As promised in the pantry reveal last week, I’m back to share all the goodies that didn’t fit in that post.
Last week was all about the pretty and this week is all about the purpose. I’ll be sharing details of the pantry organization, as well as the full source list.
No matter how many gold touches I added, at the end of the day, our NEED was an organized space that makes food easy to access. Before the makeover, stuff would get buried and expire, or we’d buy something only to find out we already had plenty. I was quite shocked to find that I had two brand new bags of sugar. Great if you are a baker, not so great for us.
In case you missed it, here’s what the whole room looks like.
When I planned the back tile feature wall, I focused on using as many clear containers as I could in the organization. Luckily for the budget, we already had some glass jars that I could use for pasta, rice, and beans. I added new labels, because I just can’t have enough labels in my life.
The coffee bar area uses one of my favorite organizing techniques – layering storage containers to sub-divide spaces. Putting the tea in a separate bin keeps it neat and creates a little section for the hot chocolate.
On the right side of the tile wall, I invested in some new storage containers.
Our previous snack area was a jumbo-sized basket, and we never really knew what was in it. When I cleaned out the pantry to start the makeover, I realized that the “vintage” in my vintage modern chic theme was nod to the age of the granola bars at the bottom of the basket.
Now we have a dedicated (and airtight!) place for tortilla chips, lunch chips, trail mix, two snacks, popcorn, and bars. When it’s time to make the grocery list each week, I can see what we need to refill at one quick glance. We’re on a serious Sprouts yogurt covered pretzel kick at the moment, but I went with the generic “snacks” label so we can mix things up.
I picked up enough of the Flip-Tite containers to empty all of our baking related products into bins as well. The flour lives in the freezer, so I was left with sugar, Kodiak Cakes*
mix (haven’t tried it? You NEED it – best waffles ever), Bisquick, brown sugar, & powdered sugar. As with the snacks, I can easily tell when we are running low. I’ve also got my fingers crossed that the brown sugar stays soft in the container…only time will tell.
I can’t tell you how much I love these Flip-Tite containers. They are the easiest thing ever to open and then reseal tightly. Best random find at WalMart EVER!
You may have also noticed the gold coffee container. I use that for all the K-Cups that don’t fit in the pretty tray. I stuck it up high because I’ll only need it once a week. The container itself was a super clearance find from IKEA – $2 total for the large AND smaller bins I labeled as recipe boxes. The large box is dented on the back, but no one can see it. For $2, I could live with the dent. They used to be green and I actually thought they’d match the wall, but the color wasn’t quite right. Nothing more gold paint couldn’t fix!
On the very top shelf of the tile wall, I realized I could store all my bulky, used just a couple times a year, serving pieces. I was able to display my punch bowl, drink dispenser, and tiered trays without totally blocking the view of the tile. Even better, I was able to get them out from under the cabinet, which makes tons of room for items we use more frequently. Double win. My margarita pitcher & glasses also found a new home in the pantry.
Going to the other wall now, it was time to save some money!
Along the very top, I used white photo boxes that I already had on hand. They are perfect to divide up my cookie cutters into holidays. Since I only make cookies 2 or 3 times a year, the million cutters and billion sprinkles had no reason to be in their previous prime location inside the lower cabinet.
Below the photo boxes, I have two row of bins from Dollar Tree. They started out blue & purple. With a few coats of spray paint and more labels, the bins became pantry worthy. Using the same labels on all the various containers throughout the pantry really helped pull everything together.
The second shelf from the top was for the bins we’ll use less often, which ended up being:
Emergency – This is kind of a funny one. After I sorted through all of our food that needed to be divided into the bins, I was left with 2 rogue pouches of tuna fish. We don’t normally eat it, but it’s great to have on hand in case of power outages. I should have more on hand all the time, but I really need to stock up before winter. You can probably see in the pic above that something bigger than tuna is sticking out of the box. You see, I had a minor emergency. Popcorn Indiana Drizzlecorn was on sale last week. And my snack containers were already full. And I needed to take pantry pictures. EMERGENCY!!! And technically corn is a vegetable, which could be good in a disaster, right??? Seriously, I do need to fill the emergency container with legitimate stuff. We’ve been without power for days during ice storms and we need to be prepared.
