Sweet Creations by Adi: Victorian Home Tour: Pantry

Here's where we wound up:

Here's where we started:

Oh, the stink. The old wooden shelves, the nasty shelf paper, the extra storage attempts that looked like an afterthought, the flooring...it all had to go! Out came the shelves, out came the random hooks, out came the light, out came the tile. We scrubbed the walls, patched the areas that were damaged by the original shelving, re-textured, and painted the walls in Adam's choice: orange. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese orange, actually. I don't think that's exactly what he was going for but he wanted it bright and, by golly, he got it!

We installed a new light and a WHOLE NEW SHELVING SYSTEM!! Easy to clean, fully adjustable, and sturdier than you'd think, the wire shelving system is the way to go. It's hard to avoid warping wood shelving when you're storing food on it and shelf paper is gross, no matter what age it is.

We mounted a repurposed over-the-door hanging rack for my aprons. My first painting party masterpiece once again lives in the pantry. (It was also in the pantry at the old house, but it makes me happy in this room! It also matches the orange perfectly.)

I use a mix of baskets and plastic storage jars and arrange by theme.

When you first walk in, from the ground up, you'll find:

bulk items
broths, Asian items, rice, and dog treats
canned goods and pasta
breakfast items

On the very top are extra cereals (I married a cereal nut who hit the jackpot during a recent 4 for $10 sale at the local grocery store), cake carriers, and a giant cupcake tree.

To the right, my baking ingredients are at eye level.

Below that are my baskets of nuts and nut butters, breads and quick pastas (mac and cheese and someone's Spaghettios), chips, and crackers.

On the lowest shelf, I keep large baskets of storage bags, trash bags, and all of those long, skinny boxes of foil, cling wrap, parchment paper, and wax paper.