How to Transform Your Pantry into an Open Shelf Kitchen Nook

{This post contains affiliate links. You can “shop the post” at the bottom, where I have linked a few of the organizational/decorative products I used!}

I have *officially* completed my most favorite transformation yet!  This one has been rewarding for so many reasons. I hope you find some inspiration to think outside the box (or, pantry) when it comes to your home!

Let’s take a peek at where it all began, shall we?

If you have a pantry, chances are good that you know what I mean when I say that ours was a MESS.  When I set out to transform it, I had function in mind above all else.  We needed shelves that were straight and spaced “smartly,” and accomplishing that was my main goal. Being the design lover I am, I intended to make it look really pretty, too!

We started with a pantry that had REALLY bowed shelves that were very poorly spaced and not functional at all. I had tried (and tried, and tried) to organize this thing, but it ALWAYS ended up sad and in disarray. We also had a broken metal bi-fold door that never stayed closed and was always in the way in our teeny kitchen walkway.

Demo, wall treatment, and planning:

I started with demo (sometimes, you just have to dive on in!), and it went really smoothly and quickly! It especially felt so good to remove the old rickety door.  I was left with an open space and a blank slate! 

I intended to paint and stencil the inside, but I decided to go with beadboard instead, for a few reasons. Beadboard is classic, easy (hello, stenciling over textured walls is not a simple feat), and would cover any imperfections in the wall that resulted from demo (and there were many). It was just a win-win to go with beadboard instead. I had my beadboard cut down to size at Lowe’s, then thoroughly nailed it up using our brad nailer.

Next, I got to work on painting it (Rainy Afternoon by Benjamin Moore, because I know you’re wondering).  I immediately fell in love with this color, and I knew that I’d made the right choice.

I then planned out how I would space the shelves. This extra step was so worth my time (and will be worth yours, too).  I sketched out where I wanted to store everything, and measured the tallest item that would go on each shelf, making sure that my kitchenaid mixer would fit, along with my tall glass storage jars. I also accounted for how tall a roll of paper towels is, so I could store them on the bottom without taking up any more space than necessary.

Building the shelves:

Once the shelves were planned out, I was finally ready to install the supports. I chose 1x2s and they worked out perfectly. Because our pantry had very oddly spaced studs, I decided to glue and nail the supports instead. I used liquid nails glue and I brad-nailed every couple inches. Those suckers aren’t going ANYwhere. I made VERY certain that they were secure, and I’m glad I didn’t let the lack-of-studs keep me from having the shelves I really wanted.

For the shelf itself, I used 1×16 pine boards from Lowes, but could have also used sanded plywood ripped/trimmed down. I honestly just decided to go for the option that I knew would stain beautifully. For the fronts, I attached 1x3s using my nailer.  I wish I had glued those, too, but if they ever come loose, I’ll just do so then! I LOVE the finished look that the faces provide, and I love that they conceal some of the small gap that was created with the shelf (the pantry was more narrow at the back and wider at the front). The gaps from the “top-view” still bothered me at first, but not so much anymore. It’s all part of the charm of living in an older house, right?!

Framing it out:

Finally, trim time!  This was a tricky situation, because we actually fully intended to put a door on the pantry. But, once I saw how it came together, I just couldn’t help myself and had to keep it open! 

For trim/framing around the doorway, I used 1x2s, 1x4s, and 1x6s. I then added baseboard and I framed around the where the beadboards meets the ceiling with 1x3s.  It gave it such a finished, polished look.

Finally, the details (my favorite!):

Of course, adding our goodies was the most fun of all!  In case you are wondering, we moved around a lot in our cabinets and ended up keeping all of our other “pantry food” in our island cabinets.  It makes a lot more sense this way anyway – easy for the kids to reach, easier for me to grab for packing lunches, etc.  Our pantry is so poorly located, so it made more sense to have things in the pantry that we weren’t necessarily grabbing for every single day (or multiple times a day).

I couldn’t be happier with how beautiful and functional it turned out for us!  The flow in our kitchen is already working out so wonderfully. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to share this process with you guys!