Pantry Makeover - DIY Storage & Organization

Lately stocking up the pantry has been a priority, however it's difficult to add more supplies to a disorganized space, so the goal here is to transform a small and poorly structured pantry into something much more useful. There's also a complete build video of this project that goes over each step in more detail.

Step 1: Evaluate the Space

The first thing to do is to remove all the food from the pantry and evaluate the space. We were dealing with these common wire shelving which were spaced wide apart and weren't very practical. So the first step was to take them down and get ready for a new setup.

Step 2: Storage

To add better storage to the wall, we went with plywood. Full pieces for the sides, and then simple cleats that could be screwed on the sides, so you could adjust the height depending on what should be stored..

Step 3: Get Containers

I didn't want to keep all the dry goods in the original packaging because frankly it's a mess, we settled on these plastic square containers with lids.

I transferred most goods into these containers, and printed labels so you could easily see what's inside each one of them.

Step 4: Height Between Shelves

Now to determine the height between the shelves, I looked at the height of the containers, added a little extra space and went from there. The other thing we did, was to decrease the depth of the shelves as they went higher, so that you could utilize the height of the pantry, but you don't want things to get stuck in the back, especially higher up. And by doing this method, we were able to increase the amount of shelves from 4 to 7 which is a lot more space!

It's nice when you can decide yourself what the distances between the shelves should be, because then you can create custom solutions like a narrow shelf to hold all the plastic wrap, aluminum foil and plastic bags.

Step 5: Wooden Crates

Of course not everything in the pantry can be put in a plastic container with a lid, so to organize some things, especially bags of chips, crackers, chocolate chips, miscellaneous things you don't need a designated container for, we decided to make wooden crates. (I made a separate instructable on how to make these crates.)

Step 6: Can Storage

Since my pantry is small, I decided to create a separate, shallow wall unit to hold all the cans and jars. Cans are not very deep, so you can get away with shallow storage and use awkward wall spaces that otherwise would go unused.

Again using plywood, and cutting dados for the shelves to fit into. The bottom and the top pieces are connected with a lock rabbet / dado joint. The size for this whole unit is almost 5 by 3 feet, and it features 6 shelves which are sized perfectly to hold a can. Adding some dividers for strength and a 1/4 inch back piece which really stiffens it up. The pieces are connected with glue and brad nails. Now also adding a small lip - 60 x 3/4 x 1/4 inches - to prevent anything from falling.