6.09.2011

Pantry Makeover

Beautifying the pantry has been on my to do list since January's fit of organization. Six months later, I finally got around to it! Remarkably, once I went through the most time-consuming portion-- gathering glass jars and enamel containers while on a budget-- the rest was accomplished in just a single afternoon.

I started with a rather ordinary collection of baking supplies, cereals and the remains of my non-staple food storage.

I cleared everything out, {and should have taken a picture of it all on my countertops! I had no idea so much stuff could fit in a small pantry!} washed all the shelves with a damp rag, and painted the walls with some paint I had on hand. {Martha Stewart's Beach Glass, from her old Sherwin Williams line}

Next, I sorted everything according to what I use nearly every day for cooking, baking or snacking, and the rest went in to our longer-term food storage pantry. Most dry goods were put into jars, while boxed goods and packages of pasta hid out in enamel file boxes.
Voila! Relatively instantaneous improvement. There is still plenty of room to add jars as I need them, and the floor space is perfect for my step stool from Ikea, also painted Beach Glass. I have plans to add a cork board or something to the back of the door for my menus and shopping list, but that's for another post. :)

In the meantime, I need your help! I used cork shelf liner for one of the shelves. Though it's expensive {about $10 a roll, and I'd need three more rolls to complete the pantry} I like the 'cushioning' effect it has under all the heavy glass jars.

However, J thinks the cork isn't as clean looking as plain white painted shelves:

What do you think? Worth the expense or an eyesore?

14 comments:

Lauren said...

My vote is for no cork. Pantry shelves have a tendency to get dirty and dusty, and painted surfaces are much easier to wipe down than cork. I don't think you need to worry about cushioning since the sturdy glass jars are unlikely to break (unless of course you drop them on the floor - and cork's not going to do you any good there).

Rachael said...

The texture and color of the cork is lovely, but I agree with the commenter above. Maybe paint the shelves a contrasting color instead.

Nice work, though! I'm wishing it was in our budget to do the same. For now, I'll use your inspiration!

Shannon said...

I vote keep the plain white shelves. The cork is too busy, and simple and cleaner is better.

Anonymous said...

It's amazing what paint will do to a space. Your pantry is absolutely lovely. I also vote no on the cork.

The Dragonfly said...

I like the cork because it reminds me of sand at the beach. But I think it would get dirty and gross. So I guess no cork.

karen said...

I like the corkless look. Where did you find the glass jars? They're lovely : )

Miggy said...

OK this post really, really speaks to me, First, great job it looks amazing.

Second I too have been buying and collecting jars for some time now. Most of mine are from vintage/second hand places but I like the look you've got going with collections of jars that are the same, but with different groups of jars (if that made sense). I daydream about having a house super duper organized and beautiful in every little detail. So this is great.

I personally like the cork. I think it gives it a little added vintage touch--not sure why, but that's sort of what it does for me. I like it...but if it's too expensive I think the plain white is nice too.

Miggy said...

Also--quick queston...it looks like you have white and wheat flour in your big jars. Is it OK to keep wheat flour out? I was under the impression that it needed to be kept cool...I always keep mine in the freezer. I guess I could google it, but I just thought I'd ask you instead. :)

MelancholySmile said...

Miggy- I would only worry about the wheat flour if it was out for some time, but I go thru the whole jar on a weekly basis making bread and pancakes, so I don't bother with the freezer. :)

Thanks for all the input, people! I appreciate it. Sounds like I'll go with bare paint for now and continue to explore my options. I want some texture in there but the cork is too expensive at the moment.

Kristina said...

I like the cork, personally. Could you perhaps paint it white? Maybe put something wipe-able but clear over it? That might be more trouble than it's worth, though.

The Queen Vee said...

Beautifully organized. I'm sure every time you open your pantry door now you will feel calm and inspired.

Allison Waken said...

Love your blog! Just found you via a link you posted to Gennifer's blog about the chore charts.

I like the cork! The white gets scratched and scuffed so easily, but I'd probably go with the white for cost.

Unknown said...

Such a lovely post...I've been trying for two days to start organizing my pantry, this post has motivated me! I was wondering where you purchased your containers? They're lovely!

MelancholySmile said...

Thanks, Kara! Almost all the containers are from Target and Cost Plus World Market. Good luck organizing!

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