Pantry Organizing Party!
Before:
This particular client had a pantry/closet that had gotten out of control. There were too many items stored in this small place and there was no storage system. Take a look at the Tupperware and seasonal items on the bottom shelf- I knew items like these just had to go somewhere else! We also decided to move the booze to the dining room and set up a small but functional bar area. I really wanted to help this person sort their stuff and create a functional (and visually appealing) space to store all of her food!
We started by taking EVERYTHING out of the closet. (What a process!) We then decided what to store somewhere else and what to throw away... a lot of items had been shoved in the front and older items got pushed to the back and forgotten about (and then they expired). Kitchen gadgets, baking items, and spices were all moved to the kitchen and anything old or damaged was thrown away.
Then came my favorite part... Marshall's/Home Goods! The client and I took a ride to the nearest TJX store to find some cute, inexpensive items that would help sort out all of the food we'd be organizing. Having small bins/crates/baskets helps keep everything tidy and makes it easier to get an organized, polished look even if you're just tossing boxes of pasta in with more boxes of pasta or throwing all of your small snack items into a corner. This was especially important since this client has a teenage son... he could easily locate his cereal, snacks, etc. and put them right back in the bin they came from so the pantry could stay organized after I was gone. During:
Every TJMaxx/Marshall's/HomeGoods I go into has some sort of "storage" section, with bins and shelves and organizers for closets, kitchens, offices, etc., and I . I pointed the client in a few key directions but ultimately let her make the decisions on which containers to buy; I wanted her pantry to reflect her personal style and be full of items she'd actually want to use. I think it's important to make the person that will be living in the space part of the process, rather than coming in and organizing it all for them- people tend to be more motivated to keep the space in order over time when they were a big part of the design/organization process.
After:
Check out the final stage! Fun baskets that are all different sizes and colors (but similar patterns and all from the same color family) are being used to store all of the food/paper goods items. This storage system makes the pantry look nicer and requires very little maintenance. I put all of things my client uses most often right in the middle where they are easiest to reach.
Bulkier items are located on the bottom of the pantry, as are all of the outdoor/seasonal items; the blue bin in the right corner is full of paper goods and party pieces and big party trays and seasonal tupperware containers are on the left.
We relocated all of the booze/etc. to this little bar area in the dining room. It's closer to where the items will actually be used and it freed up space in the pantry for dry goods and other kitchen items.
