Pantry Organization Ideas for Oddly Shaped Pantries

Last fall a friend of mine, who is a real estate agent, called me up and asked me to help her friend who had recently purchased a house. They had a decent sized walk-in kitchen pantry, but it was an oddly shaped pantry, with narrow shelves, and the owner needed help organizing it. I always love an organizing challenge so I headed over to her house to see how I could help her with pantry organization ideas. My friend was right, it was a great space but the shelves were so narrow, and some were so oddly shaped that the space was limited and challenged to store their pantry items.

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The walk-in pantry was a good size but it lacked any sort of organization. The pantry shelving were all odd sizes and shapes. It’s hard to see in the pictures but the back shelves are actually shaped like a triangle. The left wall had long narrow, tall shelves that also end in a triangle shape, and then on the right were even more narrow shelves. This left the homeowner completely stumped on what to do with the pantry space. It’s such a strange design, and definitely wasn’t thought out well by the builder.

My first step was to take measurements of all the shelves and then go home and find storage containers that would fit her shelf space. I searched the internet for any helpful posts on oddly shaped pantries, but couldn’t find any helpful information, which is why I decided I needed to write this post!

After failing to find anything helpful on the internet, I turned to Amazon to try to find organization items to fit all my odd measurements. I was delightfully surprised to find exactly what I needed. I sent this list to the homeowner, telling her how many of each to order:

Clear containers with lids, for stacking items on tall, narrow shelves

Stackable wire baskets

Corner organizing bins

Large stackable food storage containers

Adjustable height 2-tier lazy susan

After all of the products had arrived I went back over to her house to put the pantry back together.

Here are my top 3 rules for organizing any space:

1. First remove everything from the space.

Removing everything from the space makes it clutter-free, and makes it easier to visualize how to organize the space because it isn’t already cluttered with items.

2. Use organization bins to plan your layout.

Using the organization bins, baskets, glass jars, whatever it is you’re using, start adding pieces back into the space–in this case the pantry–to get a feel for the layout you want to use.

Because this pantry is so oddly shaped, it took a little trail and error before I figured out exactly how I wanted to use all the organization bins we had purchased.

3. Organize items in groupings.

Whether I’m organizing a closet or a pantry, I always put like items together. In this case I asked the homeowner how often, and who used each thing, before I put it back into the space. Snack foods for the kids were all put together, on shelves they could reach. Dinner items, like pasta, rice, and dried beans, were all grouped together, baking items, like flour, sugar, etc, were grouped together, breakfast cereals were placed where the kids could reach them, you get the idea.

Because the homeowner decided to relocate the small appliances that had also been stored in the pantry, we ended up having lots of extra space! It was exciting to see how everything got put back together, and how well all the organization bins from Amazon, fit the narrow awkward shelves.

I always love it when there are extra storage bins left over, after an organization project, because that means there is extra storage space left for additional items when the homeowner gets back from the grocery store.

I hope that these few tips will help you organize your pantry shelves this year! Whether you have a regular shaped pantry, or an oddly shaped pantry, there is always a solution to create organized pantry storage. If you ever have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask, like I said, I love an organization challenge!

The post Walk-in Pantry Organization Ideas for Oddly Shaped Pantries appeared first on Ask Anna.

It’s crazy that 2018 is flying past as quickly as 2017 did. It feels like Christmas was a week ago and now we’re almost into spring! This is when I really start getting my house back in order before the big spring clean begins.

If you’re trying to get organized too but you’re feeling overwhelmed, I’ve got one big tip for you: take it one room at a time. If you try to do every room at once it’ll be too much, but pick one room to focus on each day and organizing your entire house will be a breeze!

Today, I’m going to be focusing on the kitchen. I’m sharing 10 cheap and easy kitchen organization tips so that when it comes to cleaning, you don’t have to wade through the mess first. So, without further ado…

1. Kitchen Drawers

Make things easy to find in your kitchen drawers by using containers you already own and laying things flat.

