Pantry Reveal
The Reveal…Mission Pantry Reorganization
When we built This New Old House a large pantry was a must-have on our list, must-have! We have been in This New Old House for a year and a half and I must say I love the convenience of having our own in-home grocery store with our large pantry, but I was finding that I felt like a food explosion was going on and trying to pack more groceries in was always a challenge. When the New Year rolled around it was my New Year mission resolution to get this space more organized and functional for our family…and of course cute is always a bonus too in my world! The pantry reorganization was a multi-step process {if you followed along on my Facebook feed}, and we have been living the real family life with our pantry for several weeks before I wrote this blog so I could share the honest truth about we love, what’s working, and what’s not working.
Pantry reveal…drum roll please…
Yay! Where do I even begin to share what I am loving about the new pantry organization???
Well, I best start with my favorite item in the pantry that caused quite the Facebook poll controversy. The teal bench is staying and I LOVE IT! I feel like I need to explain myself since I did get a lot of push back on the bench in the pantry idea…as sometimes you need to think outside of the box on your decorating.
#1 – I love the pop of color this bench brings into the pantry.
#2 – I added crocks and containers under the bench to store our potatoes, onions, squash, and other garden items tucked away, but yet handy…because let’s be honest healthy options need to be handy!
#3 – This is one of my favorite pieces that makes me smile and the pantry is one of the rooms that I enter in our home the most. Do what you love in your decorating!
#4 – The bench has definitely come in handy for unloading groceries.
#5 – We actually do sit on it in the pantry {LOL!}. It really is the perfect spot to contemplate what’s for dinner or break away for a quiet snack! Oreo cookie, anyone???
My favorite thing in the pantry {besides the teal bench} is my vintage apron display. Most of these aprons are vintage aprons from my Grandma Millie and everything looks more adorable on an old ladder, right??!! I heart!
Everything in the new pantry has a spot! So, I am not the only one in the family that can put groceries away and keep the pantry in order…chalk labels to the rescue {you knew I would find a way to work chalk labels into the pantry, right??!! Yay!}. I am in love with the Thirty-One chalk label storage containers I got for the pantry to hide all of my boxes and bags and keep everything by category together.
And, the clear food containers…a win! When we were discussing the clear containers on the This New Old House Facebook feed, some questions came up that I will share our family experiences so far.
#1 - How do you keep track of expiration dates? We don’t. We put all of our favorite foods in the containers and we actually go through them fairly quickly. For example, I refill the cracker container every week. And, while I used to throw away 10+ empty boxes each time I cleaned the pantry, the boxes are gone and I can clearly see when we are running low on an item to add to the grocery list.
#2 – Glass or plastic? We have been experimenting with both. We have some glass containers from IKEA and some plastic containers from Amazon. We like them both, but if you have younger kiddos, the plastic containers may be a better option. We have had no breakages yet, and I have to say I prefer the look of the glass containers.
#3 – How do you get the perfect amount to fit in each container? Magically, most of the items we are putting into the containers seem to be the exact right fit. My bag of ground coffee, fits perfectly in the coffee container. One box of crackers, fits perfectly in the cracker container. Two bags of croutons, fits perfectly in the crouton container. I am not sure how this has worked out so amazing so far, by luck I guess! But, I figured if I did have something extra I would just tuck the leftovers in one of the Thirty One boxes that most fits the category to hide it!
Let’s share what’s not working, the raisins! LOL! I joked on Facebook that no one in our family likes raisins {except hubby}, but we were going to do a little test and see if putting them in a clear plastic container made them more appealing. Well, it doesn’t! I might be switching this container out to jelly beans for Easter soon. Yay!
I still use my old-fashioned cookbooks and love my collection passed down from my mother-in-law and Grandma Millie! I have the perfect little spot at the back of the pantry to store them for easy access.
Yes to the metal can holders! Absolutely, yes! I am sad to say I am 39 and this is the first experience I have had with this handy little contraption. I have no idea how I kept track of what I had for cans before now…oh wait, I didn’t. LOL! Love it! Highly recommend!
I told you my pantry was going to be cute + functional! I was in love with these copper canisters the day I laid my eyes on them on Amazon {copper is one of my obsessions!}. My only issue that didn’t work, was the containers were all one size smaller than what I was hoping for. Solution to the rescue, I did have the large glass container in the pantry already with my hot cocoa mix. I transitioned the hot cocoa to another container to store by the rest of the drinks and actually like the mix of the copper and glass in this area. Add on the chalk board labels and baking supply perfection right here!
I told you this was the room in our house that everyone in our pantry is in the most. We literally could have a party in the pantry…ha-ha! So, this is the perfect spot for our command center with our baskets for bills and important paperwork, family calendar, and bulletin board for important papers to keep us all on track!
And, in case you forgot where the pantry is…really because I just thought it was so adorable…this DIY pantry sign will remind you {kind of B&B style}. And, one of my repurposed hutch doors turned chalk board sign found the perfect home outside the pantry!
That’s a wrap on the pantry reveal! Happy organizing, friends!!!