Before and After: A Cluttered, Stress-Inducing Pantry Gets a Streamlined Redo

Melissa’s pantry was a mess — and she’s the first one to admit it. “We were literally stuffing packages of food into our cupboards,” she says. “There was zero method of organization and it literally got to the point where I would stress-eat when I would go into the kitchen because it was so disorganized. I knew it was time for a change.”

Ready for that change (and tired of cluttered-kitchen-induced stress eating!), Melissa hired professional organizer extraordinaire Kim Salisbury. The two started by pulling everything from the cabinets to assess the situation and sort the mess, hoping to “store like with like,” Kim says.

“I love how everything has its own spot,” Melissa says. “Kim used labels to organize everything. She taught me to be even more minimal in our kitchen.” She also made sure everyday dishes, glasses, and mugs stayed within arms reach, and found a great, easy-access spot for food-storage containers.

Kim also measured the drawers for drawer dividers, which “change everything,” she says. (She also recommends measuring the height of the drawer — nothing worse than a drawer divider that won’t let you close your kitchen drawers!)

The junk drawer got a serious revamp, but it didn’t go away completely. “Every kitchen must have a junk drawer,” Kim says. “I insist on it. Do yourself a favor and create an organized kitchen junk drawer. Curb the countertop clutter, and get back to enjoying your kitchen.”

It’s easy to see why Melissa’s so in love with this revamp. What was once a disaster is now streamlined and simple — so planning tonight’s dinner is easier than ever. Find out more about the organization at Best Friends for Frosting.

Thanks for sharing, Melissa!

This post originally ran on Apartment Therapy. See it there: Before and After: A Cluttered Pantry Gets a Streamlined Redo