Organizing a picture perfect home can be tough. One thing that will get you an Instagram-worthy weekend project – a perfectly organized pantry.
Mika Perry, luxury home organizer and owner of NEAT Method in Scottsdale, is offering NEAT-ly inspired ideas to get your pantry in perfect order.
1) Group like items together. When you have open shelving in a pantry, corral items into categories and place them in labeled bins or baskets. This will help you know where to find items – and put them back where they belong. When every ingredient or food has an assigned place in the pantry, it creates a less cluttered and more functional space. Some of our most common categories in client spaces are “salty snacks,” “sweet treats,” “bars,” “dinner,” “breakfast,” and “baking.”
2) Remove as much original packaging as possible. Boxes of individual portion food and snacks tend to be much larger than what’s actually inside, which uses up valuable pantry space. Create a space with a small wire basket like this to hold items like protein bars, fruit snacks, and oatmeal packets and you will find that it takes up a much smaller space.
3) Keep in mind who uses the space. Are you an avid baker? Do you have small kids that need to keep their hands out of the snacks meant for the lunchbox? Or do you want to empower your kids to pack their lunches on their own? Decide what is the most accessible and “prime” space or shelf in the pantry and dedicate it to the foods that fit you and your family reach for the most.
4) Be clear on healthy eating. The more you can see something, the more likely you are to use them. So taking healthful ingredients out of boxes and bags and placing them in clear, simple containers can help encourage you to use them more in your cooking. Think chia seeds, flax powder, pepitas, whole grain or gluten-free pasta, dried fruits, and healthful nuts and seeds. Not to mention, keeping them in airtight containers rather than open bags or boxes preserves their freshness (and your investment in good quality food!)
5) Think outside of the pantry. Is there a drawer near the Keurig machine and mugs that would make more sense for all your coffee pods and tea? A cabinet by the Vitamix that would be great as a spot for your protein powders add-ins? Would a storage closet or hutch in the dining room be a better place to store your rarely-used serving platters? Is the pantry really the best place to store your party supplies? We so often find items in pantries that can go elsewhere – or don’t even belong in a pantry at all! – and takes up valuable space. Look around your kitchen or dining room to see if there if a better solution for storing those items.
6) Sort by color. For a collection of cookbooks, we love placing then in color order. It creates a more streamlined and eye-catching look!
7) Don’t be afraid to make adjustments. More often than not, our clients’ pantries have adjustable shelving – but they never realized it! No need to stay with the same shelving configuration and height from when you moved in. Create larger or smaller spaces to customize your space.
For more information and tips, visit neatmethod.com.
All photos courtesy of Mika Perry and The Neat Method.
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