Walk-In Pantry Reset: Before Photos, Plans & What Needs to Change

My walk-in pantry is so embarrassing! But I am sharing it with you anyway.

During the holidays, I kept finding my two-year-old grandson hiding in the pantry, usually playing with the dog food bags.  To him, it was a game; to me, not so much.

There are appliances stored on the floor, and grocery bags filled with other grocery bags crammed in a corner.  Does anyone else have plastic bags filled with more plastic bags taking up precious space in your kitchen?

This chaos didn’t happen overnight, or even in one busy holiday weekend.  

This weekend – yes this weekend, all of that is going to change!

Since late Fall, I have been talking about pulling everything out of the pantry, cleaning the shelves, and starting over.  My husband is on call at the hospital this weekend; the house is empty of visiting family, the holidays are over, and I have a plan. 

Making a plan and shopping

In a more exciting, magically paid-for version of a new pantry design, I would describe plans to gut our walk-in pantry to the bare walls, add fresh paint, and install custom cabinetry. It would be stunning!

Nope, that version is not happening. 

I have browsed Pinterest for walk-in pantry ideas, shopped online for products, and even made my very first trip to IKEA, three hours away in Charlotte, North Carolina, to find as many storage solutions as I could imagine needing. 

But I will be pulling everything out, every food carton, dog food bag, taking every plastic grocery bag to a recycling center, and starting with an empty space. Then, slowly, establish systems and rhythms for food storage and appliance access to better serve our household. 

Our walk-in pantry is a large pantry, around a 5-foot-by-6-foot space with rustic, open shelving from floor to ceiling on two sides. The vertical space on both sides is filled with aged, worn wood boards for shelving. These shelves were custom-built, probably by the original owners in 1979, to accommodate how the wife wanted to store items.  One set of shelves is precisely the height of canned goods.  The system works, has stood the test of time, and has been used for decades.  I have a good foundation to start with. 

Of course, times have changed, and what I need to store on these shelves is much different than what Mrs. JoAnn would have needed so long ago.  Honestly, this pantry must function differently now than even when I moved in back in 2007 with two kids.  

This weekend, I need to figure out the best use of the space going forward. 

Honestly, after this weekend, I am not quite sure what I will be revealing in a later post.

I’ve done the prep work, measured each shelf, and have an idea of how I want it to look. In theory, it should all work out. I also know that things seldom work out perfectly the first time. I expect to have to make some design shifts and changes once I get into the thick of it.

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You see, I have multiple organizing and storage revamping projects in the works for 2026.  Both for my home and our RV.  Therefore, all online and special shopping trips were made to explore a range of storage solutions across different areas.

Armed with pages of notes on measurements and needs, I have purchased wire baskets in various sizes, clear containers, lazy susans, storage bins galore, and a few unexpected hanging utensil racks. This pantry and my RV cabinets should be styling and functioning so much better in the next few weeks. And my overcrowded craft room may benefit as well.  Who knows what this one weekend of deep organizing may lead to?

This weekend’s plans will be all about the walk-in pantry makeover.

As far as walk-in pantries go, I am very lucky to have such a large pantry with built-in shelving. There are many open shelves in this pantry. But they are not deep shelves. So any storage solutions I end up installing must be space-efficient and do their job well. 

Our pantry storage needs to do much more than just store food.  It must include easy access to everyday items, like oversized pots, travel mugs too tall to fit in the kitchen cabinets, and small appliances like the blender and Instant Pot. And a storage solution for the camping gear my husband has crammed on the top shelf over my head, out of reach.  I have no idea what I might find up there.  But it needs a dedicated space regardless. 

My end goal is a well-designed pantry.  Not just a pretty pantry with beautiful containers and pretty labels.  This space is a workhorse, a multifunctional backbone of our kitchen and daily routines.  Of course, I want it to be pretty and Pinterest worthy.  A dream pantry to admire. 

But for this project, I am going for a fresh look that functions well. I will add the pretty details afterwards. 

Until next time,

1 Corinthians 14:40 – Let all things be done decently and in order.

Other posts to visit for ideas include Easy Ideas for Bathroom Storage.