20 DIY Pantry Makeovers With Organizing Tips And Storage Ideas

After sharing our cottage style wood & white open pantry makeover and getting so much positive feedback, I felt pulled to share more attainable, real life pantry makeovers with you! I selected lots of pantries with different space arrangements and set-ups for you. This post is packed with valuable tips and ideas on where to start with your own pantry project, and how to make it a successful space with storage solutions to fit your families needs. I’ve even got some free printable pantry labels for you, in case you want to get super fancy and extra organized!

My best advice before starting a pantry makeover project is to ascertain exactly how you want and need your space to work. You also need to know what type of items you’ll be storing in the new space, and it’s a good idea to think about how you’ll want it to work for you into the near future as well.

Access and measure out your working space (don’t forget the inside of the doors, if applicable)
Decide on shelf placement and style to best utilize your square footage. NOTE: You may want flexible shelf placement for changing needs.
What type of pantry will you be creating? Canning storage, dry storage, mixed food and household items, will you have a coffee station, wine storage, snack stations for the kids, etc…
STOP HERE: Before you move forward, this is the perfect point in which to purge and toss anything stale, expired, or oddball purchases or gifts you are never going to open or eat — you don’t want to space plan and make room for unnecessary items!
Determine what type of containers you’ll need: bins, woven baskets, wire baskets, stacking storage, clear glass with lids, air tight containers, etc…

Once you have taken stock of the basic needs and desires for your space, you can start laying out a design plan!

Below you’ll find links to more than 20 DIY Pantry Projects, with storage tips and organizing ideas that I’ve hand selected to guide and inspire you in creating your own best pantry. You can pick and choose which features might work best for you in your own customized space.

BEST DIY PANTRY MAKEOVER IDEAS & INSPO

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Our 1929 Cottage Pantry Makeover with Beadboard [click here]

This pantry solution worked wonderfully for us! We didn’t have pantry of any sort, or even a closet to organize, so we carved out a niche and made it happen! Short of having a framed-in space that we could hang a door, I am 100% thrilled with this super easy and inexpensive update. And the fresh new organization doesn’t hurt either.

Walk In Pantry With Natural Wood Barn Door [click here]

— PANTRY CLOSETS

Lots of homes are fortunate to have pantry closets, but sometimes a pantry closet needs a bit of tweaking to work smarter & harder for you! And maybe to be a little bit easier on the eyes too.

— MORE HELPFUL PANTRY IDEAS

HOW TO WORK AROUND WIRE SHELVES: In this Pantry Project, you’ll find some great tips on how to organize a pantry with wire shelving [CLICK HERE] and even a great tip for creating a kids snack station!
HOW TO BEST UTILIZE A CORNER CABINET: [CLICK HERE] for tips on how to organize a corner lazy Susan!

— BUILD FROM SCRATCH

Sometimes you just need to start from scratch and go custom!

HOW TO BUILD A PANTRY CABINET FROM SCRATCH: Find detailed plans and instructions on how to build the exact cabinet you need to fit your space with The Handyman’s Daughter [click here]

How To Custom Build A Pantry & Hidden Coffee Station [click here]

How To Build A Pantry With A Sliding Barn Door [click here]

— VINTAGE HOME PANTRIES

Vintage and historic homes don’t always have designated pantry spaces. but a little creativity can really pay off! Some have amazing hallways that become the perfect pantries. This first beautiful home has two sections in the entry that they have tasked to be doubly hard working.

Vintage Home Entry Hallway Pantry Makeover [click here]

And the pantry in this vintage home was carved out in a deep hallway, using beautifully stained wood and industrial pipe.

Vintage Home Hallway Wood & Pipe Open Pantry [click here]

The following would be a dream pantry for most of us… a complete room of its own, a “walk-in pantry’. It’s reminiscent of a butlers pantry and has a wonderful vintage vibe thanks to thoughtful finishes. It also boasts several separate zones for maximum efficiency and the best use of space.

Walk In Multi Use Pantry With Vintage Touches [click here]

— FREE PRINTABLE LABELS FOR YOUR PANTRY

PRINT YOURS: Free Printable Pantry Labels to Organize Your Kitchen from Making Lemonade [click here]
PLUS: BEST PANTRY IDEAS from Making Lemonade [click here]

Today I feel pulled to close out this pantry post with another peek at that extra charming walk-in pantry we started with…

I’m doing so because I feel like it can be so easy to get down about what we may not have, or feel we can accomplish. Or to feel overwhelmed with amazing spaces, that we don’t feel like we can create.. but here is the thing. This space is in a double wide mobile home. So… it’s all up to you. The majority of us aren’t living in sprawling custom built homes. No matter what it feels like when we browse social media. Much of what we see is not the norm. I purposefully selected these projects because they are attainable. They are real life projects, done with hard work, determination and a primarily modest budget. Some more involved than others, but very doable!

