Pretty pantries!

February 07, 2012

I’m pretty much done with my little pantry makeover – there’s a little bit of painting left to do, but I may just leave it primed and call it done. ;)

I’ve been able to load all of the food back in and I’m having fun (yes, I said FUN), reorganizing everything so it works better for us. It’s lot more enjoyable when there’s plenty of space to work with!

I’ll share the finished product with you tomorrow, but for now I wanted to share some of the pretty pantry spaces I’ve found out in computer land lately.

This one from Country Living is swoon-worthy:

chalkboard pantry door 
source

The glass bottles for everything aren’t so realistic, but I do love the clock inside (if you are lucky enough to have such a large pantry!) and I luuurve the chalkboard door. That one is an easy DIY project!

I pinned this pantry from BHG months ago, because the organization caught my eye:

printable labels for pantry

source

But they also offer free downloads of all of those cutie labels too! (You can click the source link to get there.) I love that everything is that pantry is in a container, but that’s a lot of moola for containers. ;)

I love this one for it’s organization, and especially because all of the space is used so well:

organized pantry

(I can’t find a source for this one!)

Those long, low containers are stackable and use all the vertical space. They make the wire shelving look good. ;)

My girl Shelley made her pantry pretty with some quatrefoil vinyl along the back:

pretty pantry
House of Smiths

She used lots of IKEA storage, and it has me kicking myself for not buying more of those tall containers last time I was there! (A two hour drive to the nearest IKEA makes it a little hard to go pick a few more up. Drats.)

I love this idea from Martha Stewart to create a spot for awkward items :

tension rods for baking sheets 
source

Brillz! I may have to make a trip to Lowes tomorrow to see if I can find short tension rods like those!

And finally, what is probably my dream pantry:

large pantry

First of all, it’s stinkin’ HUGE. And I love all the space for food and things like plates and serving dishes…sigh. You wouldn’t even need kitchen cabinets! For real.

So which one do you love the most? Have you used any of these ideas in your pantry? Do you have huge pantry or a teeny tiny one? Ours is smallish, but I’ve made a few changes to make it more spacious…I’ll show you Wednesday!

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Comments

  1. Love the patterned walls... am about to have my wire shelves pulled out for some REAL ones, so I can't wait to see what you have in store for us on Weds!

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  2. I'm really looking forward to seeing your pantry, Sarah! Mine is small(ish), too. I did do a real-life organization on it way back in August 2010, and I'm proud that it's actually STAYED organized all this time. I've had to change a couple of things, and I should probably go back and make it a little prettier, just because that would be fun. I could use some fun; couldn't we all?

    I think one of the very first posts of yours I ever read was back when you made shelf labels out of rulers. Remember that? At least I'm pretty sure that was you. But that was way before Pinterest!

    Hope you're having a great week. Sure loved seeing your stadium on Sunday night!!

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  3. I really love my pantry. I would love to containerize, with lovely matching jars. We recently put in shelves, like the big pantry that you love. Ours isn't as pretty, though.

    I'd love it if you'd stop by and check out my pantry!

    http://becca-homeiswheremystorybegins.blogspot.com/2010/03/reorganizing-pantry.html

    Becca

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  4. My Husband was literally salivating over that bhg one with the labels and what not....I don't know if I should be concerned...

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  5. I think my fav is the one from House of Smiths. I like those jars and containers and the lettering on them.

    ~Bliss~

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  6. They are all swoon worthy, but I am loving that first one!! Can't wait to see yours!!

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  7. Don't kick yourself too hard. You can shop IKEA online. ;) Big ticked items can have astronomical shipping - but I haven't checked their shipping rates on small items..........
    Great post, though. Wish I had a pantry to organize. Some stupid man designed this house without a pantry. :(

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  8. I'm so glad you shared the Martha Stewart tension rod pic - I saw that pic on Pinterest, but didn't realize what it was! That's brilliant!!!

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  9. Don't kick yourself too hard over those Ikea containers lol I have a bunch and while they look nice they topple over too easily. They are like mom jeans! Tapered on the bottom and wide at the top lol

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  10. yay - can't wait to see your pantry! i recently found your blog and love it! i am doing a pantry re-org of my own this month and can't wait to see your end result!

