How to Style and Organize your Pantry

Whether you’ve got plenty of space to work with or are trying to make things fit, an organised pantry helps the look and function of your kitchen. Love & Co weigh in on how to get the most out of your pantry.

You use your pantry every day, and for most people it plays a big role in family decision-making around food – what’s there, what’s missing, what do we need to buy, what will we not buy again – and perhaps most importantly, what’s for dinner?

Having an organised pantry can save you time and money, not to mention how much better your kitchen will look. Here are some ways you can organise your pantry, and why you should get straight onto clearing it out.

Waste Not, Want Not

If your pantry has become cluttered with things you may or may not even remember buying, it makes it very hard to organise. Getting rid of as many of the contents as possible is a great place to start – but you don’t have to be wasteful.

First, get everything out and have a look at it. It can be a huge job, but it’s an important first step before you see what you need. Obviously inedible food such as expired goods or ripped packets need to go.

For food you don’t have an immediate use for but don’t want to bin, you’ll need to get creative to find a way to get it out of the pantry, into a good meal.

There are always foodbanks who are willing to take food items that are in date and intact packaging.  Or if you’d like to keep it in-house, some families challenge themselves for a time to only create meals out of what is already in the house to help clear those tins of beans and packets of rice that have been passed over for a bit too long.

Going Back In

Your pantry can be the pride of your kitchen with some attractive styling, but above all it needs to be practical. A great way to achieve an orderly, efficient solution is organising your food into categories and grouping them together in a way that makes sense to you.

Storage is an excellent way to make your pantry look more organised and will save you time, both when you put your groceries away and when you’re reaching for an ingredient when you cook. Clear storage trays are usually inexpensive and work well, allowing you to group your foods but still see what’s inside.

When it comes to putting your storage containers back on the shelves, a bit of forethought can help ensure you stick to your new organised sections. The items you use the most need to be in easy reaching distance, and you might have space considerations – do you have a bigger shelf where cereal boxes might fit? Do you want snacks in easy reach for your kids (or out of reach)?

You could find that increasing your storage is helpful. Wire racks and shelves make handy additions, and you can echo the theme with wire baskets for bulkier items.

Time to Style

While an organised, efficient pantry is a must, you also want it to be a visual asset to your kitchen. You can easily make a pantry special by paying attention to the back wall – wallpaper or a coloured background contrast against your items to make the overall effect chic and orderly.

Your storage containers are another easy way to make the space more attractive. Choosing glass, woven baskets, or patterned containers helps you personalise your pantry. Including natural materials in with all the more practical hard storage options softens the look.

You can buy attractive storage containers for decanting dry goods such as flour, pasta and cereal – just remember to show what the item is and the best before date, so you don’t accidentally mess up your baking by using self-raising flour instead of plain (or salt instead of sugar!). You could use a whiteboard marker on glass, or snip the label off the box of the goods to keep all the information handy while keeping your pantry attractively presented.

Appearances Matter

While a tidy, decorated pantry instantly lifts the look of your kitchen, it also has the significant benefit of making your day-to-day life more efficient and enjoyable. When the big bags of shopping hit the shelves, it’s a relief to know what goes where – and to remember it when it’s time to cook.

Very often, the small details make a big difference to the look and feel of your home. You’ll need to tie it in with the overall look of your kitchen, and remember to mix colours and textures to make your décor shine.

At best, you’ll end up with a modern pantry that goes with your kitchen and looks fresh and inviting. At least, you’ll have things looking more organised and less cluttered – and know exactly where the salt is when you need it.