Kitchen and Pantry

Fresh and Fabulous Pantry Makeover

For some reason, pantries seem to be one of the main spaces my clients have trouble keeping tidy. Thank goodness I absolutely LOVE organizing them. πŸ™‚ The secret is creating categories: snacks, breakfast, pasta, soups, etc. For this space, we used baskets, canisters, lazy Susans and can dispensers to create an organized and functional space. And, of course, labels! I love when my clients let me geek out and make their spaces both pretty and tidy.

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Fresh and Fabulous Pantry Makeover Before
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Fresh and Fabulous Pantry Makeover After

Pantry Makeover

This was a really fun pantry project! This Commerce City client had been dreaming of a farmhouse style pantry for years. When I told her we could accomplish that with some cute baskets, canisters and labels, she was all in. We also needed to give her some additional storage so we added elfa wall baskets from The Container Store to the space. For me, the chalkboard labels on the baskets and jars put the finishing touch on this warm and very organized pantry. πŸ™‚

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Pantry Makeover Before
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Pantry Makeover AfterPantry Makeover Before

Pantry Envy

While this pantry had plenty of shelves to begin with, my client wanted a little something different. Drawers for linens, plastic party and outdoor eating supplies, teas and produce. She also wanted cubbies for cookbooks and to separate food categories. What a fun pantry to create and organize!

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Pantry Envy Before
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Pantry Envy After

Pantry Perfection

I love when I get to both design a space and then organize it. This pantry was a really fun project. It’s always amazing to me how much bigger the space looks once there’s actually stuff in it. πŸ™‚

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Pantry Perfection Before
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Pantry Perfection AfterPantry Perfection After

Post Reno Organizing

This Denver woman made it through a major kitchen renovation and then decided she wanted help getting everything put away. Cue SOS! We first pulled everything she had already put in the cupboards and drawers. Then we unpacked all the boxes that had been in storage for months. Once we had like items categorized, it was a quick and easy task to get it all put away in an organized manner. What a lovely space to entertain!

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Post Reno Organizing Before
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Post Reno Organizing After
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Post Reno Organizing Before
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Post Reno Organizing After
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Post Reno Organizing Before
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Post Reno Organizing After

Operation Organization

Pantries are fun to organize, and boy did this one need some SOS TLC. Unlike many pantries I’ve organized, there was only one expired food item in this whole closet! Kudos to this Denver woman for that. However, there were lots of non-pantry type items taking up valuable space. Once we figured out where those items would go, we categorized and contained everything that would stay. My client now says this is one of her happy places. πŸ™‚

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Operation Organization Before
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Operation Organization After

Pantry Purge

Sometimes the key to an organized pantry is simply tossing everything that has expired. πŸ™‚ After the big purge, we categorized everything into groups so we could put like items together. Now everything is easy to see and my client knows just what she needs before she goes grocery shopping.

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Pantry Purge Before
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Pantry Purge After

The Big Pantry Purge

An over-flowing pantry is no problem for SOS. After pulling everything out…yes, EVERYTHING, we checked expiration dates and filled several large garbage bags with old food. We grouped everything into categories and put them back into the pantry. We also made sure to put the oldest products in each group at the front so they get used first. Now this happy SOS client can see everything she has and can be more mindful the next time she goes grocery shopping.

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The Big Pantry Purge Before
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The Big Pantry Purge After

Picture Perfect Pantry

Pantries are so fun to organize. This Denver woman really wanted a picture perfect pantry. After pulling everything out and tossing expired food, we categorized and put everything into bins and canisters. Spices that used to be jumbled up in big baskets are now lined up neatly on risers so they’re easy to see and access. We labeled bins and shelves so each category has a home. Pretty, isn’t it?!

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Picture Perfect Pantry Before
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Picture Perfect Pantry After

A More Organized Pantry

Large pantries are great, but if they aren’t organized, you can’t see what you have and food goes to waste. This Littleton client and I pulled everything off the shelves and floor. We chucked expired food and donated appliances that were never used. We then categorized what was left: baking, soup, spices, breakfast, etc. and put everything back in an organized way. And, yes, we even alphabetized the spices. πŸ™‚

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A More Organized Pantry Before
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A More Organized Pantry After

Messy Pantry Makeover

With no organization strategy in place, this pantry spiraled into a disorganized mess. We added some extra shelves and door baskets to create more storage. A system of bins, baskets and labels made sure there was a place for everything.

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Messy Pantry Makeover Before
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Messy Pantry Makeover After

Pantry Clean Out

This pantry had everything needed to be organized – additional shelves, baskets, bins and a set of baskets on the door. But as you can see from the before picture, it was anything but organized. The secret to keeping a pantry in order is to periodically go through it and get rid of expired food. And that’s what we did. We pulled everything out and tossed anything that had expired. We filled up 3 large garbage bags and we uncovered what I thought was a bag of dried mushrooms…but turned out to be really old hamburger buns (I wish I had taken a picture). πŸ™‚ We put things back by category and now this Broomfield couple can see what they have and what they need to get on their next grocery shopping trip.

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Pantry Clean Out Before
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Pantry Clean Out After

Pretty Pantry

Sometimes the smallest spaces can trip us up. This pantry and the overflow onto countertops had become an eyesore for a couple in Highlands Ranch.

The first thing we did was pull everything out and sort. Expired food was tossed and the rest was grouped by category: breakfast, baking, soups, pasta, canned goods, etc. We added a rack with baskets onto the inside of the door for a little extra storage space. The fixed shelves were both deep and spaced far apart, making it difficult to find and grab food. We added some additional shelves, under-shelf baskets, expandable 3-tier shelves and some bins for the floor. After that, it was just a matter of putting everything in its place.

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Pretty Pantry Before
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Pretty Pantry After

Now it’s easy to find and get to all of the items in the pantry. Better yet, we also freed up two countertops.