How I Designed My Pantry

The room under my stairs really could have been anything. I was using it for over a year to store my junk. It had no purpose at all. So to think about how best to use the space, I had to do some serious organizing and analyzing…

Defining Purpose & Function

After assessing my space, I eventually realized that the best use of this room would be for an additional pantry. It’s right next to the kitchen, and the door would help keep dust out. I have another space in my family room that could be used as a pantry, but it had too many small gaps… for lots of dust to get in.

I decided to organize multiple spaces together so that I could give everything a “home” at the same time. Space was made for the outdoor cushions, paint supplies, tools and electrical related items in a closet in the garage. And the decor was moved to a closet in the family room.

Giving Items a Home

To figure out how to move forward, I had to very seriously ask myself… what exactly is going in here? Once I analyzed my storage situation, I knew I needed a home for my appliances and extra dishes. I then measured out the tallest items (ie: baking trays, appliances), and then started thinking of the best ways to store those items.

Working with a Narrow Space

As you can see, this space is narrow. It’s 44″ wide and 126″ long with a ceiling that slopes up from 61″ to around 111″.  The door also opens up into the space, which takes up valuable wall space.

I wanted to install shelving that didn’t make me feel claustrophobic when I walked in. So I decided to change the depth of the shelving on the top and the bottom portion. The bottom portion was made deeper for some of the larger items. The top was designed for smaller and lighter items, so the depth was reduced on the upper shelves. I kept the height the same across all shelves for consistency and just in case I wanted to move things around. By doing the shelving this way, the space actually felt a lot more open and organized.

The upright baking tray section is something I saw on Pinterest, and knew it was the best way to organize my pans. I’m so glad I did it!

Adding pretty details

I know it’s a pantry, but I wanted it to feel pretty. So I strategically placed my dishware, glasses and some copper antiques (that I picked up from a local exhibition) to make the space look aesthetically pleasing. I ordered and installed some peel and stick vinyl flooring from Wallpops. I then had Magic Flooring install the same skirting from the rest of my house (they did my laminate flooring as well!), and a quarter round molding around the shelving. Lastly, the walls, the skirting AND the ceiling were painted Minty Breeze by Jotun (a green/gray color similar to Light Blue by Farrow and Ball). I made sure to paint the ceiling so that the slope wasn’t as obvious, giving the room a more cohesive look rather than highlighting the angles of the space.

I still may change up some of the lighting fixtures and add one more, but I’m really happy with how it turned out…