How to Make a Cluttered Pantry Appear Spacious

Does walking into your pantry make you feel claustrophobic? Even though pantries are designed to hold the kitchen supplies that won’t fit in your cupboards, too much stuff can make a pantry seem closed in and stuffy. Here are a few ideas I use to make my tiny 4 x 6 walk in pantry look much spacious than it really is.

Light paint. I’m fortunate in that my pantry has lots of natural lighting. To make the most of the lighting, the interior is painted in white, semi gloss paint which helps reflect the light around the room. While I won’t use white paint in the rest of my house, it’s the perfect color for a pantry because it won’t clash with the dishes, linens, and other kitchen goods.

Light shelves. Light colored shelves will also make a pantry seem larger and airier. If you can’t paint your shelves white, cover them up with white shelf paper instead.

Declutter. Like closets, kitchen pantries have a tendency to become overcrowded which is why a good decluttering always helps. The best way to declutter is to take everything out of your pantry and set it on the counter. The items that you use at least once a month can go back into the pantry. Items that only get used once a year should go into deep storage in the garage or basement. Items that haven’t been used in over 2 years should be boxed up and dropped off at the Goodwill.

Stack carefully. Instead of tossing things willy nilly into the pantry, try stacking your dishes, linens, and even the groceries as compactly as possible. Remember to leave a bit of “air space” between dishes and linens as well since this fools the eye into thinking the pantry is more spacious than it really is.

Keep the floor and ceilings clear. I’m guilty of stacking kettles, crocks, and lunch baskets on the floor on my pantry which really shrinks down the usable floor space in a hurry. Part of my decluttering strategy saw me moving these seasonal items out to the basement for storage which made the room look larger almost immediately. If you don’t have enough shelf space in your pantry to hold everything, consider installing a shelf over the doorway to boost your storage space.

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