Ahh! So excited to reveal our pantry remodel with you today! Organization like this literally makes me over-the-top excited (can you say Enneagram Type 1? 😂), and getting this done right before the baby came was the ultimate form of “nesting” for me. After putting an Elfa custom storage system from The Container Store in my office/closet a few months back, I knew it was the solution to our pantry too! When we moved in to our new house, the pantry had just a few shelves along each wall. It was functional, but the space was definitely not maximized effectively. Everything was always crammed and difficult to get to, and so I knew I wanted to add things that would maximize the space we had and make it functional for our family.
For us, one of the ways we have learned to truly maximize space is with drawers!! In the kitchen in our first home, we switched from cabinets to mostly drawers in our remodel, and we were shocked at how much open space we had with the same amount of items to fill it!! Since this pantry was so crammed, I knew adding drawers would maximize space and allow us to store so much more. I love these mesh drawers that are part of the Elfa systems. They are perfect for food storage because they are ventilated and I even am storing our dry produce like potatoes, onions, and garlic in them now that were previously taking up space in my fridge!
The drawers also allowed us to get rid of so many boxes that things come in from the store. We love our protein bars, and now we take them out of the box they come in immediately and put them in a shallow drawer with these dividers! How cool are those?! The Container Store makes the dividers for both sizes of drawer, shallow and deep, and I use them in both.
I had so many different spice containers from a million different stores, and when I saw these gorgeous glass spice jars for less than $2 each, I knew I wanted to create something nicer! We emptied all the spices I had into them and my assistant and right-hand-girl, Lyssa, wrote on each of them with paint pen to identify what was in each. Side note: Doesn’t she have the most gorgeous writing?! 😍. We put them on these bamboo spice racks that are expandable and really tied in the whole wood & white look I was going for.
I picked up a few different types of baskets from The Container Store when I was looking for ways to organize the upper shelves of the pantry, and fell in love with these wicker baskets and these white metal baskets with wooden handles. I love how you can see through the metal ones, and you can not see through the wicker ones. Helps hide the less than “pretty” things, while still keeping them organized.
Speaking of organization, if you have never tried these “POP” containers, you need to!!!! They are awesome for keeping things like flour, sugar, and other baking goods fresh and easily accessible. We have had them since we got married, and when I just reorganized our pantry, I bought more because I love them so much. I also grabbed the cereal container to keep our cereals fresh, as well as these labels to easily identify what is in each one.
The Container Store sells them in a set to get you started, as well as individually if you know you want more of a specific size! My favorites are this large size that I keep the flour, sugar, and white rice in, and this taller, narrow version that I use to hold things like chocolate chips and nuts!
We had the most random little wall on the right side of our pantry that wasn’t really functional, but the woman who helped us design the space at The Container Store suggested this little hanging system, and it is perfect! I love how it stores liquids, jams, and honeys! You can also get this same hanging system on the back of the door which I thought was a really neat idea as well. It takes completely non-functional spaces and makes them really useful for storage!
The thing I love most about using custom Elfa shelving systems in our home is how completely unique and customized you can make them for every single space. I don’t think anyone would know that our pantry and my office closet are the exact same shelving system because of how completely different they look, but they are! You can use all different pieces to create the perfect closet, pantry, or storage system for pretty much anywhere in your house. I am currently designing the baby’s closet using an Elfa system as well, and can’t wait to share it with you because it is turning out so cute!
They are super easy to install, but you can also hire an installer through The Container Store that will come out and put the whole system together for you as well. We have done both options! You can also design your own custom system using their website here, or go into a store and have one of their consultants help you create your space!
And right now, all Elfa systems are 30% off, including installation!!! If you need a new shelving or closet space In your home, now is definitely the time! Perfect refresh for the new year!
Thanks to The Container Store for sponsoring today’s post! As always, all opinions and selections are my own.
