Being creative in your home to maximize your space is the easiest and most cost-effective way to organize your home. I found this to be true when organizing my very home before our kitchen remodel. To help you get inspired, I am going to share how we transformed half of our foyer closet into an organized pantry. Here we go.
First, let me explain the layout of my home. My foyer and kitchen are right next to each other, and we have a large closet in the hall (5 foot by 4 feet). The entry to my kitchen is just to the left of the closet. So, since I needed a pantry and didn’t want to walk up and downstairs from the basement all the time, I decided to transform half of my closet into a pantry.
A while ago, I installed shelving for gloves and other things so instead of removing them, I decided to use them in my pantry and add bins to the wall next to them. The shelving wall unit goes from the very bottom to above the top of the closet door which gives me a boatload of space to store various narrow items.
Tip 1: Use mason jars to unify the look of the pantry.
Since the side wall shelving was narrow, I purchased mason jars (in bulk) to hold various items like dried beans, quinoa, nuts, and dried fruit. With large mason jar labels, it was straightforward to read get to quickly. Read more about how I labeled mason jars.
Tip 2: Use large bins for snacks and other things you buy in bulk.
We have certain snacks that we buy in bulk, like nachos and pretzels. So, I purchased a large sealable bin to hold these items. We also buy rice in bulk so we store that on top as well.
Tip 3: Have your emergency bin at the bottom of the pantry.
If you have an emergency preparedness bin that holds food items that you would need on the go, store it on the floor so you can easily access it quickly. Store your 5-quart water bottles next to it to quickly grab too.
Tip 4: Store extra herbs, spices, cans on their sides in a shallow drawer to quickly view and grab when needed.
One of my favorite things to have in my pantry was a shallow drawer. By laying the closed herbs and spices on their side, I could easily view the herbs and spices. I also found that if my drawer could handle it, I was able to lay the cans on the side too.
Tip 5: Add an area for your most used cleaning items.
Since the closet is also centrally located, I also stored cleaning supplies on the bottom few shelves on the wall unit. It helped keep everything in one place and allowed for quick cleanup when needed.
Tip 6: Keep baking goods in one place.
By keeping the baking supplies together, it gave me a glance of what I needed when I get the urge to bake something.
Tip 7: Make sure to label all the bins.
Using these different size containers may be confusing if you don’t label them. I found that various sizes worked. I also didn’t care that they were all the same. They just needed to stick and stay on all the different types of bins.
Remember we are trying to minimize the cost to do this makeshift pantry so be creative and search around your home to find the right item before buying anything. And, here is the result.
With minimal cost, while maximizing the space, the closet can now hold so much more food and supplies than ever before! We were so happy with this pantry and used it for many years until recently when we remodeled the kitchen. I hope this inspires you to transform a space in your home into a pantry that works for you. Now it’s your turn, have you transform your closet into a pantry? How did you do it? Please leave a comment below.
Here is additional expert advice on how to transform a coat closet into a pantry. Feel free to check them as well.
HOW I TRANSFORMED A COAT CLOSET INTO A PANTRY
How to Transform a Closet into a Pantry
Please note the link above is affiliate links through Amazon and at no additional cost to you, I will receive affiliate fees if you click through and decide to make a purchase.
I love your creativity here! I once transformed a large hall closet into a small office for me – it was wonderful! Thanks for showing us that creativity is only limited by our imaginations!
We use large bins for pretzels and tortilla chips in our house, too! I use OXO POP Containers. So easy for my kids to easily open and close them. Before our kitchen renovation, the previous owners had added pull-out shelves to a skinny broom closet in our tiny kitchen. That was a lifesaver, but I, also had most of my pantry items in our basement. Good for exercise–not for cooking! Now, post-renovation, I have a walk-in pantry with a light that goes on when you open the door. It is Pantry Paradise!
That sounds lovely. Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
I transformed my closet at the back entry into a pantry. Part of it is stilled used for shoes but most of it is used for small appliances and extra food supplies. This leaves space in my kitchen to have things I use on a regular basis close at hand. We mounted tracking on the wall that allowed us to insert brackets to hold shelves and easily adjust the spacing between the shelves as needed.
Great job, Julie. It goes to show that even if your space isn’t the way you want it, you can change it. Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
I will never understand anyone who designs a kitchen without a pantry! I love this transformation. I have a client who did the same thing. She wasn’t really using the closet because they typically entered from the back of the house. At the same time, the kitchen and closet were right next to each other. It was the perfect solution!
I don’t understand it either. It was close to the kitchen but really? When we had the house built, there wasn’t even an option to add it. Ugh.
We redesigned our kitchen a few years ago and I made sure I added a shallow floor to ceiling pantry. I now use this space for cleaning supplies storage and our DIY emergency kit. It’s great because, over the years, I just changed the content and removed two drawers. When you have a good system in place, changing the content is super easy.
Thanks for stopping by.