Pantry Annex

Remember my laundry room? Well, this post is all about the other side of that room, where the pantry is. There is a theory that modern houses aren't built to really be lived in and my pantry is proof of that. Our home was built in the late 80's and one of the things that I have been finding difficult to deal with is the tiny pantry, especially as my oldest's appetite continues to grow, desperately trying to keep up with his legs. This is my pantry.

 This door is not a standard size door. It's only 18 inches wide.

See? 

The shelves inside, don't really come out as far as the support pieces underneath them do. I can't think of any reason for that other than builder oversight.

Auntie Leila's pretty pantry post got me thinking about mine. I have already emptied my bag of tricks trying to make better use of the space that is there. That shelf up top holds those little things that I use mostly for cake decorating purposes and don't need daily access to.

 BTW... this picture was taken post-reorganization which is partly why the shelves aren't very crowded.

I have been considering replacing the shelves with deeper ones eventually, but had settled on the idea to add an over the door pantry rack in the meantime. But remember how narrow that door was? Most of those racks, even the narrow ones, stick out about 5 inches, and since that door only opens 90 degrees instead of 180 because of the wall next to it, I couldn't see losing that much space in what is already a narrow opening. So we picked up a couple of these from my all time favorite organize it store and mounted them to the wall behind the laundry room door. 

The door can still open just as wide as it did before.

And now you know what kind of beans and pasta we like best. OK. Moving on...

I love the way it feels. Like I've added more storage space without taking any discernible space away. Organizing WIN! I can now see what I have in my pantry with relative ease and know what I am lacking when it comes to making a grocery list. But the best part of being able to see what's in your pantry (or hanging on the wall next to it) is finding you have all the ingredients for an unexpected treat! No bake cookie bars... a summer time necessity!

 I didn't drop these into cookies as the recipe states, but rather made them as bars. They were a bit sticky but the kids didn't mind one bit!