A Clean and Well-Designed Pantry

Photos courtesy of Audrey Crisp

Audrey Crisp knows first-hand the importance of a well-designed room--not only because she's a fantastic interior designer who has dramatically improved countless spaces for her clients, but also because she's had to deal with less-than-ideal spaces herself. Case in point: her pantry. "Our pantry was so packed full of stuff, we didn't know what we even had or how much!" she says. "Luckily, with the help of The Container Store, we were able to completely transform our space with their modular Elfa system." 

Before the makeover, Audrey's pantry had all the signs of a space in need of help. The built-in shelves were cluttered, there was only a minimum of an organization system in place, and the floor was filled with larger items that restricted access. But with the assistance of a skilled Custom Closets Design Specialist from The Container Store, she was able to make her pantry more efficient while creating a space an interior designer could love. 

Once Audrey had cleaned out the pantry and taken inventory of its contents, our Elfa installers removed the existing shelves, touched up with paint, and installed the new White Elfa Ventilated Wire Shelves with Birch Décor Fascia. And although a sloped ceiling can be a challenge, our Custom Closet Design Specialist was able to work around it in a practical and aesthetically pleasing way by using the open space on the right side for stacking baskets. We installed several rows of shelves, and along the bottom we put in two columns of drawers for condiments, packaged foods, and bread. 

One of the keys to utilizing a new pantry effectively is choosing the right "completion products"--that's Container Store-speak for bins and other assorted storage items that work within a larger space--and Audrey did a tremendous job with that aspect of the project. Water Hyacinth Bins with labels were used to store baking supplies and pasta, and various colorful snacks were sorted using OXO POP Canisters, iDesign Linus Divided Lazy Susans, and Anchor Hocking Glass Canisters. For cereals, she chose a trio of OXO Good Grips Dispensers, and for cans she added a 3-Tier Acrylic Cabinet Organizer to one of the lower shelves for easy access.

Once the system was installed, Audrey added an elegant finishing touch: replacing the old white wooden door with a beautiful dark one that provides a nice contrast in the space. After all of that work, she's thrilled with the outcome. "The Elfa system is perfect, as it is completely customizable--the shelves can be adjusted at any time as well!" she raves. "By adding shelving and pull-out drawers, along with new storage containers, our pantry can finally have room for everything we need."