Love it! Lazy susan for the spices is a good idea. But where will the cereal go?

I have collected about 10 lazy susans at thrift stores to use in my fridge and pantry. No more digging!

That's a great idea to put the restaurant delivery menus in the kitchen. That's EXACTLY where they belong, not by the phone!

I have 3 extra wood lazy susans from Ikea sitting around after re-organizing. Does anyone know if you could use the wooden ones in the fridge?

On a related note, anyone have suggestions for baskets I can hang from my pantry shelves? My pantry shelves are the white covered metal shelving racks with a lip on the front that hangs down from the shelf, so I am not sure the typical undershelf baskets will work.

Love it!But i think need more space!

@idontlooksick: I use wooden ones in the fridge… why not?

Looks lovely but that pantry had nothing in it to begin with. Easy to organize when there's just a few items in the first place.

Big Improvement poor upside down honey bear.
But I wish there was a better way to organize tea.

Now come and do mine.

Oh Apartment Therapy, how I love you, but you just don't love me! How on earth can a mother of four (three of which are growing HUNGRY boys) ever aspire to this kind of minimalist organization. Really, I shop at Costco people!

Oh well. The idea is great for single people. Nice work!

I'm with ya, aholland! Not only are my cupboards costco-full, but there are three other people in my house, rifling through, looking for things to eat, and putting things back in random places!

To me, the biggest issue is getting the fam to replace things correctly - any suggestions other than a label on each and every item?

I love Tony Chachers (?) creole seasoning. It is cheap, readily available and I use it on everything. Broiled meats, red beans and rice, baked chicken, hashbrowns.... It is my go-to seasoning now.

L.Lurker, we should petition AT to include more practical posts for the management of larger households. I love the style, designs and organization suggested on the site, but struggle to apply it to our harried lifestyle.

We have a 2200 sq.ft home which may seem like a lot when compared to some of the tiny loft apartments, but SIX people share this space.

Apartment Therapy, please take notice! Those of us managing more than a cat or a small terrier dog could use a bit of help too!!!

Criminy, what do you eat? This is the emptiest cupboard I've ever seen.

This is obviously another one of those posts directed at a younger couple (or single person) who doesn't cook at home the majority of time.

Or first apt, fresh out of college.

Couple of things...

First, I put some self-stick cork sheeting(office supply store) inside the cupboard doors for menus and the stuff folks usually put on fridge doors -- I can't stand that clutter! The corkboard is a great tool and is usually out of sight since the doors are closed.

I found a spaghetti storage jar for my pantry at Goodwill, and for things like that which would otherwise be partially used opened boxes or bags in the pantry, this is very helpful. (I wouldn't bother transferring anything into jars that I would use up in one recipe, though.)

I have a tall pantry cupboard and a couple of other cupboards, and they are all full. I try to organize by type of food -- canned goods together, pasta and accessories go with rice and quinoa etc. on the same shelf, cereal and snacks (which in my house can be interchangable) are in one place... I usually have on hand only enough of my staples for one use (one set of everything for a batch of chili, for instance) so after cooking that, I need to replace it. I only buy what I have a specific use for, normally -- so if I get adventurous, I usually need to shop first. But that way my pantry turns over regularly, and I don't have the problem I used to of things being overlooked, expiring, and needing to be tossed. And I don't stockpile, since I don't have enough storage for that. But for Costco shoppers, having a convenient spot for extras is essential!

I love the mason jars however, I can't imagine myself dumping things in packages into them. Bulk items I can handle but otherwise I will deal with the cluttered look of packaging.

I love the mason jars however, I can't imagine myself dumping things in packages into them. Bulk items I can handle but otherwise I will deal with the cluttered look of packaging.

It's true- this is the storage space for a small household. However, I think that some of the techniques we see here are scalable.

*replacing paper and plastic containers with clear, reusable, and attractive containers makes things LOOK better right away, esp. if they are all the same size/type like in this example.

*put all those containers on one shelf and death to anyone seen putting other things on that shelf

*clear plastic tubs for grouped items that don't get used every day (baking supplies for instance) which then stay in an assigned corner

*the split-shelf-shelf thing is wonderful. I recommend, if you have a ton of people, use those to help store your dishes and create more space for food.

*do this with food too! instead of the lazy susan (personally I'm not a fan), get a stair-step spice shelf.

EVEN better, standardize spice containers. I'm a big fan of the clear-topped, magnetic backed containers. Mount a magnetic strip in your pantry and stick 'em on.

I dig these ones: http://www.custommagneticspicerack.com/

But yeah, there are a ton of option. Good luck!

Re: Pantry Project --- My plan is to take pictures of staples in my pantry (cans of black beans and boxes of Cheerios, for instance) and tacking them to the wall behind where each product belongs in the pantry. Why? First, it gives a cue to the kids about where to put things away, and I'm hoping it will also be a quick heuristic for me to see what what's out of stock.