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  11. What a great idea with the tension rods. I need those inside my pantry!

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  12. I have the same containers as the BHG pantry and I LOVE them. They're OXO Pop-ups. But they are expensive, so I don't have quite that many, lol.

    Can't wait to see the big reveal......

    Lindsay
    Offfortheseason.blogspot.com

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  13. I love that first one. The all white looks so clean. But I know it wouldn't stay that perfect in my house so it's not realistic for me!

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  14. LOL! I read your title in my reader and I thought it said "Pretty Panties"! I was like whoa! What is she writing about over there.

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  15. Love that first one. So organized, crisp and fresh...I guess i have pantry envy :)
    XO
    Kristin

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  16. My pantry is on the list! I'm loving the Martha idea with tension rods, will be using that idea for sure!

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  17. We are blessed with a huge pantry - it's 1/2 the length of the house & 6 feet wide. It's what sold the house for me. Now, every time we think about moving, it's the pantry that makes me want to stay!!!

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  18. my pantry is a closet under the stairs. it's so dark and dank, that no camera can possible photograph.

    it's not pretty, but that's where this party comes in.

    :) inspiration.

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  19. I like all of the ones you showed. I have a tiny pantry also called a small cabinet...one of those corner lazy susanne type. I hate it.

    Can't wait to see yours!

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  20. My pantry was a last minute install by the guy selling me my house. When I first looked at the house and made an offer, the kitchen was bare walls and subflooring. In the brochure from the realtor, it stated that there would be a pantry in the kitchen. After all the cabinets were installed I realized there wasn't a pantry, called my realtor who then called his realtor and she called the seller who stuck a tall, skinny, deep "pantry" closet in the middle of an empty wall. I should have slapped him! It is absolutely useless. I have seriously thought about calling California Closets to see if they can do anything with it! My pantry in Seattle was a walk in with hardwood floors, adjustable shelves and hidden storage. I miss it so much!

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  21. I love love all the ideas. Im sad to say I have too big of a pantry/kitchen cupboards, that are sitting empty (i bet you dont hear that to offen lol). All my cupboards are floor to ceiling (small glass cupboards at the top) and my main pantry is 2 large wardrobe sized cabints with bottem pull out drawers. I swear one day ill disappear into them while looking for canned veggies or my lefse iron lol. Cant wait to see finished pics!

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  22. Oh how I wish I had a decent sized pantry! These are so nice. I have a cabinet. It's so deep things are easily lost in the darkness. The shelves are adjustable and wood but there is no room for a light except at the very top of the cabinet which does nothing for the lower shelves. I need to buy a miner's hat!

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  23. I can't wait to see your pantry! Mine is next in the to do list so I've been looking for inspiration. Mine is a good size but but not huge.

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  24. Damn! Just when I thought I had sorted out the pantry I am inspired to do a better job!! I have just taken a few weeks of leave from my full- time job and I think I have just added another project to the list. I just love them all....well I love them a lot more than what I have now. A trip to IKEA is on the top of the list already :)

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  25. I like the third one (the one with no source, of course)because it's most like mine. I actually have two pantries about that size (I know, weird...not sure why there are two...). I would love to have all of those containers, but whoa...that might be a huge chunk o' change. Can't wait to see what you've done with yours.

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  26. I like the one with the wire shelving because that is what I have. It gave me some good ideas. My pantry is small with a crazy wall that is angled on one side. Therefore the shelves don't go all the way to the wall.
    UGH! Canned goods were always falling off! I rigged it though. I attached cooling racks to the sides with wire in a desperate attempt. You can't see them really and it serves the purpose! My husband bought me an elfa door system with baskets to add more storage. LOVE it!! However, those containers in that pantry have me inspired...going to Walmart today!

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  27. I absolutely love pantries! I'm sure you're just kidding, but I made the mistake of leaving the inside of some cabinets with just primer down, and it didn't take long for it to look like a complete disaster. It marks up easily, and eventually started chipping. I feel like I have to start over completely before I can put paint down.

