Spring Cleaning: Pantry Redo
by Mama B
When the freezer on our old fridge went kaput back in January, not only did it tick me off because of all the food we lost (a lot of baking and things like pre-made meals for the company that would be coming for our son, Dirk's wedding the following week!!!), but it got me thinking of how to utilize the space that was going to be available as soon as the fridge was gone. It was one of my "aha!" moments - and trust me- they don't always work out! This one has- so far.
After the fridge was gone, I swept and scrubbed the cement slab it was sitting on, and then had our son Damian and a couple of friends move the freezer from it's residence under the stairs to it's new home where the fridge used to be.
That left me with room to haul out all the boxes that were stored under there.
It still amazes me how much stuff you can cram in a small space! Anyways out came the big bulky things like our Christmas trees (I have 2) and other boxes of Christmas decorations. They went into the outside storage room that I had emptied of most of it's contents and donated to various thrift stores in our town. I did leave some boxes that fit right under the bottom stairs.
I cleaned the now empty space and moved in what I had for storage shelving as well as the little bar fridge that our son, Dustin, has lent us. That's all it took to get a "new" pantry area!
The metal shelf that used to be in the hall closet when it was my pantry fits nicely under the stairs - I was worried that it might be too tall! The bar fridge fits right beside them!
I had, in my laundry room, a set of wooden cube shelves that we had picked up at a yard sale a couple of years ago. I used them, stacked on top of each other, to hold canned goods, and anything else that got shoved in them! I moved them under the stairs. Thankfully, they are individual cubes and can be arranged however I need them!
Sitting in the doorway to my kitchen, were two plastic stacking bins that I use for storing potatoes and onions. They are now tucked into the far corner of the new pantry.
I found a set of shelves someone was giving away that fit nicely in the space. I am going to use it for storing things from my kitchen that I don't use all that much such as roasting pans, and other large pots, etc.
I repurposed a large magazine rack to hold my oversized cupcake pans and my griddle. Mama K gave me that idea! I didn't think it would be wide enough to hold the pans, but hey, it did! (See photo)
Now, I am looking for a two drawer bedside table to fit under there. I do not have drawers in my kitchen and the things one would put in drawers in a kitchen are in boxes and baskets, tucked here and there. They take up space I could use for other things.
I love those plastic reusable hooks and have plans to hang things on the wall just inside the door, like my deep frying basket that Noah and Bella like to wear as a hat or a face mask as they ghost hunt all over the house. (Don't you just love three year old imaginations?) I've never even had a chance to use it!
The pantry is not pretty like some I have had, but it is functional. I am still in the process of tweaking it to suit our needs and making it flow with the kitchen, if you know what I mean. I will keep you updated on the tweaking and the flowing!
I really hope you enjoy your visit to our back porch! Have a happy day!
When the freezer on our old fridge went kaput back in January, not only did it tick me off because of all the food we lost (a lot of baking and things like pre-made meals for the company that would be coming for our son, Dirk's wedding the following week!!!), but it got me thinking of how to utilize the space that was going to be available as soon as the fridge was gone. It was one of my "aha!" moments - and trust me- they don't always work out! This one has- so far.
After the fridge was gone, I swept and scrubbed the cement slab it was sitting on, and then had our son Damian and a couple of friends move the freezer from it's residence under the stairs to it's new home where the fridge used to be.
That left me with room to haul out all the boxes that were stored under there.
It still amazes me how much stuff you can cram in a small space! Anyways out came the big bulky things like our Christmas trees (I have 2) and other boxes of Christmas decorations. They went into the outside storage room that I had emptied of most of it's contents and donated to various thrift stores in our town. I did leave some boxes that fit right under the bottom stairs.
I cleaned the now empty space and moved in what I had for storage shelving as well as the little bar fridge that our son, Dustin, has lent us. That's all it took to get a "new" pantry area!
The metal shelf that used to be in the hall closet when it was my pantry fits nicely under the stairs - I was worried that it might be too tall! The bar fridge fits right beside them!
I had, in my laundry room, a set of wooden cube shelves that we had picked up at a yard sale a couple of years ago. I used them, stacked on top of each other, to hold canned goods, and anything else that got shoved in them! I moved them under the stairs. Thankfully, they are individual cubes and can be arranged however I need them!
Sitting in the doorway to my kitchen, were two plastic stacking bins that I use for storing potatoes and onions. They are now tucked into the far corner of the new pantry.
I found a set of shelves someone was giving away that fit nicely in the space. I am going to use it for storing things from my kitchen that I don't use all that much such as roasting pans, and other large pots, etc.
I repurposed a large magazine rack to hold my oversized cupcake pans and my griddle. Mama K gave me that idea! I didn't think it would be wide enough to hold the pans, but hey, it did! (See photo)
Now, I am looking for a two drawer bedside table to fit under there. I do not have drawers in my kitchen and the things one would put in drawers in a kitchen are in boxes and baskets, tucked here and there. They take up space I could use for other things.
I love those plastic reusable hooks and have plans to hang things on the wall just inside the door, like my deep frying basket that Noah and Bella like to wear as a hat or a face mask as they ghost hunt all over the house. (Don't you just love three year old imaginations?) I've never even had a chance to use it!
The pantry is not pretty like some I have had, but it is functional. I am still in the process of tweaking it to suit our needs and making it flow with the kitchen, if you know what I mean. I will keep you updated on the tweaking and the flowing!
I really hope you enjoy your visit to our back porch! Have a happy day!