In this post, my friend Susan from Organized 31 shares six easy-to-implement (and FREE!) tips to help you organize your kitchen drawers. An organized kitchen can make a huge impact on simplifying your daily routine and saves you time and stress. When you can’t find something in your drawers it can get very frustrating, so use these tips to tackle the clutter!

2. Kitchen Utensils

Whether you arrange them in a drawer or stand them in DIY mason jars, experiment and find your favorite way to display your utensils.

My utensil drawer has never been super messy but it wasn’t organized. In my mind, I had a method to the madness but whenever someone else would put the dishes away, things would get put in places I couldn’t find them. Oh, how wrong I was! In this post I show you how I organize my utensils, then I give you a few other ideas because I know everyone likes to do things a little differently.

3. The Pantry

Create the pantry of your dreams by reducing clutter, making things easier to find, and repurposing containers for easy storage.

How messy is your pantry? Is it meticulously organized or a complete mess? With an organized pantry, your kids can be more self-sufficient and you can find items more easily. These tips are perfect if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on buying organizing items. Here are 5 tips on how to organize the pantry for free!

4. Pots and Pans

Sort those pesky pots and pans once and for all by finding the best place to store them, stacking them in size order, and using baskets for the lids.

Pans can be the hardest things to organize in a kitchen. Sometimes they don’t stack, and then the lids have to go separately, and those darn handles can get right in the way! But worry not – with the right methods, including using pull-out drawers and baskets, you can get those pesky pans tidy and organized so reaching for a pan doesn’t cause chaos! Here are the tips.

5. A Small Fridge

A small fridge isn’t the end of the world – it just takes some good organizing! Use strong baskets to group similar products together and save a lot of space.

A while ago, when I moved house, I had to adjust to having a much smaller fridge than I had before. It was hard to get everything in, but once I came up with some great space-saving ways to organize it, it was much better! So, for all of you out there struggling with small fridges, have a look at these tips!

6. Tupperware Lids

The boxes are easy to stack, but what about the lids? Again, a simple dollar store basket comes to the rescue!

Tupperware lids are probably one of the most annoying things to store in most kitchens. You can stack your storage containers but what do you do with all the loose lids? The solution is easier than you might think… all you’ll need is a medium-sized basket from your local dollar store. This tip is so easy and it means those annoying lids can’t fall all over the place!

7. Papers on the Kitchen Counter

Get rid of paper clutter quickly and easily with flat, easy-to-store filing folders.

Do you have a pile of papers in your kitchen that looks a mess? I think everyone does and it’s enough to drive you crazy (and it takes up valuable counter space). Susan from Organized 31 is here with her top tips to get that paper clutter under control!

8. Kids’ Snack Food

To store kids snacks and lunchbox products, all you need is a basket – or better still, repurpose the containers the food came in!

This is another one of those organizing hacks that doesn’t require you to go out and splash loads of cash on some new organizing containers and gadgets. You can sort all of your kids’ snacks and lunchbox food using a couple of baskets and the containers they came in! You could use a few jars for loose snacks like nuts and trail mix, too. Whether you store it all in the kitchen drawers or the pantry, these tips work either way.

9. Under the Kitchen Sink

Prioritize what you use most and make sure those are the easiest to reach. Declutter and get rid of products you never use.

With everything to fit under the kitchen sink, including cleaning products, washing machine and dishwasher capsules, kitchen paper, and whatever else you put under yours, it can be a struggle to get it all in. Here are my tips for organizing under the kitchen sink, and if you have baskets lying around your house then it will cost you even less than $15!

10. Spices in a Drawer

Clear room on your work surface by storing spices in a drawer. Spice jars are cheap to buy and look great when they’re all lined up together!

Don’t want your spice jars all over the kitchen counter? If you want to stash them away in a drawer, they can be tricky to fit in – especially if the drawer is small. But with this useful tip, by spending just a few dollars at IKEA on some new spice jars, you can make them look tidy, colorful and pretty in your drawer! Plus it makes it so easy to see what’s what!

That’s it!

What do you think of these quick and easy kitchen ideas? I could keep going all day, but I’ll stop here for now. If you want to see a load more easy kitchen organization tips, you can find them under the right category on the blog.