    Also, as for the vertical dividers for awkward items, I was able to find some wire ones at Bed Bath and Beyond a while back. They are slighly angled, which I prefer, but they are great for organizing cutting boards and baking sheets. I'll try to get a post up of mine over at my place today. If you can't find them pre-built, some dowel rods and a drill would do the trick.

    One day I too will have a proper pantry. Yes, one day...

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  28. Sara, You can get those tension rods right at Walmart or Kmart. They come in gold, silver or white and are $2! good luck!
    jodi dot hunt at erm dot com

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  29. Our last home had a GINORMOUS pantry. It was almost bigger than the bathrooms! It was 8x10 sized room with built-in shelves along a one long wall and a short wall. We were able to fit an entire extra fridge in there and cleaning supplies, food, odd-shaped kitchen things, you name it.
    It.was.awesome. And amazing. And now we don't even HAVE a pantry in the house we've purchased. *sigh*

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  30. Oh, I love those!!! I really like the barn door too. A girl can dream, right?! ;) Our "pantry" is actually a closet my husband built in the downstairs bathroom after we moved the washer and dryer into a new laundry room.

    It sounds completely tacky to have a pantry in the bathroom, but we had to work with the space we have...and it's not a lot. It's not fancy or decorated, but we have been able to stock up on a lot of canned goods, flour, sugar, etc. :)

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  31. Now I love me a pretty pantry... but no one is keeping it REAL. I did see some cans in Shelley's... but for the most part, where's all of the FOOD hidden!? Cereal, Mac & Cheese, Water bottles, Granola Bars, Soups, broths, Breads, etc...

    I def. want to makeover my pantry; however, once it's complete, there will still be pasta, cans, and FOOD in there. lol...

    P.S. I was enamored with all of those IKEA containers, too. Went out and spent a very small fortune (I think I picked up 8?!)... I have one left. If dropped... on tile... by a kid... no bueno. I may need to reconsider my storage containers... Anyone having a tupperware party anytime soon?! lol...

    P.S. Love the barn door!!!

    P.S.S. Can't wait to see your final reveal!

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  32. My favorite it the big pantry, and mostly because mine is beyond small(ish). Just plain small! But I also love the one with the blue/white papered walls. Can't wait to see what you've done with your own tomorrow!

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  33. I just love the Martha Stewart dowel idea!! I have a stack of decorative plates all stockpiled on each other .....love that organization for easier access.

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  34. In 1960 (when our house was built), apparently no one stored food or had more than 5 plates and a blender and a toaster or needed to plug more than one appliance into an outlet. Our house is wonderful, but with 6 people (1 of them being a woman who kinda likes stuff!) and all of the electronics of the 21st century, outlets and a pantry would be FABULOUS! I have a dream... a pantry dream... where all my food storage and small appliances could live together, hidden from view. By the by, we love our Ikea 365 storage containers. I put cereal, chocolate chips, nuts, goldfish (Pepperidge Farm, not real), etc. in them. Off I go to embellish on my pantry dream!

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  35. I also like the Ikea plastic containers which come about 10 to a package. I use the small ones for my kids' lunches but the large ones for some pantry stuff like tea bags. That last pantry is bigger than my kitchen was before we renovated!!

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  36. I too have been drooling over several of these pantries on Pinterest. The one thing that I've started to notice in all of the pantries that I like is that they are not particularly deep, so all those great labels are easy to see. My pantry has deep shelves so it's all too easy to overlook things in the shadows in the back behind everything else. While I'd love to invest in the containers and the labels, I'd probably be better off investing in roll-out shelves first.

    I'm looking forward to your pantry reveal!

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  37. Thanks for sharing - I love the last pantry! I actually have a good sized pantry/laundry room, the downside is the cabinets are DEEP, which means, things can get "lost" deep in the recesses very easily. I'd love to go splurge on those pullout organizers. I also need to do some purging since I know I have lots of stuff that could be donated/tossed which would = storage space!

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  38. OMG, best looking pantries. Love the mixture of organization, functionality, and cuteness!

