Get Your Pantry Organized ASAP with These Genius Tips
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Kitchen pantries can be a double-edged design sword. On one hand, they’re the best, most practical place to keep all your snacks, dry goods, small kitchen appliances, serving pieces, and other kitchen extras. On the other, they can turn quickly into your kitchen’s black hole. (I mean, who hasn’t rooted around the back of the pantry only to pull out a can of soup that expired two years ago?) If you fall in to the latter camp, don’t be disheartened. Keeping your kitchen organized is no small task—especially if you’re cooking for your family nighta fter night.
To help you get control of the clutter and restore maintainable order to this hardworking space, we’ve gathered our best pantry organizing tips below. From smart shelving ideas that you’ll actually use to tips on how best to corral your clutter, we’ve got you covered. We also have ideas how to turn (and keep) your pantry into a magazine-stylist approved spot. (Psst: The secret is stylish vintage storage containers!). Regardless of how much you want to change up your space, below are ideas for you. Then, once you’re done organizing your pantry, you can move on to other spaces in your home that need a tidy-up. (Looking at you, bedroom closet!)
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Ease Visual Clutter with a Cohesive Color Palette
Every room needs a color palette, even the pantry! Choose a happy white and pair it with wood shelves and accents for a contemporary farmhouse feel. Regardless of the color you choose, bring your palette to life with complementary fabrics, storage containers―think metals for moody, cool-toned spaces and warm woven accents for brighter, lighter palettes, and even art.
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Add Smart Behind-the-Door Storage
This under-the-stairs pantry features smart storage thanks to rail shelving mounted inside the paneled jib door. A sliding, reclaimed barn door adds much-needed rusticity to this all-white kitchen while also keeping the walkway clear.
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Add an Extra Prep Space
Avoid jumbled shelves crammed haphazardly with your latest grocery run by adding a small table to the center of your walk-in pantry. In this happy space designed by Meta Coleman, a small table provides ample space for bags to sit while the homeowners neatly put their purchases away into the proper bins and baskets.
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Mount a Mug Rack
This North Carolina pantry, which doubles as a guest-ready breakfast bar, relies on an antique wall-mounted mug rack to keep hardworking counter space clear of additional clutter.
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Try an Étagère
No pantry? No problem. This breakfast room, designed by Max Sinsteden, end caps the pantry-less galley kitchen. To maximize storage space, Max opted for a simple étagère—a fancy French term for a backless set of freestanding shelves—to hold all his pantry staples, including a fabulous collection of grab-and-go entertaining pieces.
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Put Vintage Finds to Use
Skip the plastic storage bins and pull out your favorite vintage items to keep your shelves organized. Baking dishes, tart tins, mason jars, Pyrex trays, soda crates, and snack tins all do new-duty as stylish pantry organizers.
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DIY Your Utensil Storage
Have cutting boards you love but no longer use? Or love to go on the hunt for vintage items to repurpose? Then, try this easy DIY to keep your utensils corralled. To make, cut thick linen or burlap fabric to your preferred size, fold under edges, and nail into place on a cutting or bread board using upholstery tacks.
For upgraded storage capabilities, tie a string to the cutting board's hole and hang them from a blank wall or the back of your pantry door.
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Rethink Your Spice Rack
The small slots of old wooden soda crates are perfectly poised to contain your most-reached-for herbs and spices. Just stack the crates on their sides and fill as desired. If your spice containers don’t fit, opt for the mini jam jars shown here. They’ll keep your spices fresh and tuck perfectly within the cubbies!
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Go for Drawers
Pantries lend themselves to open shelving for grab-and-go ease, but don’t overlook the advantages of a well-placed set of drawers. Not only do they provide storage for deeper dishes and larger, awkwardly sized serving pieces, but they also help keep visual clutter under control.
Use a Plate Rack for More than Just Plates
In a walk-in pantry, opt for pretty-yet-practical storage, such as a wall-mounted plate rack. This versatile piece can be used to store cooking tools and baking vessels, such as pie plates, cooling racks, baking sheets, and more.
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Mix and Match Your Storage
For an elevated look, mix and match your storage containers. In this doorless pantry, a collection of woven and metal baskets keeps clutter under control. Up top, antique mason jars stand at the ready. Opt for vessels in varying sizes to give the space a layered-over-time look.
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Embrace Corner Shelving
Have an awkward, unused corner in your kitchen closet? Make it work for you by installing corner open shelving to get the most out of every nook and cranny. The shelves don’t have to be fancy, either. This humble shelving unit was crafted from simple pine boards and stretches over 6 feet tall, making the most of that precious vertical space.
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Convert Antique Furniture
There’s no need for built-ins when you turn a beautiful armoire into a hardworking pantry. Use metal locker baskets and galvanized troughs to sort dry goods and organize bottled beverages. You can also add or remove shelves to suit your needs.
Embrace the Party Pantry Mindset
Party pantries are making a comeback, and it’s high time they do! Unsure what a party pantry is? Instead of food, a party pantry is dedicated to all your overflow of entertaining pieces like platters, bowls, tureens, and glassware. This set-up not only allows for easy party prep but also helps keep your other cabinets clear of any straggling clutter.
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Add a Butler's Pantry
Don’t have room for all your favorite antiquing finds in your kitchen cabinets? Then you need a butler’s pantry (they are top of the kitchen wish-list for 2025)! They Not only are they great for extra prep space for cooking, flower arranging, etc., they are also great for keeping kitchen clutter contained to an overflow space. This Connecticut pantry also smartly includes open shelving, which provides pretty storage space for extra and seasonal entertaining pieces.
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Make it Fun!
In this California kitchen, a bright green screened door brings a bit of colorful whimsy to the pantry. Inside, soda crates, enamelware bins, and more line the bracketed shelves making organizing bags, boxes, and bottles easy. How can you not smile walking into this space?!
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