It is DONE! IT IS FINALLY DONE. This might have been the longest pantry renovation known to man and I am so excited to say it is finally finished. Whew! It wasn’t that this pantry makeover was difficult, actually it was super easy, but I searched far and wide to find the perfect farmhouse items to make it exactly how I wanted. I am proud to say it was worth the wait. If you have a cluttered pantry, full of ugly wired shelves then this easy DIY makeover is for you. Tight budget? No problem. I’m sharing my secrets on how I created my dream farmhouse pantry on a modest budget.
I have a pretty large pantry but it is oddly shaped. I felt the old design was not functional at all and there was a lot of wasted space. We knew that had to change so we decided to completely redesign the space to change the functionality. This was tricky, especially because my husband and I don’t have much interior design experience. Didn’t want to make a decision that we would regret later on.
Consult a Professional Organizer:
That is when I had Liz, a local professional organizer, come to the rescue to help us think of the layout in a way that would be functional for our whole family. Be sure to read her 5 tips on farmhouse pantry organization.
Design the Space:
We decided to use the back wall to gain more over shelf space and decrease the depth on the sides so we wouldn’t loose the “walk in” aspect. Now that we have used this new layout for a few months I love our decision. It is so much easier to see what we need and to store our items.
How To Create a New Pantry:
So first things first. We had to pull out those gross wired shelves and paint the farmhouse pantry. This room is dark so there was no question the room had to be white. I went with Behr Ultra Pure White, satin. Instant mood changer.
Adding the Shelves and Brackets:
Next Scott measured the space and ran to Home Depot to grab the wood. He used 1×10 and 1×12 boards (the sides have deeper shelves) and I stained them with my favorite stain , Special Walnut by Miniwax.
To add contrast we chose to go with black brackets to give it that perfect farmhouse look. We went with these black arch decorative brackets and even though they were a little more than I wanted to spend they looked perfect in the space.
Assess the New Space:
Here is a look at our space before we added all our pantry items back in. We were really intentional with the spacing between the shelves to make sure we didn’t have a cluttered look and I have to say I was really happy with it. I almost didn’t want to start adding things back in, it just looked way too pretty
Baskets are Essential:
It was really important to me to make my farmhouse pantry not only beautiful but really functional for my family. I decided to have baskets for some of our most popular items like kids snacks. We actually used a few different basket styles in my farmhouse pantry. This particular wire basket I used to store my onions and potatoes and also have one so the girls can easily access fruit.
I even used some bigger baskets to keep the items we don’t use every day like baking supplies.
Labeling Makes a Big Difference:
I just knew I had to add my favorite tags from Chalk Designs By Me. These wooden tags are so well made and the custom hand lettering gives my farmhouse pantry the perfect touch.
Using Jars and Canisters:
I love the look of glass jars. I used them for my flour and other baking supplies as well as my girl’s snacks. The jars make the items easily accessible and they are actually really great for the environment by reducing packaging. We are able to refill our jars with our favorites (and some fun treats too) without the added packaging by buying in bulk.
We don’t have everything in glass jars. I also bought these airtight containers for those items I wanted to keep fresh. Here are some other great glass canisters with wooden lids perfect for smaller items.
Hazel’s favorite part? She loves that we keep snacks in jars on the bottom shelf so she can grab them any time she wants.
Want to see where I found all the items I used to style my farmhouse pantry. I write a post where I share all my must haves when organizing a farmhouse pantry for yourself.
We also incorporated items that I love that were just hidden and collecting dust in a cabinet including my cook books, cake platters, and decorative jars. I love seeing them every single day. They seriously bring me so much joy.
Useful Tools for Space Functionality:
In the corners of my pantry, where there would normally be dead space, I added a couple lazy Susan’s. It’s so much more functional and easy for me to find what I need. The kids have an easier time searching for their items as well.
I am so lucky I had Lex to help me organize and style this pantry. She has so much expertise in functional design and her home organization skills were so helpful when I was deciding how to arrange and purchase items. She helped me with everything from deciding the size and spacing of the shelves, to picking containers that met my families needs, and even putting everything together once it was ready to go. What’s even better is she shared her top 5 tips for organizing your own pantry in another post so be sure to read that one before starting your own project.
So here is a breakdown for what you will need for the project if you plan on redoing your pantry:
- 1 gallon of paint
- wood stain
- wood boards to fit the space
- brackets (spaced a foot apart)
- drill
- level
- handsaw
- jars/baskets/decorative items
Overall our total spend for the project was around $350. We did own a few items already (paint, tools, stain, some storage items) so that did help with the cost but overall this was an easy and inexpensive project. Now that you have all the tips right at your fingertips you should be able to complete this in a weekend too!
After having our pantry for a few months I am just so happy with how it works for our family. For the most part it is still as organized as the first day and we find that its easier to see what we have so we waste less. Plus I really believe buying our items in bulk help keep the cost down too.
Is your pantry a crazy mess or very organized?
Let me know in the comments below.
