Your Top 7 Pantry Questions Answered!

You guys love the pantry that I built in 2019 when we remodeled our kitchen! Pantry content is by far the most popular on the blog & on Instagram and we get a lot of questions. You guys realize we’ve remodeled our entire house, right? Not just the pantry? In the two years that the pantry has been blowing up Pinterest & Instagram, several burning questions have been asked over and over again. So today’s post is all about you and your pantry questions answered!

Without further ado, your most popular pantry questions answered!

Question 1: What are the dimensions?

Our pantry space is 6 feet deep (right wall) by 5 feet wide (back wall). The ceiling height is 10′. Make sure you check out my detailed Pantry Build Blog Post, as that information and much more is in there.

Question 2: Where is the shelving from?/Why did you use an IKEA cabinet?

All of the shelving was custom built by me except for the appliance tower. For the appliances, we used two IKEA Sektion kitchen cabinet frames – one 18X24x90″ tall cabinet + an 18×20″ wall cabinet.

There were several reasons why we went with an IKEA cabinet for the appliance tower instead of building something custom. First, and most importantly, it was a shortcut. We also got a discount due to ordering these cabinets in our kitchen cabinet order during the IKEA Kitchen Sale.

The other big reason that we used IKEA cabinets for the appliance tower leads to pantry question 3.

Question 3: How did you make the appliance shelves the perfect size for the appliances?

The biggest difference between the appliance tower and the custom shelves that I built is that the IKEA cabinet has adjustable shelves. I wanted the appliance tower to have adjustable shelves so that I could maximize the storage for the appliances we have now, and those that we will have in the future.

While planning the pantry design, I measured the width of my widest appliance (the crock pot) and realized that an 18″ wide cabinet would work perfectly. The Sektion comes with one fixed shelf in the middle that doesn’t move (the one under the Ninja Foodi Grill). Additional shelves are sold in a 2 pack $18. We got those on sale because we ordered them during our Kitchen Sale order.

When I put the appliances away, I just added shelves where they wouldn’t waste space but I’d still be able to get the appliances out easily.

I keep these acrylic boxes behind each appliance to hold accessories. I also keep the cords neat with these command cord bundlers. They’re my favorite!

Question 4: Is that wallpaper?/Where is the wallpaper from?

This is a very popular pantry question! Some people think its been sponge-painted. It’s peel & stick wallpaper from Spoonflower! It was very easy to line up and install. Plus, it has this great texture & matte finish. I just love the dimension it gives the pantry!

Question 5: What is the countertop made from?

The countertop is a chevron walnut veneer from IKEA. This is the same countertop we used in our Built In Bar project in the living room.

It’s a beautiful piece, but since it’s not real butcher block. It does get dinged a bit because it is very soft. I did seal it with Waterlox to give it as much protection as possible, however, it does not protect it from surface dings.

Question 6: How do you reach the upper shelves?

Maximizing vertical space is always important. That’s valuable storage space that you don’t want to lose! Since I’m short (5’3″), I keep a 3 step ladder hanging on the DIY Farmhouse Wall Hooks that I built in 2020. That way, it’s always there.

To reach the very top shelf, I have to stand on the countertop. If you’re short like me, you’ll know that we are very used to that.

Question 7: Why is the Hershey’s Syrup so high?

Believe it or not, this pantry question comes up in every single pantry Instagram post that goes crazy!

The very top shelf of the pantry is for backstock condiments only, basically back up bottles. We shop at Sam’s for certain items, and we always have a back up of every item we use. I would much rather buy items when they are on sale or at their best price and then shop my pantry when its time to get the new bottle than pay full price for something. This is why we built such a big pantry in the first place!

The ceiling on the right wall of the pantry is actually at a 45 degree angle above that shelf because there’s an angled pipe behind it. So the right side of the shelf has things like jelly jars, peanut butter, salad dressing, and backups of other smaller jars.

Since the Hershey’s Syrup is too tall for the angled wall, it goes on the back wall side of that shelf.

Want to Know More?

Want to know more about my pantry? Make sure you don’t miss these blog posts full of details!

• Pantry Build & Reveal
• Pantry Organization Reveal
• DIY Wood Hook Rack

Pantry Drawers on Sale

You all love the mesh drawers in the lower cabinets, and you’re in luck because they are on sale for their best price ever right now! From now into February, all elfa products are on sale 30% off! These cabinet drawers are easily installed in any cabinet or on any shelf with just 4 small screws. Renters can use command strips! They come in several different widths & heights to suit your needs. Don’t forget the dividers & labels!

Any Other Questions?

That was fun! Maybe I should answer more of your burning pantry questions? Got one? Was there anything I missed that you wanted to know? Leave them in the comments below & stay tuned for Part 2!