Pantry Space, Or Lack Thereof

It is freezing today!  I am in my bed, with my heated mattress pad turned up to high, trying to warm my popsicle toes.

Yesterday Greg drove up to Big Bear to check on the water heater that was acting up a bit when we were there last.  I was sitting in my kitchen having a cup of tea, looking around trying to figure out how on earth I could create more storage space.  Our house is old.  It is a one story ranch, with no bells and whistles.  It is really looking very dated to me, and even though we have done many things to it, many more need to be done.  The kitchen in particular!  My kitchen is a very long, galley style kitchen, with an attached dining area.  We have no formal dining here, just the one table in the kitchen.  I have very inadequate counter space, which is the biggest downfall for me, since I like to cook so much.  But we have always made do.  The cabinets are showing wear, and the cupboard space is very poorly designed, as well as inadequate.  A couple of years ago, we reroofed, and got new windows, and did several other necessary upgrades.  It was our intention at that time, to also do a mini face lift for the kitchen.  New counter tops, appliances, and paint the cabinets.  However, home improvement projects always wind up costing more than you intend, and in the end, we decided we couldn't really afford to do anything to the kitchen just yet.  Yesterday, after rummaging in the cavernous black hole, called my pantry, unsuccessfully trying to find something I knew full well I had, put a bee in my bonnet to change it.  So, I waited for Greg to get home to help me, and then we got busy.  I did not take before shots....oops.  I wish I had.  But suffice it to say, that my pantry was chock full.  We have a  heavy oak wall unit that we were no longer using in the house, so we had it in the garage for some extra storage space.  I kept it right outside the kitchen door for easy access to extra dry goods, canned goods, dog food, etc.  I did some measuring and decided I had just the right space for it in the kitchen, to help alleviate the over crowded pantry situation.  It is right next to the existing pantry cabinet.  We brought it inside, and I oiled all of the wood and buffed it to a shine.  Then began to restock my new open shelf pantry, and redid the existing pantry.  Now, each has a much better purpose. The jury is still out on whether or not I want to have doors and sides made for it.

In very heavy rains, our garage floor sometimes gets some water run off from the backyard door, and there was a small amount of water damage to this piece.  So we turned it upside down!  And I hid the damage with the decorative things I put on top.

Now you don't even know it is there.

The top shelf holds canned goods.

The next shelf holds rice, pastas and grains and nuts.  I like to use glass jars for those things, so I can easily see what is inside. 

Next shelf holds some of my often used large counter top appliances.  The kind that are too big to keep out, and hard to store!  I had them stacked between the dryer and a cart in my laundry room, with pillow cases over them to keep clean.  It was always a pain to drag them out!

And finally, the bottom shelf holds beverages.  Our garage fridge recently went on the fritz, and we got rid of it. I am looking for a new one.  I usually keep all of those extra beverages in the outside fridge!

Not exactly ideal, but certainly a huge help!!!  I am hoping to paint our kitchen cabinets this year, and will decide what to do as far as having doors made, or not, for this piece.
Here is the pantry that used to be stuffed to the gills.

The top shelf holds three lazy susans.  One for oils, vinegars, and marinades.  One for baking powders, soda, cocoa powders, etc.  And one for other small jarred condiments like coconut butter, cocoa bliss Nutella and those kinds of things.

Next shelf has removable baskets and trays that can easily be pulled out to see exactly what we have.  One basket holds crackers and such, and the other tray holds all of our cereals.

The next shelf holds baskets with small packages of things.  On the right is raisins, craisins, prunes, nuts, coconut, etc.

The other baskets hold small packages of snacks and things.  And of course, every Gramma needs to have a basket of fruit snacks in her pantry!  Uh oh, looks like I am getting low.  Better add it to my grocery list!

On the bottom are a set of my large red wine glasses, and a few large serving pieces, as well as some large containers I use for flour and sugar when I buy in bulk.  The cornflower blue contact paper than lines the shelves was put up 21 years ago, by me and my girlfriends.  I have redone some of the cupboards in my house, and I thing this pantry is next!

No, it is not what I would choose if looking for things in a kitchen today.  But it will work for us, much better than having that one pantry so full that we had no idea what was even in it!

From the above angle of my kitchen, it is easily visible.  But from the entry of my kitchen it is not.

Some day I will have a nice new kitchen, with new counter tops, spiffed up cabinets, and the apron front sink I so desire!!!  But until then, I think this will save my sanity.
By last night, I was feeling pretty rotten.  I have caught a head cold, and went to bed aching all over.  Today, I am taking it easy.  My neighbor and friend came over with a mimosa for me today.  We sat in the living room, sipped our mimosas and chatted away.

She brought me a nice bottle of olive oil too!

I hope you are enjoying your day, whatever it is you may be doing!
xo  Kris