Organizing a Pantry with Unused Vertical Space

Organizing a small closet-sized pantry with shelves that have a large amount of space between them is nearly impossible to do without adding additional shelving. This is what my kitchen pantry looked like before I knew what to do with it. It was organized as far as "like with like" and a home for everything, but look at all that unused vertical space! 

There were actually a few things I couldn't stand about my pantry...

1. With basically two main shelves of food items, there wasn't much room to stock it up, but there was tons of empty space.
2. There were multiple kinds of bins and storage containers, none of them matching.
3. The gray bin at the bottom was used for recycle and was not in any way attractive. 
4. The plastic bags on the bottom shelf were over-flowing and, again, unattractive. 
5. The step stools and cooler needed homes up off the floor. 

The first thing I knew I needed to do was to find the right kind of storage solution to fit my pantry and my need for use of vertical space. So what did I do? That's right... I went straight to Amazon!
*TIP: Measure your shelving and the distance between each shelf. If yours are like mine, the distance between each shelf may not be the same, so make sure you draw it out on paper with your measurements before shopping.

I did a search for "pantry shelf organizers" on Amazon. There were several pages of options. These are the ones that I went with: 

*The links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, my business receives a small percentage of your purchase at no additional cost to you. This supplemental income helps support my family. Thank you!

These are the type of stacking shelves that are usually purchased for garages, laundry rooms, and basements. Leave it to me to find another use for something! They really are perfect for any space, as they are adjustable. Putting these together does take some getting used-to. Each one gets easier than the last. Luckily, I had my husband's help! Well, want to see how they look in my pantry? DUN DUN DUUUUN...

I find myself just staring at this pantry when I go into my kitchen now! Did I accomplish all of my goals with this pantry organization? Let's see...

1. Use of vertical space? Check!
2. Uniformity in storage solution? Mostly check! I still have the white plastic drawer and the snack bin on the third shelf that do not match, but that's okay! It works for me!
3. More attractive recycle bin? Check! Funny story... the trash can on the left side of the floor had a broken lid. We had been needing a new one for a couple of months. We found a new one on Amazon (picture at the bottom of post) to use as our trash can, and we recycled the old broken-lidded one by removing the lid and using it as our recycle bin! 
4. Better storage solution for plastic bags? Check! (Inside of canvas grocery bag on bottom left shelf)
5. Step stools and cooler off of floor? Check! (One step stool was moved to our bathroom to replace the old stool/potty chair that our son never used... he went straight to the adult potty! And the double-step stool got hung on the wall on the right side of the pantry. The cooler found a home on the bottom shelf.)

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Close-up of the top of the pantry

Close-up of the bottom of the pantry

New trash can

"Recycled" trash can turned recycle-bin

You may have noticed that I only have labels on the recycle bin and the snack bin. I don't like to use a ton of labels in a pantry, unless the items that will be in each location will not change. Omitting the labeling allows for flexibility, which is something I need with a 4 year old! While we're on the subject, here are a couple tips for organizing a pantry when you have small children:

1. Keep children's snacks on a shelf low enough that they can reach.
2. Keep candies and other items you don't want little hands to access freely up on a higher shelf.

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The pantry is not completely finished; I do want to paint the walls and possibly the shelves, but it is functional and that was what I wanted. Also, it could use some additional lighting. Once I decide on a color scheme for my kitchen, I'll update this post with pictures. Until then, I hope that this post gave you some ideas for use of the empty vertical space in your pantry. Please leave your thoughts or any questions if you need help with your pantry!

Happy Organizing!

Nicole Ramer
Professional Home and Office Organizer, Downsizer, and Move Manager