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  39. We have the best pantry EVER! It's HUGE 9x13 feet with super high ceilings and shelves all the way up. I wrote about it briefly here:

    http://alticquiver.blogspot.com/2011/11/few-things-im-thankful-for.html

    and I have every intention of putting this instead of the standard door

    http://pinterest.com/pin/123426846007402458/

    We just moved in so we're still decorating now that we've unpacked. I have great plans for this space. I can't wait for hardwoods and the red door.

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  40. I love the last pantry. Let's get real. No woman in her right mind would pass that one up LOL! I would die for it.
    Unfortunately, I have a closet pantry. The shelves are deep, which is a pain because on the upper shelves I can't even see in the back. I'm trying to convince my hubby to put in slide-out shelves.
    After complaining about earlier today as I put the groceries away, I'm now inspired to get to work in my pantry.

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  42. OH MY I love them all! Maybe I'm just jealous that I don't have a pantry and my food is taking up precious cupboard space!

    We recently did a pretty little pantry makeover for a friend though. I'm kind of obsessed!

    Check it out! ;)

    http://classyclutter.blogspot.com/2011/04/kitchen-pantry-for-one-of-our-favorite.html

    Mallory & Savannah @ Classy Clutter

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  43. I have pantry envy! I'm approaching my pantry re-do project right now. These are great ideas!

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  44. I organized my pantry last year and am still in love with the way it turned out. I am happy to say it has stayed organzied for a year! :)

    You can see it here...
    http://hines-catch-up.blogspot.com/2011/02/drum-roll-pleasepantry-makeover-reveal.html

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  45. I hhhha-ate my current pantry!! I used to complain about the pantry in my last house (it was not very deep) and now I have the exact opposite problem -- my new pantry is too deep! It's a good size, and has pull out shelves... but when you're barely over 5 feet (like me) you can't see anything in the middle of the top two shelves! Those are now designated "hubs shelves" because he's the only one around here tall enough to see what's actually there!

    Anyway, what I actually wanted to say is that my favorite is the pantry with all the "pop containers" - the second picture. That's what my old pantry looked like. I wanted it filled completely with those containers. YES - the $$$ does add up. But what I did (for years, it didn't happen over night) was every time I got a coupon to BBB, I bought ONE container. Took a while, but you know that you get a lot of those coupons. Also, every time it was a gift giving holiday - birthday, Christmas, yes, even Valentine's Day, hubs was great about buying me a few more containers. Before you know it, you'll have it filled up! Plus, I like buying along the way because then you'll prioritize what food item you want to put in one next, and what size would be best, etc.

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  46. This is something that is SO on my To-Do list... I have a decent pantry, but its shaped rather odd, and currently houses our recycling as well as loads of other stuff. Operation declutter kitchen needs to commence in the very near future.

    I love all of the containers and such...funny I didn't see but 1 lazy susan in the bunch..and that was only for spices. I used a lazy susan for my canned goods, makes it so much easier to see what I have! I love to see what people do with pantries though. I need inspiration! :)

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  47. In our other house I had open shelves with beautiful white wear (like the first photo)displayed in my kitchen. Everything was useable, not just "for show". Upon moving to our current home, I was going to get rid of it cuz it all looks so cottagy--not the look we're going to have here.Then I thought "Hmmm...why not use them for storing things in the cupboard. That way I still get to see all the pretty containers when I open up to get my tea, etc." Love it! I guess I'm still a cottager at heart ♥

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  48. Hi there! I love the blog, but hardly ever comment. (I pin like crazy, though!)

    Regarding that last one, the HUGE one, and your comment about not even needing a kitchen, I wondered the same thing. I'd have been tempted to put an island in there with a sink (and of course a dishwasher) with all that space. But, at that point, it really is just a kitchen with a door, which actually seems odd as the trend is to open up the kitchen to the rest of the house...

    I just found the fact that my mind was going in two directions at once interesting (wanting a large, open kitchen vs wanting the pantry-kitchen).

    Food for thought, I guess.

    (I love a good pun!)

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  49. Sarah, my all time favorite pantry is Ree Drummond's over at The Pioneer Woman! Check out her lodge pantry! it is fantastic!!!
    Dawn
    dccrader(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  50. I love the idea of the short tension rods to keep items upright. Briliant! Have you tried ordering from Ikea's website? I am lucky, Ikea is 10 minutes from my house.

