is NO MORE CURTAIN.

Repeat, there is no more curtain! It feels so good to have that gone. It might not seem like a big deal but there was just something about having to have a curtain covering the space that drove me bananas. Our brick wall certainly deserved a better neighbor too. 

See? Yuck! But it was a necessary evil at the time, and makes it all the sweeter that it’s gone now. I was tempted to burn it. hahaha. But it wasn’t the curtains fault. If I had a pantry door covering the space, that would have been fine, but it’s a carved out little spot as it is, and framing it in and hanging a door wasn’t in our time or budget bank.

So we did what we do best, and made do with what we DID have to work with! 

I’m thinking my moto for 2020 should just be — it doesn’t have to be big, fancy or expensive to be pretty, personalized & useful! Okay so that’s me all the time, but we really CAN have beautiful on a budget. 

Now, if you’ve already got a pretty pantry, you were one step ahead of me! Ours was very utilitarian — with cheap laminate shelving and trim, and that’s why I had it hiding behind that curtain for so long.  

With a good caulking job, a few coats of fresh paint, and new wood shelves stained a rich, deep brown… I feel like I can finally have this space open!

PAINT DEBATE:

If you weighed in on the Black or White paint debate, thank you so much! I know black would have made the area recede and would have looked amazing, and if I were simply decorating the shelves I think it would be gorgeous! But after thoughtful consideration, I realized all the stark white tops on my flip tite containers would have becoming glaringly prominent against a black background, and that made my choice easy.

I hope you all agree that I made the right one!  

Once the prep of the space was done and the new shelves were in place, getting the actual pantry filled & set-up went really fast!

When I did that major purge & clean overhaul in the kitchen last year (remember the truck with the goat? you can read about it here) I went so deep and purged so much, that things stayed amazingly in shape. It actually took very little effort to shift the location of a few items and pull all my basics into one spot. I actually have MORE room now! 

In fact, we previously had our canned goods split by type due to storage constraints. Now they are all in one place.

I can’t stress enough, that making adjustments as your family dynamic and needs change will make your home work best for you! A little work can have amazing payoffs and I’ve always found the effort, on both small & large projects, is more than worth it! 

Besides the actual DIY on the open pantry, I made one major change in this space that makes the biggest visual difference, and that was to move our recycling bin to a new spot.  Our allowances have changed so much that we only take it to the curb every few weeks so it didn’t warrant being in such a prominent spot any longer. Boy am I glad too, because that massive bright blue bin would definitely have ruined the whole vibe!

Can you believe I’ve even got two big empty baskets? Like I said, I’ve got MORE room since making this change. Crazy how good organization and space planning make that happen. I just slotted them in as space holders that we can grow into.  This is the same basket style I used down at The Little Cottage and I was so glad they still had them in stock! They are such a good size, and I love the warmth and texture they add to the new pantry. 

After investing in a dozen new hand towels, and couldn’t resist popping a few in one of the cute wood kitchen bins… so I can look at them before they get stained up being used and abused in the kitchen. It inevitably happens when we actually use them right? 

Oh, and I still love the metal stack-able bins too, but I relocated the other three for my craft supplies since they weren’t really needed here any longer. 

When we decided on the shelf placement, we purposefully made a slimmer slot for the over-sized copper baking sheets we got over the holidays, and for our big roasting pan (not pictured). This makes our life much easier because we literally had not a single spot in the entire kitchen that those mega pans would fit until we made one. 

Investing in more of the flip tite containers was painless after being so impressed with the ones I bought last year. I got just enough to hold my everyday basics, cereal and a few snacks. They are such great containers! They keep everything really fresh, and I like how they open and close. The closure is so well designed and easy to operate! 

This big fat flip tite storage container is one of my new sizes, and I can’t wait to see how it keeps my bagels. That’s carb gold right there, so I’ve got high hopes 😉

I love it when my to-do list and my Better Homes & Gardens at Walmart project assignments collide! It feels soooo good to have our pantry both working best for us, and looking pretty too. I am beyond thrilled that with Jim’s help,  we were able to tackle this project together and get these shelves organized with some smart, key new organizing pieces! 

And because looking back makes us so thankful, and keeps us moving forward with renewed vigor, here’s a little before & after action! Slow and steady friends — let’s chip away at our to-do lists together! 

Join my free private Facebook group [click here] and share photos of your projects, ask questions and visit with our friendly & positive group!

Next up with Better Homes & Gardens UPDATED: see the NEW room [click here]! I’ll be giving a room and makeover and I am busy planning for that one already! It’s going to be a BIG year here at the cottage, we’ve got so many plans and ideas we want to implement. I’m so happy that you all join us & cheer us on… you guys mean the world to me!!

Cheers to a very happy, healthy & wonderful 2020 for us ALL!! xo Shannon 

I’m thrilled to be kicking-off another year sharing the Better Homes & Gardens line from Walmart with you as a brand partner. It’s important to me that this line fits most of our budgets and we can all feel inspired by the great design and affordable prices. Some of the courtesy shopping links to the products and items I use and share below are affiliate links. That mean I may make a very small commission to help offset the costs of running my site if you choose to buy something, but you’ll never pay a penny more for it.

Sources:

• ALL Better Homes & Gardens Flip Tite Containers [click here]

• Better Homes & Gardens Wood Kitchen Bins [click here]

• Better Homes & Gardens Kitchen Towels [click here]

• Better Homes & Gardens Stacking Wire Basket Lrg. [click here]

• Better Homes & Gardens Square Water Hyacinth Basket [click here]

Pantry Build Details – Paint, Stain, Dimensions, Etc… Coming Soon!!

Additional Kitchen Organizing Goods: 

• BEST VALUE Stacking Wire Basket Lrg Set of THREE [click here]

• Better Homes & Gardens Set of 3 Wire Baskets [click here]

• Better Homes & Gardens Stacking Wire Basket Sm. [click here]

• Better Homes & Gardens Bamboo Spice Rack [click here]

• Better Homes & Gardens Galvanized Mug Rack [click here]

• Better Homes & Gardens Hobnail Canister Large [click here]

• Better Homes & Gardens Hobnail Canister Medium [click here]

• Better Homes & Gardens Hobnail Canister Small [click here]

• Better Homes & Gardens Galvanized Canisters [click here]

If an item isn’t listed here, please inquire in the comments and I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

View my 50+ BHG Projects [CLICK HERE]

or Click on the Image Below

For even MORE pantry ideas [click here!]

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