Drinks – Wine-A-Rita mix, lemonade, etc
Baking – Baking soda, baking powder, chocolate chips, etc
Crackers – Like Ritz, which are awesome with Sprouts chicken salad OR with Nutella on top. Mmm.
The next row of bins are the things we use more often. I kinda need your help with a name for the first one! I went with condiments because we couldn’t think of anything else, but it isn’t exactly right.
Condiments – Peanut butter, Nutella, unopened mustard, pickles, etc
Potato – Potatos, onions, & garlic
Sides – The all important mac & cheese, random rice pouches
Bread – Bread & tortillas
The bottom shelf on the fridge wall was the perfect size to add some canned food shelves. I’ve got them organized into tomatoes, soups, and beans. We made taco soup (a variation of this) last night and it was SO much easier to go grab the cans I needed. Before, there would have been an archaeological dig to come up with the 6 different items I needed.
So now that you guys are all thinking I’m a pantry designing genius, I’ll fill you in on how things usually go. That taco soup we made? It was delicious and we had plenty left for tonight plus more to freeze. Happy day! Except that we forgot to put it in the fridge after it cooled last night. My husband noticed it still on the stove this morning.#bigfail #sosad So, all of you that asked if you could move into the pantry are welcome to it, as long as you remind us to put up the soup!
Source List (*affiliate links)
Paint
Shelf, Ceiling, Cabinet & Trim Paint – Benjamin Moore White Dove
Green Walls – Valspar Retro Green
Chalkboard Paint – Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Black
*
Gold Accents – Rust-Oleum American Accents Metallic Gold
Organizing Bins
Coffee & Recipe Bins – IKEA SNIKA, spray painted gold
Pasta/Rice/Beans Jars – Kilner Jars*
(We got ours years ago at Home Goods, but Amazon sells them)
Clear Coffee Supplies Tray – Target Room Essentials
Clear Containers (chip, snack, sugar, etc) – Flip-tite canisters
* (Also sold at WalMart under BHG branding)
Can Organizers – WalMart Mainstays
Gold & White Bins – Dollar Tree (I painted)
Photo Boxes – Michael’s (watch for the sale – they sell them at 6 for $10 several times a year)
The Rest
Light Fixture – Lowe’s Portfolio (I painted)
Cabinet Hardware – Cosmas Euro Style T Bar Knob – 2″* 
& Cosmas Euro Style Bar Handle Pull – 5-3/8″ Overall Length*
( I painted, see painting hardware post)
Tile – I got mine at Lowes after quite a hunt (story here), but it’s gone from their website now. I found a Similar one on Amazon*.
Grout-MAPEI Silver
If I missed anything in the source list, ask in the comments or shoot me an email and I’d be happy to add it to the list! There are no words for how thankful I am for all of you that followed along with my One Room Challenge over the past almost two months. Your encouragement was a huge part of what made this space so great.
Now it’s time to see how we organized the kitchen! Head to that post next for more ideas.
Ashley ~ 3 Little Greenwoods says
Holy Moly Organization! I love it! Thanks for inviting us into your fabulous pantry so we can see how you gave everything it’s place.
Pinning and sharing everywhere!
~ Ashley
Nancy says
Love the light fixture! Did it come apart so you could easily spray paint? Are 2-60 watt bulbs bright enough in the room?
Melissa George says
I got SUPER lucky and the lampshade part of the light fixture comes covered in plastic & the glass plate on the bottom was in the box separated from the fixture, so the painting prep was way less than I expected. We were worried about it not being enough light because our first fixture attempt was 1 60 watt bulb and it was not even close to bright enough. Luckily, the two bulbs are bright enough in the small (6 x 9) space. I was worried about it not lighting up the top shelves, but it works great. I’m not confident it would be enough light in a larger room though.