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  51. Am I the only one who read the title as pretty panties? ;) hahaha

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  52. I don't know where my mind was at, but when I first read this post title I thought it said "Pretty Panties"!!!!! OMGosh! hehehe

    I love all of the ones you posted, but I agree, the last one is my fave. Can't wait to see what you've done with yours!

    I don't have a pantry, so I live vicariously through others, lol.

    Looking forward to seeing yours!

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  53. I love the last one! So roomy! We don't have a pantry at all in our new house. In our last how we had a walk-in. I miss it so. Can't wait to see what you've been up to in yours!
    -Diana

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  54. I love the House of Smiths pantry! SO MUCH SPACE. I am currently a studio apartment dweller so I only have three shelves of pantry space.

    Looking forward to seeing your pantry.

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  55. This is lovely! I love organization. The only thing I have to say about BHG is becareful. I signed up to get newsletters from them and the spam email started! It took some doing to get off their mailing list and then I had to block them altogether. I have a strong suspicion that they sell emails. They have a lot of cute ideas though...

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  56. Such a great inspiration for kitchen organization!!

    And we put a barn door up in our house to cover two awkward doors next to each other. We LOVE it! :)
    http://retroranchrenovation.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-heart-our-barn-door.html

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  57. I would love to have that pantry room! We made a pantry out of our linen closet - since it was only like 10 inches deep. So, 10 inches by like 8 feet and floor to ceiling.

    Not too bad. But, I can't exactly store plates there! (Well, small ones, I could!)

    Looking forward to your reveal!

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  58. Ack! I dream of the day when I have a pantry... right now I just have cupboards. Two are used as pantry space. I shall live vicariously through you. :) Excited to see what you do with yours!

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  59. Ack! I dream of the day when I have a pantry... right now I just have cupboards. Two are used as pantry space. I shall live vicariously through you. :) Excited to see what you do with yours!

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  60. I am so looking forward to having a pantry someday! We only had two cabinets for food in our tiny apartment. I love how all of the ones you showed pictures for used plastic bins to stack and keep things neat, but my problem is that I try to stay away from as much plastic stuff as possible. Glass is prettier, yeah, but sometimes it's more expensive, it's harder to find, and it's hard to stack. Oh well, I guess you have to make choices somewhere, right?

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  61. These are all great pictures! The first one is my absolute favorite but you're right, it's unrealistic. I showed this post to my friends in interior decorating school and they loved it too. Keep it coming!

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  62. PLEASE share this post on our Creative Cooks & Crafters link-up! WOW! http://www.debtfreespending.com/2012/02/creative-cooks-crafters-valentines-day-edition/

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  63. I am so drooling over that pantry. My house was built in the seventies and no pantry... barely a cabinet to put groceries in. Most of our groceries go in the basement... so not good when you are cooking for ten!

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  64. Aha! I've been trying to figure out why I'm getting all these pins of my pantry. It was you! :-)

    My (old) pantry is the third picture in this post. The unsourced one. You can learn a little more about it here: http://dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-perfect-pantry.html

    I used the rectangle tubs from Target because they stacked and made scooping very easy. When I organized this pantry about 3 years ago, I wasn't as green-minded as I am now, but I wasn't too concerned about the plastic simply because I rotated through the dry goods pretty quickly: no more than 3 months for each, most much more quickly because I make most everything from scratch.

    We are less than a week away from moving into our new house, which has a 9' x 9'10" pantry! We're going to live with some temporary fixes for a few months until I see what I really need it to, then our Amish builder will make custom shelves, and appliance counter and drawers for me.

    Anyway, thanks for sharing my pantry!

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  65. Love a fabulous pantry...makes even the basic storage items pretty and a joy to look at. Now...how to transform mine/?!?

    ~ Jillian
    Her Split Ends

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  66. Love your new pantry!! I love all of them and want to do the OXO containers, but they're just so pricey. And I am way to clumsy for glass.
    By the way I found the source for your picture with the green hinged containers.
    Here it is: http://dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com/2011/11/pantry-update.html

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