Pantry Organization Ideas: DIY

We are currently living in our rental property and it has a very small pantry. It was actually meant to be a coat closet and the previous owners turned into a pantry. When we moved in I knew I wanted to redo our pantry and had a lot of pantry organization ideas flowing. We have two boys and we eat a lot of food (boy moms feel me). I like having an organized pantry and snacks ready for the boys.

I also wanted to do something fun with the pantry. I love neutral colors and usually go that route, but felt inspired by the pantry. I ended up trying peel and stick wall paper and it turned out SO GOOD. We also love the color Vine Leaf by Behr! We have used it before and it looks perfect in our pantry.

If you have been thinking about pantry organization ideas, we hope this post gives you inspiration.

ALSO, we just redid our mudroom, CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Pantry Organization Ideas: SUPPLY LIST

To start our pantry, we sat down and wrote out all of our pantry organization ideas. Like I said, we decided to do something a little more colorful than we would normally do. We decided to paint the shelving green and wall paper the back wall. I wanted to create a happy and organized space to house all of our food.

Here's the supplies we used:

• Magic Eraser: We used a magic eraser to clean the entire pantry.
• Orbital Sander: After I cleaned the shelves, I used an orbital sander to sand the wood I was going to paint.
• Sanding Blocks: I also used sanding blocks to get into the cracks and crevasses.
• Measuring Tape: You need this to measure your space for the wall paper.
• Paint Brushes: Make sure you get quality paint brushes, it is worth it to spend a little more money.
• Foam Roller: I used the roller on most of the shelving. If you can use a foam roller, do it! The application is great!
• Vine Leaf Paint: This color is amazing! If you are looking for the perfect green paint, this is it!
• Wall Paper: We loved this peel and stick wall paper. It wasn't too hard to apply and adds the perfect pattern to our pantry.
• Can Organizer: This saves so much room in our pantry!
• Lazy Susan Organizer: We have two of these in our pantry and love them so much. They are easy for kids to use too.
• White Pantry Bins: We use these to hold snacks, pasta and random food items.

Small Pantry Organization Ideas: Step by Step Guide

You may have your own pantry organization ideas, but if you want a step by step guide, here is what we did!

STEP ONE: Clean out your entire pantry with a magic eraser. Take everything out and place it to the side. After your pantry is clear, start cleaning. Wipe down everything with a magic eraser or a wash cloth. If you are painting, everything needs to be completely clean and dry. You can test it by wiping your hand across the wood to make sure it is clean.

STEP TWO: After everything is clean, you will need to start sanding. I love using an orbital sander because it is so much faster than sanding by hand. If you are building shelves yourself, just give the wood a rough sanding before painting. It won't need much. The shelves I sanded were painted prior, so I needed to get the top coat off. I also used sanding blocks to reach the places the orbital sander wouldn't reach. After you're done sanding, make sure you clean everything off really well. You don't want to paint over dust and residue.

STEP THREE: Once everything is sanded down (and cleaned), it is time to paint your pantry! Grab your paint brushes and your foam roller. We used the color Vine Leaf by Behr, but feel free to paint your pantry whatever color you like. We painted the shelving and left the back so we could apply wall paper. It was a lot of work just to paint the shelves because of the awkward angles. We recommend two coat of paint.

STEP FOUR: Once the paint has dried you can start cutting your wall paper. We used a razor to cut our paper, but you can use scissors if you want. It doesn't really matter what you use to cut your paper with, but you need to measure it correctly. Take your measuring tape and measure the height and width of the space you are applying the wall paper. Try to be as precise as possible and mark the measurements with a pen or pencil. Cut the wall paper with scissors or a razor blade.

STEP FIVE: Now it's time to apply the wall paper to your pantry. We used a peel and stick wall paper so we didn't need any other products to apply it. When you are working with peel and stick wall paper, it can be frustrating. My biggest advice is to take your time and be patient. It also helps to have someone to pull of the backing while you apply the wall paper. As you apply, make sure you smooth out the air bubbles with your hands.

After you are done applying the wall paper, your pantry is FINISHED! Now it is time to organize! This is where all of the pantry organization ideas come to fruition.

Kitchen Pantry Organization Ideas

Pantry organization ideas are my love language. I love having an organized and inspiring space. The first thing I did was pull out everything I purchased to organizing out pantry. I looked through everything to see what I had to work with.

I bought a can organizer, pantry storage bins and lazy susan organizers. I started placing things back in the pantry and moved them around as I went.

I think the best way to organizer a pantry is to GO WITH IT. Start placing things in and move them around as you go. Place the glass things higher up so kids can't reach them and put the kids snacks lower so they can grab them.

There isn't a science to it, you just have to start somewhere!

DIY Pantry Organization Ideas: Tips and Tricks

Pantry organization obviously depends on the size of your pantry. If you have a walk in pantry, you have more room to play with. If you have a small pantry, you may have to get creative.

No matter what the size of your pantry is, always start with inspiration! Head to Pinterest and make a mood board. Get ideas and inspiration.

After you get a color palette and an idea of what you want to do, buy the supplies. I bought most of ours on amazon, but Target always has good pantry items.

If you are working with a really small space, you can always buy some type of stand alone shelving to give you more space. We used stand alone shelving when we lived in our apartment and it was great!

What is the Best Way to Organize Your Pantry

I can't technically answer this question for you. It really is up to you! I like having a lot of accessories in our pantry (i.e., can organizers, lazy susans, etc.). It also depends on how much you want to spend. If you have a larger budget, you can buy more accessories to organize.

HGTV wrote a blog post. Here are they steps they recommend.

1. Categorize. Place like items together. ...
2. Use Containers. Store food in baskets and bins to save space. ...
3. Label. Label bins, containers and shelves so every member of your household knows where items are located. ...
4. Utilize Doors. ...
5. Use Extra Wall Space. ...
6. Add Shelf Liners.

What is the Best Way to Organize a Small Pantry

Organizing a small pantry is hard, but definitely necessary.

This blog post has the best tips!

8 Smart Storage Ideas for Teeny-Tiny Pantries

1. Adjust your shelves. ...
2. Use bins to your advantage. ...
3. Add a light. ...
4. Think in a U-shape. ...
5. Work in levels. ...
6. Use the back of the door. ...
7. Don't let any wall space go to waste. ...
8. Install pull-out shelves and drawers.

How Can I Organize my Pantry for Cheap

When you start organizing your pantry, try to create a budget and stick to it.

This blog post has great advice on this!

1. Consider Shelf Height. ...
2. Make It an Attractive Space. ...
3. Put Dry Goods in Containers. ...
4. Label Everything. ...
5. Use a Paint Pen for Labeling. ...
6. Or, Categorize. ...
7.  Organize By Shelf. ...
8. Line Wire Shelves.

How do you Organize Deep Pantries

Our pantry isn't very deep, but we have had deep shelves in the past. It can be a challenge.

This post has great advice!

How to Organize a Pantry with Deep Shelves

1. Use a Lazy Susan to Organize Your Deep Pantry Shelves. ...
2. Containers Work Great on Deep Pantry Shelves. ...
3. Drawers Can Make Deep Pantry Shelves Super Functional. ...
4. Shelf Risers Add Space to Deep Pantry Shelves. ...
5. Baskets Rule When Working on Deep Pantry Organization.

We hope this helps! We had a blast redoing our pantry!

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Mason and Liz