Laura J says
Love the pantry. But I’ve read that potatoes and onions should be stored separately. One (Onions?) gives off a gas that causes the other to spoil. You might need another bin!
Melissa George says
Thanks Laura, I actually wondered about that!
Angela says
You have my dream room now 🙂 It’s amazing!
I always have canned goods in for emergencies, soup, beans, ravioli etc as most things you can eat cold I don’t think I would enjoy much if the heating was out and it was freezing. Anyway I just went and bought a one ring cooker from Amazon and a few small canisters of propane to run it, so we can always have a nice hot cup of tea, or coffee, and a bowl of Heinz soup. I find any cold/no cook items get used too quickly too, whereas we don’t eat many canned items so I know there are always plenty for an emergency. I will always make sure to only use the propane cooker on the work top next to an open window due to the fumes and it would only be on for a few minutes to heat some soup etc, but they are really worth buying and they are really cheap too. If you camp you can always take it with you then too. I live in a flat but in a house with a garage you can always use the cooker in there to keep the propane out of the house too xx
Susan says
Where did you get the labels for the containers? LOVE them!
Melissa George says
I made them! I sent you a separate email with info on ordering some for yourself!
Amy says
Storing the potatoes, onions and garlic together will cause you waste issues. I’d advise getting another bin or moving the potatoes to a cooler, dry, dark space…perhaps a lower cabinet?
karen says
your pantry is inspiring! could you please send me the information on labels as well? Thanks for sharing!
Tina T. says
Oh….my….goodness! I thought my pantry was awesome but yours is AMAZING! I love the idea to put the picture boxes with holiday cookie cutters and sprinkles and cupcake liners too! How do I order the labels? I have the containers that you write on with chalk and they rub off. Thanks!
Melissa George says
Hi Tina, I sent you an email with a link to the labels in the Etsy shop. Let me know if you have any questions! In anyone else wondered the same thing, the labels are available here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/220444886/customized-pantry-labels-small-organize?ref=listing-shop-header-0
Judy says
Resource question. The container holding the microwave popcorn. . Where can I find please? Thank you.
Melissa George says
Hi Judy – It’s a Flip-Tite container from the Better Homes & Gardens brand at WalMart. I just left the lid off that one. The labels are from my Etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/220447371/customized-pantry-labels-large-organize?ref=shop_home_active_8. If you see anything else in the post you are curious about, there is a separate source post here: http://www.polishedhabitat.com/2014/pantry-organization/ Thanks for reading!
Judy says
Thank you . One more question..the item to the right of the Coffee container. ..what is it? Storage? Ice bucket? And is the color coral?? Thank you.
Melissa George says
It’s an ice bucket from the Summer 2014 Oh Joy! line at Target. And it is a FABULOUS coral with a gold handle.
Aleisha says
Love the Pantry! As for the condiment label – we use Spreads for ours, hopefully that’s a better fit
Melissa George says
That is a great idea Aleisha! Thank you!
Judy says
Thank you very much. I will be on look out in case target carries them again. I have an ice bucket from the 50s that’s nice; however I adore that coral one. I will keep my eeyes open for a lovely CORAL one. Thank you so much for your response.
Robin says
Just love your Pantry! Can you please tell me where you found the gold fridge handle? Cant seem to locate source in your post. I have copper in my kitchen….love it, but hate to clean it. A copper handle would be awesome on my dated white fridge (cant afford to replace the fridge right now!)
Melissa George says
Thank you Robin! I actually took off the existing handle and spray painted it! It has held up amazingly so far. No scratches or chips! Most days we are only in and out of that fridge once or twice a day, but it doesn’t show any signs of wear yet.
Robin says
AWESOME! Thank you! I shall spray paint mine, too!
