An “Afterthought” Pantry Becomes the Star of the Kitchen in This Makeover
Until its $2,000 transformation, DIYer Katie Semancik (@decoratewithkatie) tended to ignore her family’s pantry. It was your basic closet that came with generic white sliding doors and wire shelving.
“The pantry always felt like an afterthought, with no personality, right in the heart of our kitchen,” Katie says. “I knew it had the potential to be more functional and more beautiful.” Here’s how she and her husband, Tyler, turned their kitchen pantry into stylish storage.
First, the DIYer tore out the old pantry features.
Before Katie could make major design changes, she had to get the space back to its bare bones. “We began by removing the sliding doors, wire shelving, baseboards, and drywall from the top and sides of the pantry opening,” she says. “We also replaced the floorboards inside to allow the new cabinet to fit properly.”
It was her first time removing boards and wire shelving. “Even though I’d never done those things before, they were all surprisingly manageable with a little research and patience,” she says.
In order to pull off a DIY project, Katie recommends planning ahead as much as possible. “We spaced out purchases and made intentional choices that worked with our budget and schedule,” she says. “Overall, it taught me that DIY is as much about patience and planning as it is about the actual tools.”
IKEA and Wayfair finds offer budget-friendly storage.
Next, it was time to re-add storage to the pantry. Katie saved by going with a pre-made Wayfair bookcase for the cabinetry, which she topped with a $79 IKEA counter. “It was a smart alternative to custom shelving,” Katie says. “It simplified the process, gave us a built-in look, and saved money.”
Katie and Tyler also added white oak floating shelves between the two cabinets.
Peel-and-stick tiles gave the pantry a more finished feel.
But what makes the new pantry area really shine are the design details. Katie and Tyler installed battery-operated gold LED wall lights above their shelves, and off-white peel-and-stick tiles between them (they go all the way up to the ceiling). And hardware made a big difference, too, Katie says.
“It was a small update that instantly made the space feel more finished,” Katie says. “I was nervous it would be tricky to line everything up or that it wouldn’t stick well, but it went on smoothly and made such a difference in the look overall.”
And the entire space feels more “custom and polished,” she notes. “It just makes me happy every time I walk by it.”
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