Why I Decided To Redo My Butler’s Pantry

I’ve tried for years to keep my small walk-in pantry organized. I’d empty it and organize it, thinking I finally have a pantry where items wouldn’t get lost. It never failed, within a week, it looked just like it did before I had reorganized it. It was one big white cluttered box. A DIY pantry remodel was a necessity, but I was never motivated until last week. Now I wish I had done it earlier.

Last week, I went into the pantry looking for something to fix for lunch and once again, I started cleaning it. As I was cleaning it, thoughts kept coming to mind about how I wished I had a functional yet beautiful space.

Sitting on a stool outside the pantry, knowing it was a small pantry that had big storage needs. I began planning.

“This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.”

Pantry Organization Needs

• Shelves for storage
• Cabinets with doors to hide clutter
• Wood grain shelves
• Area for photos for bakery business
• Lighting

After making this list I started planning, jotting a few measurement down on paper and started to work.

Step 1 Emptying the Pantry & Decluttering

Start by going through everything you have in the pantry. Pay attention to the expiration dates. If they are expired throw them out, if not decide if you are going to use it before the expiration date or should you donate it.

Start organizing your food into categories. This will help you decide the layout you need to make your small but soon-to-be-mighty pantry functional. Example: baking, snacks, canned food, etc.

If you’re like me, there are other items besides food in the pantry. Remove all of these items to help declutter the pantry. Find other places to store these items, or make sure you make space in your new pantry for these items. (This is why I wanted a cabinet section with doors in mine)

After everything has been removed take a look around and see actually how big your walk-in pantry is.

* Decluttering first makes it easier to plan for storage.

Step 2 Planning the Pantry Layout

Start planning your layout by taking measurements of your space. Also, note the measurements of the shelves that are already in the space. I made sure I reused all of my shelving to keep the cost to a minimum. This made it so that I could spend my small budget on other storage items.

Decide on the zones you would like in your pantry.

My zones:

• canned goods
• breakfast
• snacks
• pasta/rice
• photo area
• spices
• aprons
• small kitchen appliances (mixer, slow cooker etc.)

Then choose the storage solutions you want to use. I used storage containers similar to these. Look for shelves that you can put on the pantry shelves. This adds more storage and organization to your space.

Helpful Hint: Think about daily use items vs. long-term storage.

Step 3 Refiguring and Organizing the Pantry

Start out by removing the shelves that you are going to change up.

I decided that on the left side of my pantry where I had 5 long shelves all about 14″ inches apart needed a change. This is where I put my countertop and lower cabinets. I started out by taking the lower 3 shelves out. All of the shelves along both walls where made to look like an L shape. They wrapped around the walls. After removing the longer shelves, this left the top 2 long shelves and all of the shorter shelves on the back wall.

This is a great time to paint the walls. Makes it easier not having to cut in as much. I also didn’t paint my shelves I wallpapered them to look like wood with this wallpaper. It’s up to you on what look you want. I wanted to upgrade the look by making the pantry shelves look like stained wood. If not using the wallpaper paint the shelving also when painting the walls.

As I mentioned above, I wanted to make sure I reused the shelf wood that I could. I cut down one of the shelves to add to the end of the smaller shelves to help stabilize them.

Wallpaper the shelves now if you want the wood grain look.

Once that was done I started on the left side. Lowering the bottom 2 shelves for the cabinet area. Make sure this is done before building the face of the cabinets. (I painted these shelves since they would be behind closed doors.)

Figure out how much space you want between the countertop and the top shelves while your figuring out the bottom 2 shelves. I made sure my counter height was 36 inches tall.

After the shelves were done, I built out the frame for the cabinet. Brad nailing it together.

The cabinet doors were the next step. I chose to make my own but you can also buy them,. Here are some on Amazon. Make sure you order the right size. If they don’t come with hinges you need these also.

Choose a backsplash to really make the pantry pop. These simple peel and stick tiles are easy to cut and look great. They are what I used.

Add some lights like these. I like them because as I, walk into my new Butler’s pantry they automatically turn on and they are rechargeable.

DIY Pantry Remodel Reveal

I just love how my DIY pantry remodel turned out.. The dark wood with the green walls makes it look so welcoming. I am able to hide all of my clutter items under the cabinets. The counter space is a great place to put those appliances that’s not wanted on the kitchen counter top. Makes it so much easier to put back when not in use.

When I decluttered and and organized the pantry I threw away unused items but didn’t get rid of anything I needed or wanted. Just placing items in baskets, behind cabinets and in storage containers out of boxes makes it so organized.

Now it’s your turn to start your pantry remodel DIY. Getting startred is the hard part.

Shop for Storage and Organization for the Pantry

Organizing food supplies is just as important as shelf placement. Make sure you choose storage solutions that will work for you. Pictured below are items you can shop for on Amazon. This is where I purchased most of mine. They have so many options to choose from. start by looking at what I have suggested if they won’t work out for more keep searching Amazon until you find whats best.

Using the right aesthetic pantry organization will help you maintain the perfect pantry.

Remember to label containers that need labeling. Don’t want to mistake powdered sugar for flour.

Now step back and take a look at what you’ve done. Looks great, doesn’t it?