Before and After: Getting Rid of The Wire Shelves Made This Pantry Way More Functional

Megan Baker Detloff
·2 min read
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Before: crowded pantry with wire shelving

Those who are lucky enough to have a kitchen pantry know that square footage is not all that matters — you still need easy-to-access storage and a way to organize everything to make this space work for you.

The wire-shelving-filled pantry at Kelsey and Ryan Mansingh’s house (@newbuild_newlyweds) is probably a familiar sight to those who have builder-grade homes.

Before: crowded pantry with wire shelving

“Our pantry contained those builder-grade wiring shelving that everyone hates,” Kelsey says. “Stuff didn’t stand up straight on them, was always falling, and the shelves were not sturdy. Space wasn’t being utilized properly or efficiently, so we wanted to rip out the shelves and start over!”

Before: empty pantry with wire shelving

Kelsey and Ryan wanted to make sure that the ample square footage in their walk-in pantry didn’t go to waste, so they ripped out the wire shelves and created something that worked much better for them — and looked better, too.

After: Pantry with wood shelving, baskets for goods, and a pendant light

In place of the old wire shelves, Kelsey and Ryan built wood ones that were taller and took up more of the wall space for extra storage. That gave them room to install a small prep counter, too — helpful for pulling supplies together before cooking. The wood countertop and tiled backsplash makes it look extra high-end.

After: Pantry with wood shelving, baskets for goods, and a pendant light

Another luxe upgrade? Swapping out the old fluorescent tube light fixture for a pretty pendant light. It’s better at illuminating the whole pantry space, and also makes it look more like a room than a storage space.

The new shelves, custom-built to fit Kelsey and Ryan’s dry goods, drinks, small appliances, and more, make a place for everything. Kelsey also minimized visual clutter by stashing pantry goods in baskets. The tactic keeps everything organized and makes it easy to find what’s needed.

For the materials, supplies, and lighting, the pantry redo cost about $1000. It’s money well spent, Kelsey says: “We love how much more spacious the room is, and how much storage space we gained! I just find myself sitting in the pantry and admiring our work. I wouldn’t change anything!”

This post was originally published on Apartment Therapy. Read it there: Before and After: Scrapping the Wire Shelves Made This Pantry Way More Functional