1. ORGANIZE YOUR SHELVES IN A WAY THAT MAKE SENSE FOR YOU
Before anything else pantry shelving ideas need to be practical, they need to work for you and how you want to use the space. It's all well and good creating shelving that makes for a great Instagram post but if it doesn't bring anything to the kitchen then it's really just wasting great storage potential.
2. BREAK UP SHELVES AND ADD CHARACTER WITH VINTAGE STORAGE PIECES
So once you have a shelving system down, then you can start thinking aesthetically. But still, always have practicalities in the back of your mind. One of our favorite ways to bring character into a pantry while still keeping things functional is to bring in some vintage storage pieces. Cute wire baskets, retro tins, and jars can break up rows and rows of foodstuffs and add a pop of color or contrasting texture.
3. DECANT DRIED GOODS INTO GLASS CONTAINERS FOR A COHESIVE LOOK
Don't get us wrong, we love that rustic, homely, slightly cluttered look of pantry shelving and by no means does everything needs to be neat and matching. But really what does a bag of flour add to a shelf? Or a bag of supermarket pasta? These less aesthetically pleasing dried foods can be decanted into glass jars to create a more cohesive look. And jars make for better storage too, so no more spills as you reach up for the baking stuff and you can really clearly see what you have and what you are running low on.
4. ADD EXTRA SHELVING TO THE DOORS
In a small pantry, whether it be just a cupboard or a tiny walk-in pantry, you really need to make the most of every inch of space, and that includes the doors. Spice racks make for great slimline shelves and don't get in the way. Plus, you can use them for more than just spices, of course, they are great for keeping items you reach for most close to hand. Jams, spreads, condiments, nuts, seeds, etc. can all find a space on the door and then don't get absorbed into the all the food storage on the main shelves.
5. OPT FOR SHALLOW SHELVING TO KEEP EVERYTHING ACCESSIBLE
Despite offering more storage space, don't be tempted to go too deep with your shelving. You want to avoid giving things too much space to get lost into a pantry abyss. Choose a depth that allows you to store no more than two or three items and always arrange shelving with the most used items front and center and work backward from there.
6. CHOOSE SHELVING THAT CONTRASTS THE EXTERIOR OF YOUR PANTRY
If you have a pantry cupboard that's part of your kitchen design, it's important it looks beautiful as well as functions. Unlike a walk-in pantry, you can't hide cluttered shelves behind closed doors, so consider how your pantry will look inside and how that will work with your overall kitchen colors and style.
7. OR BLEND YOUR SHELVING IN TO ALLUDE TO MORE SPACE
As with any small space, sticking with a monochrome color scheme and taking it over the majority of the space is a sure-fire way to make it feel bigger. And the same goes for pantries too. Rather than breaking up the space with shelving that contrast the walls, paint them the same shade so they just blend into the background.
8. CREATE INTEREST WITH LOTS OF VARYING SHAPES AND SIZES
The key to curating the perfect shelf, whether that be living room shelving, kitchen shelving, or in this case pantry shelving, is to have plenty of different shapes, textures, and layers. The best pantry shelving has zero clear lines – and by that, we mean nothing sits neatly on the same level, there's no symmetry or way for the eye to understand the space easily and quickly. There's depth and intrigue and you're drawn into looking closer.
9. BUILD APPLIANCES INTO YOUR PANTRY SHELVING
There's such a kitchen trend at the moment for concealed kitchens. Kitchens that don't look too... kitchen, with all the appliances seamless built-in or hidden behind doors and the pantry can be the perfect clear some of the small appliances off the worktops.
10. MAKE USE OF EVEN THE NARROWEST OF SPACES
In a really narrow pantry, often the best option is to just totally fill the space with shelving. Take them all the way across the space length-wise and fill the depth, so you can just reach in and grab what you need, much as you would with a standard cupboard just on a bigger scale.