Pinch me! I have a pantry! Here’s a sneak peek of our new pantry design!
Our home renovation project is cruising right along! I still can’t believe my kitchen has a pantry. Let me take you on a little tour of our new pantry install and what I considered my pantry essentials.
Pantry Design – Decisions, Decisions
When I first met with a closet company to design the pantry space, it included nothing but shelves. A small room full of shelves. Blah. What’s the fun of that? I spent a few hours (maybe a few nights!) on Pinterest and Houzz, desperately looking for pantry ideas. I made a list of my pantry essentials and looked into other pantry shelving options.
There are a few closet installing companies here in Charlotte, but we decided not to overwhelm ourselves with options.
Elfa Vs. Closetmaid
We settled on only comparing Elfa shelving from the Container Store and Closetmaid installed by a local closet company here in Charlotte. For Elfa, I brought our measurements to the Container Store, told the designer what I was trying to accomplish, and she agreed to work on it and send me a couple of ideas. We have used Elfa for two other closets and absolutely loved the design process and how they turned out but the space of our pantry isn’t as straightforward. (We also love their BIG SALE twice a year on closet systems!) For the Closetmaid system, a local closet installer came to our house, took measurements, and drew up a plan.
And The Winner Is …Â
In the end, the look of Closetmaid was more of what we were looking for in our new pantry space. For my husband, the deal-breaker was learning that Elfa shelving doesn’t “turn the corner.” He really wanted curved shelving in the corners and I have to agree with him that the smooth, curved edges of the Closetmaid shelving look gorgeous!
My List Of Pantry Essentials
After much “research,” my specific requests included the following …
* Baskets for potatoes and onions
* My husband wanted at least a few drawers – we went with two small and two large drawers
* A floor to ceiling space dedicated to cookbooks. I love looking up specific recipes on my iPad but I am still a cookbook girl and love perusing through cookbooks new and old
* Vertical shelving to help sort my cookie pans, racks, and cutting boards
* Racks for wine bottles and hangers for wine glasses
* I contemplated putting in a pant rack for hanging table linens but, in the end, I dropped that from the plan to give myself more shelf space.
Coming Along …Â
I will post more photos later but, for now, I will share one picture of my proud daughter and her very organized, color-coordinated cookbook bookshelves!
Now all I need to do is get it organized and get my kitchen gear out of boxes and put away! I’m on the hunt for ways to get all this space functional… throw me your best ideas and gear for pantry organization!
Other renovation posts …Â
Home Renovation Chaos – So It Begins!
I am inspired! Our house is over 100 years old..and the pantry space is large but not very creative. I love this !! Pinning.
Thanks, Marye! Thank goodness for inspiration on the internet. I am so happy to have so much functional space now!
So jealous. I live in the city. This could NEVER happen. But it looks fun.
Ha, Barrett! So true. I miss city living but I don’t miss my city-sized storage spaces.
OHH I want you panty! I don’t have one at all right now so don’t mind while I drool over yours! It looks awesome!
Thanks, Brandy! This has been my favorite part of the renovation. I still can’t believe I actually have a pantry! Such a treat.
I am in a new house with a nice pantry with wire shelving. It now sucks and it is all your fault! Seriously the builder would have customized it but I didn’t want their expense so I’m looking to do something myself now; thanks for the recommendation as I’ve used Elfa a lot and might have gone that direction too.
Barb, After the initial set of plans, I spent many sleepless nights fretting over this pantry. After this renovation, I need to be done with making any decisions for a long time. 😉 Closetmaid through a local closet company was also less expensive than the Elfa design … so keep that in mind, too! Can’t hurt to compare. Good luck with your pantry project!