The Clever DIY Storage Idea That’ll Take Your Pantry to the Next Level

If you’ve got a pantry — no matter the size, from a small cabinet to a complete closet to a dedicated room — chances are, you have a door or two enclosing it. While you might have given attention to organizing the shelves within your pantry, have you thought about tackling all that wasted space behind your door? This DIY pantry door storage solution is functional and beautiful.

Open Adam and Lara’s pantry doors, and you get an eyeful of deep blue color and sleek modern storage. It’s subtle, but successful. And, surprisingly easy to recreate.

This project started when Adam just wanted to maximize the way they used space. “Our kitchen is pretty small and doesn’t have much cabinet space. So I built a number of things to make better use of the little space that we had; a microwave stand, an in-drawer knife block, and these cabinet door shelving units. I built the units out of cheap pine boards, which I fastened together with pocket-hole screws (using a Kreg Jig, the most time-saving furniture building tool ever made IMO).”

“The railings on the shelves are made from aluminum bar stock that I picked up at Home Depot and cut to size. I painted the shelves and inside of the doors a dark blue because, at one point, we were thinking of painting all of our cabinets that color. But we ended up liking the brighter white, so now the dark blue is just a nice accent.”

Tour the entire space: A Handmade South Austin Home at Apartment Therapy

The blue paint in their pantry may have been a happy accident, but it also acts as more than just a fun accent. Because Adam painted both the shelves and the inner door surface the same dark color, it unifies the entire composition, making the pantry feel less cluttered and visually hectic.

The aluminum bars are a smart touch in order to save one’s sanity (opening and closing the doors would send spices and other stored items flying off the shelves every time). But they also add a modern industrial vibe and give the small space a custom look.

Yes, their pantry is a utilitarian space that works well. But with just a few small additions — and intentional design choices — this pantry’s functional status has been elevated to beautiful, too.

This post originally ran on Apartment Therapy. See it there: The Clever DIY Storage Idea That’ll Take Your Kitchen to the Next Level