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I’ve often written about pantries: how to organize a pantry, what to store in a pantry, and, of course, how to declutter a pantry that’s spiraled a little out of control. But what if your kitchen does not have a pantry?
So what if you don’t have the walk-in pantry of your dreams? Or even one that’s big enough for you to poke your head into? And your kitchen cabinet space is limited too? Never fear. Here’s a look at just how you can fake a pantry in your kitchen and come up with plenty of organized space for all your shelf-stable ingredients and even create something seriously Instagram worthy at the same time.
Get a Small Cart on Wheels
You’ve probably seen lots of utility carts pop up on your Instagram and Pinterest feeds recently. The iconic utility cart is a home design favorite for a few reasons: It’s small enough to tuck away into a corner, it can hold lots of ingredients, and it can be wheeled around to meet you at your kitchen workspace.
Whether you’re partial to wood or stainless steel, antique or modern, you can find utility carts in just about any size and style. Use them to store canned goods, boxed ingredients, spices and nearly any pantry item you’ve got. You can then place them in an assigned corner of the kitchen and with just a few inexpensive additions, like mason jars and labels, your new pantry on wheels will make your kitchen space ‘instantly’ feel more organized.
One idea that I LOVE, that is great if you have a smaller kitchen, is to add a rolling pantry cart to unused space between big appliances like your stove or fridge. This helps to keep pantry staples organized without eating up precious floor space and can still be styled to look great too.
Put Dry Goods on Display
Certain ingredients don’t deserve to be hidden away behind closed doors, especially when they’re stashed in, say, a good-looking container. Round up the dry ingredients you reach for the most, and pick a container size that makes the most sense for you.
Once your containers are filled and labeled, arrange them nicely on a shelf or your kitchen counter, and you’ve got an organized display that’s as useful as it is pretty.
Add Baskets to a Cabinet Shelf
Bags and boxes can quickly become a jumbled mess when they’re just plopped onto shelves (yes, even pantry shelves!). But add a few baskets to your kitchen shelves or cabinets, and they’ll help you keep groceries nice and neat.
You can also use the baskets to sort like ingredients (cookie baking supplies in one basket, ingredients for BBQ cooking in another). Then, just pull out whatever basket you need and everything will be right there within arm’s reach.
Use a Lazy Susan
I love a good Lazy Susan. That’s because, when it comes to oils, vinegars and other skinny bottles, there’s no better organizer. Just line the bottles up with the labels facing out, and you’ll be able to see what you need without knocking everything else over. You can find them in all kinds of shapes, sizes and styles and to fit almost any budget.
Attach a Magnetic Spice Rack to Your Fridge
The outside of your fridge can hold so much more than souvenir magnets and cute pictures of your family and your dog. A few magnetic spice tins can turn the side of your fridge into a spice cabinet—or if you don’t want to decant your spices into another container, get a magnetic spice rack and use it to organize the spice jars you’ve already got.
Use Any Available Wall Space
No matter how limited your kitchen is in terms of actual square footage, you can almost always create extra pantry storage space out of thin air—you just have to look to your walls.
Blank walls can turn into a handy space to mount an extra shelf (even a narrow shelf can fit specialty ingredients or glasses), or add a rail for hanging pots, or attach a versatile pegboard for storing cookware (a la Julia Child). Even if you don’t use the newly created storage space on your wall as a pantry, you can still use it to free up a cabinet or two, which can then be put to work holding ingredients.
Need help getting your kitchen organized? Want a helping hand decluttering things before you do? Just Organized by Taya can help, as we can, when it comes to decluttering, organizing and decorating in any home in the Greater Houston area. Book an appointment here to get started.
Working with Taya and her team is easy. You can book an appointment easily on her website, or contact her directly at 832-271-7608
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