Create a smart, small space pantry to maximize storage
Do you get tired of battling the clutter in your kitchen and long for a dedicated pantry with storage options? I know I did which is what led me to use the available space I had to create an easy access, small and open pantry. You might be wondering, how small? The space I used is approximately 24 square feet, and it functions as well as any pantry I’ve had – maybe even better because we started from scratch and were able to incorporate all the walk-in pantry ideas and storage solutions I’ve had over the years. And it’s made a huge difference. Even though it’s a smaller space than I’d ideally like, there is enough room for everything we need and has kept the kitchen clutter-free.
First things first, let’s answer the question: What exactly is a pantry?
According to dictionary.com, a pantry is a small room where food, dishes, and utensils are kept. While that definition makes sense, I think the modern pantry has evolved, and it can be open shelves with jars for food storage or a cabinet or two where food is stored and a great way for using any dead space you might have. But let’s face it, we would all love a small room for a pantry, right? You know, like a walk-in pantry. It would be a great place for food items, mason jars and all-around storage space.
Our current home did not have a walk-in pantry when we moved in. It had only one floor-to-ceiling cabinet that was quite shallow, not leaving much cabinet space for pantry storage. And the top shelf is so high that it’s hard to get to so it doesn’t work well for everyday items. We considered bumping into a small closet in the office behind the kitchen cabinet, but removing closets is never really a great option in a small house.
So how do you find space for a walk-in pantry in a house that doesn’t have one?
For our second house in a row, the stairs to the basement became our default area for pantry items. It’s the ideal choice for what we have. Our house was built in 1920 and was renovated at some point, making the only access to the basement on the outside of the house. This part makes it a little inconvenient for a walk-in pantry but perfectly manageable. There is plenty of room for pantry staples and even a little extra storage.
Below is the door that leads to the narrow pantry. I like to keep it tidy and constantly refresh this space each season. Soon we will add some summer plants beside the pantry door.
There’s a small, narrow landing inside the door leading to the basement. When we bought the house, it was filled with junk, mostly things like extra paint cans and stuff that could easily be stored in the basement. The landing inside the door is accessed from the driveway and was just too perfect of a spot to ignore.
Get creative and look for your space. The fun part is finding and creating a practical pantry.
There’s a small, narrow landing inside the door leading to the basement. When we bought the house, it was filled with junk, mostly things like extra paint cans and stuff that could easily be stored in the basement. The landing inside the door is accessed from the driveway and was just too perfect of a spot to ignore.
Get creative and look for your space. The fun part is finding and creating a practical pantry.
Designate the space and start fresh!
When we had the floors refinished in the house before moving in, they also refinished the floors in this area, and that definitely made it feel fresh and like the space could become something more than a dead space dumping ground for half-empty paint cans. It was a good idea for a DIY pantry.
How we converted the space into a beautiful small pantry
Okay, maybe beautiful is a stretch with so many professional businesses specializing in creating beautiful pantry spaces in all sizes. But to me, this space is beautiful and, more importantly, functional.
The actual space measures about 4′ x 6′, so there is not a lot of room to work with, but by choosing smaller scale shelves from Ikea so that it did not overwhelm the space and then custom shelves, We gained a lot of storage.
We made narrow shelves on three walls and as an added bonus, we utilized the existing ledges by covering them with custom-fit shelves. We even rounded the corner ledge so we wouldn’t bump into it! We used the Hyllis shelves from Ikea. This one is for $19.99, and this one is for $24.99. Madeline also has the tall one in her tiny NYC apartment. We spent less than $100 to create a beautiful (and functional) pantry in a small space.
Why use such narrow shelves?
The actual space dictated the need for making the narrow shelves part of the design. Any wider, and they would have protruded into the flow of the space. What I like about the narrow shelves is that visually nothing gets lost. I can see exactly what we have and what’s missing. We keep everything in the same spot. So when the olive oil shelf has only one bottle left, we see a blank spot and write it on the chalkboard.
As you can see from some of the photos, we worked using the space we had along with its restraints. Like that small narrow pipe next to the shelf, we have no idea what that is, but in a house over 100 years old, it’s better to leave it alone and work around it!
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You may also like this post where we used a similar type of space in our New Canaan Home.
Annie this pantry has always inspired me. I had a horrible pantry in our former home. Now I have what I would call a fancy pantry. You are dead right abut the narrow shelves. where you can see everything. Tons of great tips here.
Cindy! I cannot wait to see your fancy pantry!! xx
Omg, I love what you’ve done to this small space. I, too, love the use of small narrow shelves to utilize vertical space, but also to have your items right there in front without falling to the back of the shelf. The chalk board adds a lot of panache. This room is beautifully organized and easy to find things. I like that you have real food in there, not a photo shoot of color coded food snacks, and cereal bins. Thanks for keeping it real!
Tara! So often, I feel like people must remove half of their food for the photos! Or they have a row of fresh pineapples…something that may be visually appealing but totally unrealistic. haha