Pantry Organization with Baskets and Lazy Susan’s – Back to Basics

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Pantry organization is one of the most searched items on the internet in the home category. It seems a lot of us are on the hunt for better ways to maintain our kitchen pantries and control the clutter.

This month in our Back to Basics series we are all talking about everything related to being organized in our homes or with going back-to-school. You don’t want to miss all of the great ideas from the other design bloggers at the end of this post!

When Honey Bee and I moved to our vacation town home full-time last year, this is what our pantry was starting to look like after just a couple of weeks. Prior to this time we really didn’t keep a lot of food items stored here on a permanent basis because we were not living here and didn’t want it to spoil. Typically we would come to town for just a couple of nights at a time. We brought groceries with us and we usually ate evening meals out with friends.

Pantry organization solution

It’s funny how quickly things changed after we moved here permanently. What I once thought was a spacious pantry was now really just a long closet. The wire shelves were bothering me because everything was falling over and there didn’t seem to be a way to corral it all in a way that made sense. Lazy Susan’s from my old pantry were working well for my spices and and some vinegar. Finally, the lightbulb in my head went off and an idea was born!

Before…

Baskets…

HomeGoods had these pretty seagrass baskets on clearance. Perfect for pantry organization.

Here’s a photo shot looking down the hallway. Have you ever seen so many doors in a small space? The first double doors on the left are the pantry closet. Let me tell you, it was difficult taking these photos in such a tight space 🙂

The first thing I did was head to Home Depot. I took the wire shelf measurements with me, minus the door opening, and had Home Depot cut the wood shelves for me. Why deduct the for the opening? Otherwise I would have had to take apart each shelf to angle each board to fit in place. This way I could just slide each board in place. I clear waxed each board too for easy cleaning.

After…

Now nothing topples or falls over.

Each basket contains like items. The basket on the top shelf holds munchies and chips.

Cocktail hour is so much easier because this basket holds everything I need for drinks and appetizers.

Lazy Susan

Nothing makes me happier than entertaining and cooking for family and friends. Using Lazy Susan’s has made cooking so much easier. You can just spin them around until you find what you need without having to push things around. On a total side note – where in the world did the term Lazy Susan come from anyway? And if your name is Susan, aren’t you a little PO’d about it?

This Lazy Susan holds all of my vinegars.

Olive oils and sauces are big deals in cooking for me too.

Italian food is probably my hands-down favorite food to make and eat.

 

Remember what I said about keeping like items together?

Baking items are on the Lazy Susan and in a basket.

 

Sometimes when I’m baking I just grab the basket because I typically use a lot of these items.

Snacking is important so we have a basket specifically for healthy snacks. Raw almonds, dried apricots, raisins, etc.

Spices are also a big deal for me and my cooking. Don’t touch my spices 🙂

 

Because I love to entertain, I make sure to always have items on hand to make easy appetizers. Yes, they have their own special Lazy Susan too.

Specialty waters and drinks easily stand on the shelf.

This basket is one of my favorites and it came with the cute chalkboard tag and I added the number. Tablecloths are now tucked away and hidden inside.

Life and the kitchen run so much more smoothly now at our house thanks to an organized pantry. Hopefully you picked up a couple of helpful tips or ideas from my post. Now let’s see what the other bloggers have in store for us!

Don’t forget to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board….