Rebecca Schultz says
What sizes of flip tite containers are you using for your sugars and flour. I have some that I use for my pasta, and other snacks, but am having trouble determining which I should use particularly for flour. Love your pantry!
Melissa George says
For the sugars, they are the ones that are 4 inches square x 8 inches tall. I know they are labeled in quarts at the store, but I don’t see the official size on the container anywhere. I actually keep the flour in the freezer just in the original bag, although now that you mention it, I should probably get containers for it too 🙂
Allie says
Your pantry transformation is an inspiration! If I had a fraction of that space in my kitchen, I’d be in heaven! I apologize if you have covered this here or in another post, but what do you store in the cabinets of the pantry? Also, what do you store in the pantry fridge vs. the kitchen fridge? Even though I don’t have this now, maybe this will help my add to my dream house plans. Thanks!
Melissa George says
Oh my, the cabinets in the pantry are stuffed to the gills! I haven’t shown them yet because they are in need of some organization. The biggest use is paper products – everything from toilet paper, paper towels, plastic cutlery for parties, etc. The second fridge is seriously recommended for your dream house plan. Most of the time, it’s a beverage only fridge. I use it daily for creamer since the coffee maker is in the pantry, plus we keep all the beer and wine in it. We do some of the BIG extended family gatherings at our house, and for those times I don’t know what we’d do without it. Our main fridge is counter depth, which means less room inside. For the big gatherings, we’ve often filled both fridges with food. We don’t have a deep freeze, so the 2nd freezer is also really handy. Our original plan was just to do an under counter wine fridge in the pantry, but we realized we could do a full fridge/freezer for the same price and it would be much more versatile. It was one of our best decisions when building!
Robin says
Oh my goodness!!!! That drizzle popcorn is to die for!! Stock up is right! This organizational post is going to change my life. Excuses, excuses, excuses….well NO MORE lol. On it as soon as I’m home from vaca. Thank you so much. Brilliant ideas.
Melissa George says
Oh boy, I forgot it is getting closer to the season of drizzle popcorn again. Mmm!!! And I’m so glad the post helped motivate you to get organized. Since you mentioned excuses, if you haven’t signed up for the newsletter yet, it comes with a booklet all about overcoming the excuses. You aren’t alone in having them when it comes to organizing. All the excuses are things I’ve told myself to avoid getting things organized!
Andrea says
Love the color and organization combo. Thinking about buying the flip tite containers as the price fits my budget much more than oxo. How are the lid latches holding up for you so far?
Melissa George says
All of them are holding up great. I’ve bought several more since the original post. I love them!
Nikki says
I am in LOVE with the gold accents! I will be buying gold spray paint this weekend. *searching for things to spray*
Melissa George says
Ha! Just wait, you’ll be spraying everything! It’s an addiction. I’ve got gold vases, candlesticks, little owl statues. Anything I can find to make gold. If you haven’t seen it yet,check out my closet, it got the gold touch too. ?
Nikki says
Love the closet too! I am working on mine and our bedroom. Thanks for the inspiration!
Melissa George says
You’re welcome! I can wait to tackle our bedroom, hopefully this year!
Melanie says
I an’s not an organized person. My beautiful pantry would we a mess in 2 weeks and it would not be all my fault ! But yours is beautiful. I really lone that you did with such cost saving ideas.
BTW corn is not a vegetable. It is a grain. But since picky me hates most green vegetables we eat it a lot. my kids are grown anyway.
Jennifer says
Your pantry is beautiful!! I’m just curious about spray painting the bins from Dollar Tree- I LOVE spray paint too, but haven’t yet sprayed plastic. Do you do inside as well as out? and it doesn’t smell up the pantry/items inside? thanks in advance
Melissa George says
Look for the spray paints that mention plastic and they work great! I always use the 2x Ultra Cover line by Rust-Oleum (http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/painters-touch-ultra-cover-2x). I haven’t had any issues with the smell at all. I probably left them in the garage a few days just because the space wasn’t done, and that might have helped.