How To Create an Organized and Pretty Pantry - Pretty Real

How To Create an Organized and Pretty Pantry

9:20 AM

Thank you The Container Store for sponsoring this post. 

A Pretty and Practical Pantry Reveal

When you last saw my pantry, it looked like this [hangs head in shame]:

And now? wow. 

How to Create a Pretty and Practical Pantry

A Pretty and Practical Pantry Reveal

This transformation blows my mind. It's so much more practical for our family of five and the cuteness factor is just icing on the cake. I shopped The Container Store for the majority of the items and I could not be more pleased. Like the rest of America, I read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and fell in love with her approach to simplicity. When I heard about the Marie Kondo collection at The Container Store, I knew it was going to be good. Guys, it did not disappoint. It's beautifully designed and the perfect mix of form and function. But before I get into it, here are a few tips to tackle your own pantry. PS- a step-by-step tutorial for the shelving is coming but this post is a good place to start.

How to Create a Pretty and Organized Pantry

The first step is to take out all of your items. Literally all of it. If it's expired, toss it. If not, how long have you had it? If it's been longer than 2-3 months you're probably not going to eat it (why did I have so many unopened bags of dried cranberries?!). I dislike wasting food so if you're reluctant I get it but you don't need it taking up space and emotional energy in your soon-to-be-super-gorgeous pantry. If it's not expired you could donate it to a food bank. 


Next categorize your items by group. Snacks, breakfast, dinner, lunch box snacks, etc.

And then by container type- lazy susan, large, medium, or small basket/box/crate, canister, etc. This step is crucial to make sure in your excitement, you don't run out and spend $$$ on baskets that aren't going to work. I simply made a list in excel where I listed the food item and the type of container I might need, in the column next to it.

Next, measure your space so you know how much room you have to work with- especially depth of your shelves. 

How to create an organized, practical, and pretty pantry plus a before and after you won't believe!

How to create an organized, practical, and pretty pantry plus a before and after you won't believe!

A Note About Creating a Practical Pantry (i.e. Where's all the food?)

When I was looking for pantry inspiration, I kept finding myself asking "where's all the food?!" There were so many pretty pantries where the food was all hidden in baskets or there was barely any food in the pantry at all! Here's how you want to avoid re-creating a pantry that might not be the most practical for your situation.

Before the fun part- buying pretty containers- have an honest conversation with yourself about what type of person you are. Are you going to want to decant everything into a container? Are you going to forget about things in the bottom of a bin or basket? For me, decanting brings me joy- I seriously love pouring sugar into a crock or cereal into a container. The glass canisters are perfect for me! They're great for dry goods you don't buy every week which incidentally also look pretty in glass. That said, I know I'm not going to spend 45 minutes after grocery shopping (which I hate btw) putting every last noodle and cracker into a canister. This is why I adore ADORE the Marie Kondo Bamboo Pantry Bins. They're open so you can see what's in them but also help corral the chaos and bring order. I haven't labeled mine yet- I want to live with it for a bit to see if anything changes- but these labels are the cutest pantry labels I've ever seen. I stand by it. To sum it up, other than cereal, I only decant things I don't buy each week. Secondly, although closed woven bins are gorgeous (and these fit that bill), I used mostly open storage to better suit our habits. 

How to create an organized, practical, and pretty pantry plus a before and after you won't believe!


How to create an organized, practical, and pretty pantry plus a before and after you won't believe!

How to create an organized, practical, and pretty pantry plus a before and after you won't believe!

Ok, now you're ready to  put it all together! When you do, think about how often you use the items. Daily, weekly? Do you need it reachable for the kids or out of reach because they will eat an entire bag of chips in one sitting if you let them (never happens over here ever) and plan accordingly!

How to create an organized, practical, and pretty pantry plus a before and after you won't believe!

This is how ours came together. There are a few things left to do, like decide what appliances we may store with all this newfound space. I also have some pretty cookbooks on order because of course, if you have a styling moment, take it! We will probably add hooks to the inside wall for the broom and dustpan too, but all in all we are extremely happy with it! 
How to create an organized, practical, and pretty pantry plus a before and after you won't believe!
Shoji Bamboo Bin with removable, wipeable liner

How to create an organized, practical, and pretty pantry plus a before and after you won't believe!

Soon, I'll share how we made the shelves and a closer look at what's in the pantry! If you have any questions, let me know here or on Instagram! 


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