Let's talk PANTRIES! I don't know about you, but my pantry is both the most stressful and most satisfying space to organize in my whole house. I like to keep things organized and neat, but sometimes I feel like I just can't ever keep up a good system that combines the huge array of items I need to store in there. And coming from someone with 2 kids in diapers (and 1 in the occasional pull-up), we have some big things to store.
I do feel that over the past 5 years, pantry storage has a taken a new turn with needing to store such large items. The age of Costco is here and with that comes HUGE things. I love a good glass jar of cereal however storing the diapers, wet wipes, toilet paper, and paper towels is enough to drive me insane. In all of our projects, we always ask clients what it is they need to store so we can measure out the perfect layout tailored to their needs. So we've gathered some of our favorite (and smart!) pantry inspiration pics that combine beauty with function along with some of our tried and true tips.
PANTRY DESIGN TIPS:
Utilize your height! Don't let that top shelf go to waste. This is the perfect location for large toilet paper or paper towel containers that you only need to reach ever so often. If you don't love the look of seeing those, I've grabbed oversized white tubs and labeled them.
Measure everything you own. When I designed my tall storage pantry in my house, I measured everything from our water bottles to the full size ketchups I get at Costco. This is to ensure you are allowing for enough height between shelves (or drawers) without wasting space.
Rollouts and drawers are LIFE. They are easy to use, conceal the messiness but also allows you to see what is in the way back. However, they are the one of the most costly storage solutions, so place them strategically and know what you are going to put in them!
Leave room for extras. If you are like me, I organize my pantry perfectly and then manage to buy the one thing at the store that doesn't fit into one of my bins. I always like to leave one or two large bins or drawers empty for this exact reason!
Take things out of their boxes or bins. This will save so much room and also allow you to see how much of each item you truly have in stock.
