How to Organize a Beautiful Pantry

Wouldn't it be nice to have a pantry in your new home that would make you (and your friends!) say, “Wow!" every time you opened it? Replacing cluttered chaos with food shelves that look like they're straight out of a magazine is easier than you think. Here are some simple steps to a picture-perfect pantry:

• Declutter. Start by removing everything from your pantry. It's not as daunting as you might think - it should take less than an hour to take everything out and put it back. As you remove each item, ask yourself if you've used it in the last nine months? If not, and the item is open - toss it. If it's still sealed and good - donate it to your local food bank. You're not likely to use it any time soon, and it will free up your space.

• Wipe down the shelves. Now that everything's out, clean off the shelves so you have a pristine place to display your food. If you've been meaning to apply shelf liner, now's the time.

• Group items by category. As you put things back in your pantry, group like-items together - baking supplies in one section, pasta in another. Keep items that you use the most in the front to access them easily.

• Use clear, airtight containers. Invest in some transparent containers to get rid of bulky boxes and always see how much of an item is left. They're great for storing bulk items like flour, sugar, pasta, and cereal. Put removable labels on them - and if you count calories, cut out the nutrition label and stick it on the back of the container.
• Put healthy snacks at kids' eye-level. If your children are tempted by the junk food, keep treats out of their easy reach and put healthy snacks in front where they can easily see (and grab!) them.

• Create more storage space. If you can't easily see everything in your pantry, use racks, carousels, and bins to maximize storage.

• Hang a board to write on. A small chalkboard or dry-erase board is great to hang in or near the pantry. When you run out of something, you can easily write it down for your next grocery run. When you leave for the store, snap a picture of the board with your phone, and you have an instant list to take with you. As seen in the main image at the top of the page, we turned the entire pantry door into a chalkboard in the Tribeca Model at Liberty Square.

Now that your pantry looks great, maintain it by spending a couple of minutes a day making sure everything is in its place. You'll find that you'll save time in the long run (no time wasted looking for stuff!), money (no more duplicate items!), and shelf space (everything neatly in its place!). Plus every time you open that pantry door, you'll want to take a picture of how good it looks!