The Organizing of a Walk-In Pantry

My dearest friend, Wanda, (whom I have known for 14 years) has one of the coolest pantries in town.

Not only is it a walk-in room with a regular door, she had it designed so that the side that faces her kitchen (which normally would be a wall) opens with two more sets of bifold doors so she and her family can access those every day items they need while cooking or heading out the door for another adventure.

She desired a system to maximize the storage she was already blessed with.

 In the course of an afternoon, we implemented several organizing solutions:

• Minimize items by elimination. Keep the best of the best of something and donate the others.
• Group ingredients. Store items of similar type, size and shape together to make them easy to locate.
• Categorize for for efficiency. Items were arranged by size and frequency of use. Large items in bins on the floor and daily use items at arm's reach.
• Store transparently. Most every staple that is commonly used was removed from the manufacturer's and store packaging and put into the clear Tupperware containers. Loose packets, bags of nuts/chips (etc.), and individual snacks are easily accessed without rummaging through all the food.
• Rethink location. Are there things in your pantry taking up prime real estate space that could go in the garage or another closet (mop/broom/vacuum) or under the sink (trashcan/extra bags)? Move them.
• Utilize hooks. Hang store shopping bags, aprons, potholders.
• Anticipate restocking. Keep a shopping list on the refrigerator door to immediately add items as you need them. This is what I use (from Target):

(I apologize if the pictures are grainy. There was only incandescent lighting in this room.)

So, let's get going, y'all!

Here is a view of the before pantry from the regular door entrance.

(Wanda told me to apologize to y'all for the mess, but that she needed my help
and so she left it like this just so I could spend time with her! Isn't she sweet?)

The first thing I made Wanda do Wanda and I did was clear this room!

Then, I wiped the shelves and mopped the floor
(while SHE chatted on the phone! Perfect timing for a phone call, wouldn't you say)?

Then I did a happy dance for the cleared out space!

(Where'd my face go? It's just as well, no makeup.)

I can hear an echo...echo...echo...

"Hey! Guess what, Wanda? Go take a look at the rest of your house!"

Stop crying.

Start sorting and tossing.

And re-containerizing all this stuff.

Uh...I can't cope.

I am going to go get a pedicure. I'll be back after a while, Wanda.

And, I told you to stop crying.

"Why aren't you using all these loverly Tupperware Modular Mates?"

Let's put them to use, shall we?

Wanda's and my time together wouldn't be complete without a run to Wal-Mart.

We picked up 8 of these.

(Can you see the basket? Couldn't find a bigger picture, sorry!)

and 5 of these.

Put them to use and about 4 hours later...remember the before?

here's the AFTER.

Before.

After.

Before.

After.

My goal for her was to get things off the floor, and/or into bins so her house cleaner could mop thoroughly.

Accomplished!

On the left, in the bin: party goods, the right bin holds disposable containers and foil bakeware 

she uses to take meals to people.

Beverages before and after.

Extra spices shelf before and after.

Big ol' honkin' pans that don't fit in her kitchen cupboards,
that are used infrequently are stored behind the door.
On the floor, in a bin, are candles and candle holders.

This is Dimitri. 

"Hi, D!" {Pat pat.}

He gets a spot for all his stuff in the pantry, too.

"Here is your basket of Pampered Pooch products, D."

(Do you see that he gets his own JAR of Skippy peanut butter?)

His dog food is in the hinge-lidded bin under the basket.

Here's how we used some of the other baskets. 

I am a mean organizer friend.
I told Wanda that she could only keep the amount of cookbooks that would fit in one basket.

And she did it!

Group hug!

What we put in some of the other baskets.

The left side has the daily-use items: cereal, snacks, spreads, drinks.

The right side stores baking and cooking supplies.

Snack bin with bamboo clothes pin bag clips.

Her glorious collection of Modular Mates.

All done!

And don't my toesies look nice?

I had fun with you, Wanda!

The next space at your home?

Your teenage son's bedroom/hangout/game room.

This calls for a trip to Ikea, girl.

Speaking of Ikea, my next post is a guest review by my very own sister on Ikea cookware...

Stay tuned!!

I am at Gina's adorable cottage for

Transformation Thursday!

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.  

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Closet PURGE + Redesign and PURGE PARTY {1}

Hello! Welcome to my first Purge Party!

To read more about it click here.

I am excited to be a part of your lives and as we all

encourage one another to let go of things, 
and stop placing so much meaning on the acquiring of STUFF.

And start thinking of our homes as havens, not catch-alls.

Places of ministry, hope and life.

Let's shed those things that hinder our effectiveness.

Let's shed excess acquisitions as well as attitudes 

that are no longer promoting peace in our homes!

We can learn new ideas about simplicity from each other,

and this is what I am excited about!

For those of you that still trying to figure out what a Purge Party is, I have a room to share with you that will give you an idea of what a PURGE can do! And what kind of party this is!

~

I had the pleasure of helping a client who had just become an "empty-nester" when her son left for Iraq and Afghanistan. She wanted to turn his room into her Painting Studio, and use the left closet for her art supplies. She is also a backpacker/hiker. The right closet was made into a space for her to conveniently store her equipment and supplies for hiking. (I worked with her to redesign and organize the whole room, but for now, we'll just look at the closets.)

Here is the left closet.

Her son left quite a bit here.

She donated his clothing that was too small,

 and boxed up the rest and put it in storage for when he comes home.

The old shelf and rod were removed and a Closet Maid System installed.

Labelled shoe boxes keep her supplies sorted and at-hand.

Here's what purging and organizing did for this space.

 This is the right closet in the same bedroom.

There is a lot of poorly-utilized space here.

A Closet Maid System was installed in this side, too.

Her gear (clothing, food, inclement weather gear) was sorted into bins and labelled.

The cream linen items (not in bins) are her brochure/campsite info bin and her tent.

She kept what she needed and had 7 lawn/garden sized bags of STUFF that were removed!

This room was reclaimed as space for her to now take up hobbies she enjoys.

And painting and hiking are much more enjoyable when she can find what she needs easily.

~

These closets are just an example.

You may have a drawer or a basket, a shed or a cupboard that you can simplify.

We are not only transforming our homes as we make them,

our hearts and outlooks are transformed, as well.

Please share those stories, too!

The rules for this party are quite simple:

1.) Your post has to be about releasing extra clutter of the home (i.e. too many options, too many things, too many piles) or shedding extra clutter of the heart (i.e. overwhelm, weariness, disappointment, resentment).

If you find that your link is gone, it's not because I don't love it, it's because your post didn't follow rule #1. I'm sorry!  

2.) Link directly to the post that pertains, not the link to your blog.

3.) The link party closes Wednesday at midnight EST.

4.) I will choose my favorite(s) and feature them next Monday!