Which tips do you want to try? Or do you have any to share with us?

See you next time!

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Last month I was super fortunate and got to visit the Better Homes and Gardens headquarters again, in Des Moines, Iowa. While I was there “Farmhouse Chic” was all the rage, which got me thinking about our kitchen.

With our pine ceiling, and open shelving, we have the Farmhouse look going on in the kitchen, so I thought, why not add a little “Farmhouse Chic”.

One of the things I was really inspired by, at the BHG headquarters, were the staged sets, especially the kitchen/dining room. I’m not always good at thinking outside the box but I loved the way the stylists mixed colors and textures.

For example, I love these shelves and never in a million years would I have thought to put a bowl of lemons and a fern on them! But I went home and looked around at some of the Better Homes and Gardens products I already had and started a mini-makeover of my kitchen shelves.

I started by coping the stylists and used my oval serving bowl (from my outdoor dining post) to add some lemons to the shelves for color. I also potted a succulent (because they’re the only kind of plants I can grow) in one of my silver pieces to add color and sparkle!

There were a few other Better Homes and Gardens products, sold exclusively at Walmart, that I had seen in Des Moines that I really wanted to add to my collection so I headed to Walmart, so I could finish the mini-makeover!

I found this wire tray, (which was only $15.88!) and brought in the clover lantern from my front porch makeover, to hold my wooden cooking utensils. I love the way it turned out because it’s much more Farmhouse chic, and stylish, than what I had there before. And in the spirit of “thinking outside the box” I also added a succulent for a pop of color color.

When I saw these dishes on a set in Des Moines, I knew I had to have them. I have never been one for colored dishes (we’ve always had plain white ones) but I loved the color, style and texture of the Teal Medallion dishes, and for less than $30 for the whole set, they make a statement, without being too overwhelming or expensive! And they add great color to my shelves, don’t you think?

I made a few other tweaks, like moving my cutting boards, moving some glasses around and adding color to the top shelf, and I’m really happy with the way it turned out. I think it’s a big impact and I didn’t have to spend a lot to do the makeover (win-win).

Here’s another look at the before –

 And here’s the after –

Not only is my kitchen now “Farmhouse Chic” but it’s warmer, more inviting and much more colorful! What do you think of the changes?

Shop this look:

• Oval serving bowl
• Wire tray
• Clover lantern
• Teal Medallion 12-piece dinnerware set
• Flower pitcher
• Jars with lids

Follow Better Homes and Gardens at Walmart to see all the cute stuff coming out this Fall!

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Disclaimer –  I am part of the BHG Live Better Blogger Network; this post is sponsored by BHG at Walmart. All opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links, for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

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Most of our daily tasks start, and end, in the kitchen. Taking the time to organize your kitchen helps you start your day with more focus, and less frustration. And having an organized kitchen also makes the end of the day, when you’re exhausted, much less stressful. You can get started today by organizing your kitchen drawers.

Empty Out the Drawer 

Take the time to take everything out of the drawer. Wipe out the drawer so that you start with a clean surface. Review each item before you return it to the drawer to determine if it’s something you really use, and if it belongs in the drawer, or should be stored in another location.  Keep only the things you actually use, and that make sense to keep in that drawer.

Consolidate Items

If you have two open packages of the same product, consolidate them into one package. This will give you more space in the drawer and let you more accurately determine when you are about to run out of the item. If you have small or loose items like, straws or twist ties, consolidate them together, in one container. Keeping items together in one container makes it easier to find what you need in the drawer and keeps them neatly together in one spot.

Remove Box Tops

I’ve found it easier for my family to find what they need and keep our kitchen drawers neat when I remove the top of the box of plastic bags. Removing the top of the box also makes it easier to consolidate two boxes of bags together, when needed.

Reuse Containers You Already Have

There’s no need to purchase new organizing containers, simply shop around your home for containers you can reuse in your kitchen drawers. We’re a military family that moves every one to three years, these containers have organized my bathroom drawers, in many different houses, but don’t fit in the tiny drawers in my current bathroom. No problem, I simply put the containers to work organizing in the kitchen.