I don't think using those clear food-container jars is a good idea. It causes extra work. Rather than just putting the product away when you get home, you have to decant the product into the jar, which is going to be a real pain when things get busy. And if the product doesn't all fit in the container, you have to store the original packaging somewhere until it's time to refill.

Personally, I think the goal of a pantry should be convenience--everything visible and within reach--rather than stylish storage. Just because something looks better doesn't necessarily mean it functions better.

jessicalynn20 - for my tea bags I have one of these I use in my kitchen cabinet because I hated all the stacking boxes- I use the 12" x 2" tray. It will fit into a drawer too
http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/drawerOrganizers/modular?productId=10012612&N=183

My loose tea goes into square stacking tins.

The mason jars may not make sense at first for packaged goods, but if you buy in bulk you are probably taking them home in plastic (or reusable) bags that can rip or spill.

Tupperware!
Seriously. It saved me.
The Modular Mates pantry storage containers have been so worth the investment for me.
I do live alone, but I cook a lot and I have a lot of ingredients in my pantry.

While I may add color later on and while many of you may protest, I decided I liked the simple and clean look of no colored paper inside the pantry (though I might feel more inclined to add some punches of color when the weather gets nicer.)

The concept of decorating a pantry for the seasons is so completely bizarre to me.

I like deep bins for both cupboards and the fridge. You can load a lot if small items that would otherwise get knocked around by trying to access something in the back. Lazy susans work almost as well, but you still lose alot of vertical space and those corners are wasted. Every inch counts in a kitchen as cramped as mine.

Awesome. I have labels that i'd created, stuck to my cupboards, from a dymo machine (they're clear) and they're awesome. If you don't want them on the outside, you could put them on the inside - THIS WOULD HELP FAMILIES/Roommate situations. I also put one on the cupboard where the garbage is hidden, so that guests don't have to look around. It's surprisingly innocuous.

I use Mason jars all the time, and I think they're incredibly convenient.

The work of decanting is really really minimal, and it allows me to see what I have and what I'm running low on without a lot of clutter. Plus, knowing the size of the container keeps me from buying in bulk that I can't store!

Mason jars protect your food against bugs and mice, as well, which can be another huge plus, particularly for items like dry beans and rice, which most often come in a plastic bag.

My office uses the OXO pop-up lid containers, which are more stackable and space-saving than Mason jars - they are expensive, or I would switch in a minute.

I'm guessing this person's kitchen must be VERY small, because to me this looks like a cupboard; not a pantry.

But on the topic, I hope to slowly convert from plastic containers to mason and other jars for long-term storage over the next year or so. IKEA and The Container Store are good places to start, but so are garage sales and second-hand stores.

Love the jars - helps to encourage our nest to shop more in the bulk area and creates a clear picture of what we have and what we really need. Kudos!

@bboettner They make wire baskets that hang under those. I've seen them at Home Depot and maybe the container store. Look in the closet organizer sections.

I have that exact same mail sorter! Found it at an estate sale a few weeks ago. funny.

Love this! I'm feeling inspired! I'm going to fix my pantry tomorrow morning.

I love the tea storage. i put mine in a container store holder for that very purpose.

i keep the takeout menus on my fridge because the phone is next to it.

i have my spices somewhat organized by sweet & savory (I do a lot of baking). The sweet items are corralled in a basket i got with a bath set.)

'A little time and money could make a big difference' ? It would have taken me 10 minutes to organize that thing. I think your gadget monies would have been better spent on groceries. Sorry!

As others have noted, mason jars (or instead of buying, we use leftover jam, pickle, and other jars in our house) are awesome for multiple reasons--they're easy to pour from, they are pretty much pest proof, they make bulk bin buying easier, and personally, I think they make everything so much easier to find, especially when you're a household (like ours) that has 5 different types of every grain and bean around in the pantry. I use little chalkboard stickers and write on them with a chalkboard pen that can be wiped off with water. I can identify everything quickly by sight, but this allows me to ask my husband or friend to "grab the amaranth" or the "barlotti beans" without me having to help.

I use up the small jam jars that have accumulated over the years for all of my spices. I use a lot of different spices and buy them in bulk so this is the best for me. As time went along, I found that pint jars worked even better and there was room to stack the jam jars on top in two layers. A sharpie marker on the glass is all that is needed for labeling.

I also use pint jars for my tea. I tend to buy loose teas or tea bags that are not packaged in little paper wrappers. Again these glass pint jars and a sharpie is all I need. It protects so well against any pests in the pantry.

Dried goods that I buy in bulk go into quart jars and I agree that saving pickle, mayo, or spaghetti sauce jars works just as well.

The newer Rubbermaid rectangle clear containers with red lids work fantastic for brown sugar, rice and cookies. They are easy to open and scoop out of.

great after ! i love the teas in the vintage sugar and creamer and i have a real soft spot for lazy susans :)