A Practically Perfect Pantry Makeover

We absolutely love to organize pantry spaces, and we’re thrilled to have teamed up with The Container Store to share our top five pantry organization tips + favorite containers! Here’s to keeping your pantry well-organized and Practically Perfect this holiday season!

This post was created in partnership with The Container Store and may contain affiliate links. For more information, please read our disclosure agreement.

TIP # 1 – CONTAIN, CONTAIN, CONTAIN

This might seem fairly obvious, but we’ve encountered many a pantry that simply needed a few extra jars and baskets to go from disorganized to dapper. The more items you can decant into containers, the more contained your pantry will be… and the fresher your products will stay! So say “goodbye” to excess packaging!

We’re big fans of clear jars and containers for dried goods — and matching ones look especially lovely — but be sure to utilize any products that you already have in your home before you run out to spend money on anything new. Add a printed or handwritten label to a repurposed jar or bin can give it a whole new purpose… see what we did there?

We almost always add a spin tray/lazy susan (or more than one) to any Practically Perfect pantry. Storing condiments and other smaller items in a way that makes them both visible and accessible ensures that they’ll actually be used before they expire.

And speaking of repurposing containers, any extras from your pantry overhaul can be used in practically any area of your home. There were two beautiful anchor hocking jars that didn’t fit perfectly into this client’s pantry, but they were just what her laundry room was missing! Baking soda and dryer balls = contained!

TIP # 2 – CREATE PANTRY ZONES

Keeping like items together in designated areas means your pantry will be as functional as it is beautiful.

Perhaps this means that you’ll have a breakfast shelf, a canned goods corner, a sweets section… create the areas that are specific to your own needs.

It’s also helpful to do a full shopping trip before you organize, so that you’re sure to have space for all of the staples.

TIP # 3 – USE WHAT YOU HAVE

We’ve all found mystery items — sometimes expired ones — in the back of our cabinets that we fully intended to use for an exotic recipe but never did. We’re looking at you, lemon curd…

Be realistic about whether or not you’ll actually use that (insert literally any pantry item here) and consider gifting it or passing it along to friends or family who will. Take a weekly inventory of what’s in your pantry, and plan your meals around what you have already purchased before it expires. Commit to only buying what your family will truly eat.

TIP # 4 – LEAVE ROOM FOR GROWTH

We always advise leaving a little room for growth when you layout the organization of a pantry space. It’s totally tempting to fill up every free inch of pantry space, but the end result can be an overstuffed pantry which may impact the visibility and accessibility of your staple items.

Leaving some space (i.e. an extra basket for snacks) helps tremendously with the organizational maintenance of any pantry over time, as different treats and ingredients tend to enter our homes and pantries throughout the seasons.

TIP # 5 – COMMIT TO CLEANING

Start with a clean slate! When we organize a pantry, we start by pulling everything out and wiping down all of the surfaces. It’s important to look through all of the contents of your pantry to ensure that you discard expired foods and donate anything that’s still good but that you don’t plan to consume.

And once your pantry is in order, make sure to check in on it periodically and give it a little tidying up. Your pantry will thank you!

Below are all the organizational products that we used to organize this pantry. We genuinely love and use all of these items for our clients’ spaces, as well as in our own homes!