It took 14 years for us to get to our pantry! So I relate. Believe me. xo Shan

PS: On the other end of the spectrum, if you can afford to hire help, that’s great too! Holly hired a professional organizer to help get her XL multi-use walk in pantry that holds everything from food and baking staples, to dishes and serving pieces in shape, and the “afters” prove it was money well spent!

Dream Walk-In Pantry Tour at Home with Holly J [click here]

More Ideas & Inspiration

Comments

Jen @ Noting Grace says

March 9, 2020 at 1:33 PM

Thank you so so much for including my pantry in this round up. There are so many pretty ones! Makes me wanna revisit mine! But don’t tell my husband! LOL
- Shannon Fox says
  
  March 12, 2020 at 4:26 PM
  
  Gosh I know! So many great tidbits of ideas. But I love yours!!!!
Tricia says

March 8, 2020 at 7:38 PM

So much pantry organization goodness in one post, Shannon! Thank you for including ours. 🙂
- Shannon Fox says
  
  March 12, 2020 at 4:25 PM
  
  Was thrilled to do so, it’s wonderful!! Miss you lady 🙂
  Happy Spring!!
Shayna says

March 7, 2020 at 9:07 AM

I love, love, LOVE pantries and am very sorry my house doesn’t have one and doesn’t have space to make one unless we put an addition on our house, but I love doing a Google search and looking at other pantries. Maybe someday I will have my own. Loved all of these pics. Thanks for sharing.
- Shannon Fox says
  
  March 7, 2020 at 11:35 AM
  
  Me too! Mud rooms as well, wish I had one of those!
  I think even if you custom build a house it’s almost impossible to have everything. Like, my house doesn’t have a front porch 😉
  I made sure to include some smaller scale projects in case you are pantry free, but still want to get organized.
  SO glad you liked the post, Happy Springtime! Shannon
elle says

March 7, 2020 at 7:35 AM

Great post with tons of ideas and inspiration! Thanks for pulling this together.
- Shannon Fox says
  
  March 7, 2020 at 11:30 AM
  
  SO glad you liked it!!
Jill Cooper says

March 7, 2020 at 6:45 AM

I just love some of these ideas. We don’t have room in our kitchen for a pantry but I try to keep my cupboards organized. I keep my pasta in plastic see through “shoebox” type containers (but this was years ago when we had ants and I had to redo everything LOL). Easy to see the types and store. Going to get some baskets to fit up in my cupboard where I keep rice, etc. to keep those pkgs from falling over – great idea! I just always have trouble with canned goods – don’t use them that much so keep them up high and can’t see them half the time.
- Shannon Fox says
  
  March 7, 2020 at 11:19 AM
  
  Jill, when we were in a townhouse, I used the buffet in our dinning room off the kitchen as a pantry for food storage overflow. I know there are so many kitchen scenarios and all don’t have a pantry proper. Cabinets can be well organized too work hard, and it sounds like you’ve got that in hand 🙂 I’m like that with our up high and down low storage. Kind of a catch 22.
Carmen says

March 6, 2020 at 9:47 PM

Thank you so much for including our little $100 pantry makeover! There are some gorgeous and super helpful ideas here 🙂
- Shannon Fox says
  
  March 7, 2020 at 10:27 AM
  
  I love that in a collection, you can pull the ideas that work for you!
  Thanks for letting me share yours 🙂

20 DIY Pantry Makeovers With Organizing Tips And Storage Ideas

Access and measure out your working space (don’t forget the inside of the doors, if applicable)

Decide on shelf placement and style to best utilize your square footage. NOTE: You may want flexible shelf placement for changing needs.

What type of pantry will you be creating? Canning storage, dry storage, mixed food and household items, will you have a coffee station, wine storage, snack stations for the kids, etc…

STOP HERE: Before you move forward, this is the perfect point in which to purge and toss anything stale, expired, or oddball purchases or gifts you are never going to open or eat — you don’t want to space plan and make room for unnecessary items!

Determine what type of containers you’ll need: bins, woven baskets, wire baskets, stacking storage, clear glass with lids, air tight containers, etc…