DIY Pantry

Transforming a Closet into a Functional Pantry: A Real-Life DIY Pantry Journey

Learn how we turned a closet into a functional DIY pantry with simple DIY steps and a modest budget. Real-life tips for creating a practical and stylish space without breaking the bank!

You may decide after today’s post that we can no longer be friends, but I decided it was worth it.

And if you read this post and find you agree with me, won’t you give it a share? I’m hoping to reach as many folks as I can.

Don't Forget to Pin for Later!

Those shelves just do not offer much storage space

You see, my husband and I—well, mostly him—worked on a project during his vacation last week. When he finished, he admitted, “It’s not exactly Pinterest-worthy.”

Pinterest-worthy...what is that, exactly?

After he said it, I knew I had to share this project in its raw form.

Why, you ask? Because I believe social media has changed us—and not always for the better.

We see photos of pristine homes on Instagram, Pinterest, and elsewhere, and it can make us feel like our own homes don’t measure up. But here’s the thing: who decides what’s “worthy”? Those of us who follow, like, and share those perfectly curated photos do.

Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been guilty of it myself. I used to save every photo I liked. Go ahead, chuckle. I’m laughing at myself too.

The problem is that many “influencers” showcase products they get for free, sometimes placed into homes that don’t reflect their real lives. Not all of us have DIY husbands, can tackle big projects on our own, or have limitless budgets to make our homes look like that. I can’t; can you?

Have you ever priced out something you’ve seen online only to find it’s wildly expensive? I have. Those so-called “easy” projects often turn into massive undertakings—and big money.

For us, saving for retirement was always the goal, despite the fact mine came sooner than expected. I can’t justify huge expenses, especially when my husband still gets up every day to do the daily grind. We were supposed to be doing that together, but life threw us a curveball.

So, after this project was done, I thanked him for spending his vacation building a large pantry. Yes, we finally have a pantry big enough to see all our dry goods in one place. Hallelujah!

I haven’t quite figured out how to organize it yet, but I’ll share the progress as it unfolds. I don’t feel the need to share only “finished” projects anymore.

Why? Because that’s not how life works around here.

We take our time. My husband doesn’t want to come home and jump straight into DIYs so I’ll have something to share on my blog. Trust me, it took me a while to learn that. I used to feel anxious, like I always needed a new project.

Maybe the last few years have changed me, but I’m more laid back now than I’ve been in a while. It reminds me of my early twenties.

I became a bundle of nerves after those early years. Looking back, I see now that no one should live like that. We need downtime. We need to relax. Life isn’t as long as we think.

So, my message for today is: who cares if your home isn’t Pinterest-worthy? I’m not worried about it anymore, and you shouldn’t be either. Life is meant to be lived, and living with an active pup means our home has taken a beating over the years. I used to cringe at every scratch and chip. 

Now? It’s just part of our story.

Don’t worry if you’re not there yet. It took me years to get to this place, and my husband’s work on our pantry helped with that too. It was a real “lightbulb moment.”

So, if you feel the pressure of “My house isn’t internet-worthy,” you can rest assured that mine isn’t either. And here I am, sharing it week after week.

I’ll step down from my soapbox now. Let’s get into how a closet became our pantry.

We’d always planned to turn this closet into a pantry, but we had different ideas about how to do it. I envisioned shelves around the closet; he saw something else. I’m glad he convinced me to see his side because his plan gave us way more space.

He started by locating the studs with a stud finder, then used a level with a laser to mark the shelf locations.

(If you’re wondering about the buffalo check wallpaper that doesn’t line up—that’s an old attempt we made years ago. Sometimes, you just have to “let it go,” as Elsa would sing!)

He also had to work around our security system box and a galvanized pipe. I can tell you he wasn’t thrilled about either one.

(Those beige blobs on the wall? We removed some hooks there, but I saved them for a future project!)

Since we already had shelves on one side of the closet, he built out from there to create a continuous shelving look. Attaching all the 2x4s to the walls first, he added the shelves later, though it was a tight squeeze in some places.

The shelving required notching around that galvanized pipe for the security box. I’m glad he was handling it because I would’ve just said, “Forget about it!”

This closet has seen a few wallpapers over the years, and you can see that our DIYs are far from perfect. There’s even a gap in one corner that I once planned to cover with quarter round…but we never got around to it.

I don’t know about you, but our home is constantly changing to suit our needs. When we moved in, we prioritized the kitchen but opted to renovate the entire house (except the kitchen) when the quotes came in. 

Now, 10 years later, the kitchen still isn’t done, but I’m actually grateful. Our tastes and needs have changed, and now we want a vintage kitchen, not something new and shiny. That wouldn’t fit our style at all.

If you’re thinking of converting a closet into a pantry, we spent around $150 on wood (the shelves are 21 inches deep and 45 inches long). For those without a truck, Lowe’s sells plywood in smaller sections, which fit in our SUV and saved us extra cuts.

Side note: Yes, those are bottles of water in the bottom of our pantry. Do I like it? No, but we have galvanized pipes that need to be changed out. Otherwise, a black gunk comes out of the pipes, and we are not drinking that. So, when the kitchen is completed (fingers crossed we win the lottery soon), all of the galvanized will be out, and we will be able to have drinking water. If you have ever owned an older home, you know old homes have issues, or what I like to call quirks. 

Will I keep the shelves as-is? 

Probably not. I’ll likely cover them to protect against spills, as contact paper worked well in our previous pantry, and spills wiped up easily.

We managed to condense a small pantry, a free-standing cabinet, and two lazy susans into this one large pantry. Things are changing here at the cottage…at our own pace. As they say, slow and steady wins the race.

So, next time you feel like your home doesn’t measure up, remember: you make it home, not someone else. 

If you enjoyed this post, and like our new approach, please let us know. Share, comment, we appreciate your feedback. Thank you for being a continued reader of Vintage Style Gal, it means the world to me. 

Ciao,

Cara