When I purchased my house the pantry was at the top of the basement stairs. Over the past two years I’ve left it there since there was shelving already set up and no where to really move it. I’ve never liked it in the stairwell as it is a small space and it makes carrying larger objects up and down my already awkward stairs more difficult. It was also very old looking; 3 types of wallpaper, older shelving, holes and nails sticking out everywhere.
With all the time off over the holidays I decided it was time – time to move the pantry out of the stairs and into the kitchen closet which was being used for coats and seasonal wear. In the half bathroom there is a large closet that I really under utilized. I Also never use the kitchen closet since I have an area that I use daily in the sunroom for all of my coats and shoes.
I moved everything from the coat closet in to the bathroom closet (really just storage) and moved all the food and pantry items out of the stairwell and onto the kitchen table.
Since the shelving was still in excellent condition I decided to reuse it. I unscrewed it from the walls, measured and cut the boards and installed it in the closet. Since the closet was not original to the house it has the old chair rail running through it. I asked my neighbour if he had the tools to cut the two rods to size, he did, and it was soon installed. Now that the shelving was up I put everything away. I also purged things I would never use and hung hooks for my aprons – YES APRONS!.
Within a couple hours I had a pantry in my kitchen and have reclaimed my staircase for the broom, mop, ironing board and a few other small items. Above the pantry is also storage for my larger kitchen items that I don’t always use. It may not be the biggest project I’ve undertaken since moving in but it certainly is a very satisfying one.
Stay tuned for the stairwell update.
My Country Farmhouse 