This one’s for my small space friends. Not everyone is blessed with a walk-in pantry…honestly, I’d argue that is the case for the majority of us. But even if you are blessed to have a pantry the size of a coat closet, there’s a lot of opportunity to max it out!

BEFORE

This closet is located next to the kitchen but also partially near the hallway next to a bedroom and it’s also somewhat near the front door. (Following me? lol!) Makes me wonder if its original intention was to be a coat closet. Regardless, this family added 20″ deep Elfa shelves (not designed or installed by me) and turned it into a pantry…

Creating a pantry here made sense. However, they were struggling with the organization aspect. With the shelves as deep as they are, it’s easy for things to eventually get stacked or lost in the back.

I immediately knew we could benefit from a door-mounted Elfa system. This would be incredibly useful for items like jars, cans and spices, which would free up shelf space. I also wanted to loosen up the shelves to possibly add another shelf up top.

First up – everything out!

The pantry items were sorted and then using the door and shelves, with some clear bins for categories, it transformed into this!…

AFTER

( bins | baskets | cereal containers )

I evened out the shelves and was able to add one additional 12″ shelf up top. The top shelf holds items they rarely use while the floor baskets hold backstock items.

The door system really brought it home as it created space for jars, cans, sauces and more…

( Elfa door system )

These door systems can be hooked over the door (top and bottom) or mounted directly into the door. I prefer them being installed into the door as they are definitely more stable / secure. But you have the option to choose!

While we were there, we did a refresh on 2 of the 3 closets we installed for this family last year. In this one, we added another door mounted Elfa system and a shoe organizer…

BEFORE

Her french doors were perfect for adding additional storage…

AFTER

If you have a pantry this size, I hope this idea is helpful.

Using the door interior to create more useable space can be very helpful! Even if you’re renting, these can simply be hooked onto any door.

Happy Monday! Hope to see you again here later this week!

xo,

Sam