The Friday Fix: A Unique Solution for A Small Pantry
Whole House Organization Challenge: Week 5
We're still in week 5 of the WHO Challenge. For those just joining, this is a journey to get our homes organized from top to bottom in 14 weeks or less. And Friday's are reserved for problem-solving... fixing things that don't quite work the way we want, in and around the home.
We gave ourselves a soft start earlier in the week by tackling just the kitchen drawers. Now it's time to focus and get our hands dirty again. We're uncovering the hidden spaces of our kitchen - the pantry and cabinets.
I'm not even going to try to sugar coat it. This will be a big job for some of you. So for those of you wanting to get a head start, I'll include some tips in this post to help you along.
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Purging the Food Pantry
Before emptying your pantry and cabinets locate a large open space to place things. A dining room table, a mudroom, a floor space that is out of the way are all great options. Next you'll need to:
- Empty the food out of ALL the cupboards - even the spices - and place them in your designated area
- Toss anything that is expired. Check the expiration dates on EVERY SINGLE item.
NOTE: Make sure that you can complete this project within 7 days or less. If it lingers any longer than that you will run out of speed and abandon it.
RELATED POST: Small Pantry & Food Cabinet Organization
Now let's get to this Friday's Fix. In my previous post, I gave you a preview of an unused pantry that I'm working on with a client. As a reminder, below is the space we're working with.
For the life of me, I can't figure out why someone would put a laundry chute in a kitchen pantry. Yet this was the set up when the homeowner bought the house. Fortunately, this kitchen, although small, is equipped with two pantries. How fortunate for the homeowner! Since this smaller pantry wasn't getting much use, I suggested something fun.
Yep, you guessed it. Why not turn it into a coffee and tea bar?! The homeowner is an avid tea drinker and loved the idea. There are, of course, some obvious obstacles to this little vision of mine:
- The space is small and dark
- There are no shelves
- And then there's the elephant in the pantry - that big hole in the floor
Here's my execution plan to fix this under-utilized area:
It's ambitious I know. The biggest challenge will be finding items to actually fit inside of the space without making it appear over stuffed. But I've got a few go-to solutions that I'm excited to see used in the space. Wish me the best!
One more favor may I ask of you?
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Merci Beaucoup!