Use Recycled Containers

I use re-purposed containers for organizing whenever possible. Using re-purposed containers saves money, saves the landfill and saves the environment. You already bring many containers that can be used for organizing into your home in the form of food packaging.  Four of my favorite re-purposed containers for organizing are: 1 – a mushroom container  2 – a lettuce container  3 – the lid from a prepackaged sandwich container 4 – a shortening bar container

You can see how perfectly these plastic food containers organize a variety of items in my kitchen drawer. I prefer to repurpose plastic containers rather than cardboard boxes. The plastic containers are easy to clean and hold their shape through years of use.

Make it Easy to Use  

Put the items back in your drawer so that it’s easy for you, and your family, to use in the kitchen layout. Place loose items in containers so they don’t get lost in the back of the drawer. Place smaller items in open containers, making them easy to access. Using open containers also makes it easy to find items when you need them.

Set up your organization system so that it works best for you and your family. The goal is to make it quick and easy to find what you need, and to put things away. An easy organization system makes it possible for your family to use, and to keep it organized, and that’s invaluable in the heart of the home – the kitchen.

Susan

Organized 31

Be sure to check out more organizing ideas from Susan over at her blog!

Free Tips for an Organized Refrigerator 

4 Tips to Organize Spices

Organize Your Kitchen with Re-purposed Packaging

The post No-Cost Organizing Kitchen Drawer Tips appeared first on Ask Anna.

In our last house we didn’t have a pantry but we had a large, really deep cabinet, where we stored all our food and other items.

I wrote a post about it here (and originally here), but I wanted to share it again today because I think it’s a great example. Cabinets like this can be really hard to keep organized (as you can see from my before pictures in the original post), or to find things in, because they are so deep that items easily get lost.

The solution for creating functionality in deep cabinets like these, are baskets. I purchased a bunch of baskets from the Dollar Tree to store my items in, which made it easy to access things in the back because all I had to do was pull out the basket in front of it. You can also get pretty, matching baskets from Amazon, if you want it to be organized and look pretty too.

Another great idea for organizing those deep cabinets is to take out the shelves and add drawers. This is a simple project, although this might take you a little longer than 30 minutes, especially if you DIY the drawers.

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I wish that I had a picture of our “pantry” at the duplex we lived in years ago. When we moved in, the kitchen had 6 small cabinets (no joke) and barely any counter space. Fortunately there was a laundry room off the kitchen so we purchased a metal shelving unit and created our own pantry. I found these pictures on Pinterest, that remind me of it, because it’s the same idea.

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I’ve also seen friends do the same thing with a bookshelf or cube shelves. There are really so many ways you could create a pantry within the space available to you.

Speaking of which, I love what this blogger did, they literally created a pantry out of nothing, check out the before and afters and get all the details HERE.

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Ok, so obviously the actual building of the pantry will take longer than 30 minutes but once it’s built it will take you no time at all to organize such a great space!

Here is another great cabinet being used as a pantry. If you notice in the after picture, she used baskets to organize her items too.

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I’m telling you, when it comes to organizing food, or a lot of similar items, you’ve got to use baskets because it’s the easiest way to organize them, and keep them that way!

Here’s one last idea that uses something similar to baskets, but instead they’re open, stackable bins purchased from the Dollar Store.

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Obviously having a pantry in your kitchen is ideal but if you live in one of the 80% of homes in the world that don’t have one, these are some great solutions, that don’t take a lot of time or money. If none of these solutions will work in your kitchen, or if you think one might, but you have a question about it, please feel free to email me!

I would love to see your before and after pictures so post them on Instagram and tag me @askannamoseley, or you can use the hashtag for this series – #organizedinlessthan30min

If you missed one of the posts in this series, here’s a list of what we’ve organized so far –

• Intro
• Your health
• Kitchen utensils
• Kids dishes and utensils

I have included affiliate links in this post but if you purchase through them you will not pay a cent more than you would otherwise. Thank you for supporting Ask Anna!

The post How to Organize a Kitchen without a Pantry, in 30 min or Less appeared first on Ask Anna.