I never shared this room for a reason!
Y’all, this was really the worst room in my house, and I had no hope of making it better! We don’t have a lot of storage, so everything with no home was in here, stacked to the ceiling. It was laundry, pantry, tool room, etc. You name it, everything was in there.
My husband had planned to build something for me for my birthday a couple years ago, but every time he took off work and planned to start, something would break and need replacing so the money would have to be diverted.
This year, he was determined to get it done, and he surely did🙂
I can’t believe I’m sharing this but you need a good *before* shot to see how far it’s come, right? 😬
I’d always had this as my inspiration. It’s in the little cottage my great grandmother had stayed in here behind the old house, and I fell in love with the green/blue combination. This was not salvageable because it was not the right dimensions for my space. I needed to maximize every inch of my small room.
Luis actually had three phases to design and build including this area for food storage, the upper area around the perimeter, and the area over the washer/dryer.
I wanted the shelves to be deep to store my canned goods, so we measured based on pint and quart jars. I can store pints five deep, and quarts, four deep so that gives me some room to have some things here and not all stored in my mother’s basement. Above the shelving, I put seasonal items I don’t use much like extra kitchen hand towels, platters, silver serving pieces, etc.
I love having a place for the microwave out of the way, and I can store empty canning jars before I return them to my mother. I made a skirt for the bottom and hung it on rings so it slides easily. I have my crock pot, food processor, etc., as well as other pantry items like peanut butter, extra flour, mayo, etc., underneath.
I also love having a place for my cookbooks to be accessible.
I found this cute iron rack at my local Habitat, and use it for extra storage of bulk herbs.
This fabric is Thibaut “Farview” in the Turquoise color, and I bought it last summer on sale for the kitchen. It’s perfect with the greens and blues in here too.
For the laundry side, Luis designed three shelves that are sturdy enough to hold other things I don’t use on a daily basis like lightbulbs, more platters, serving dishes, etc. The top two shelves are 24″ deep.
I rounded up containers I had for things I don’t need access to daily just to keep things organized and out of sight.
I made a little skirt to hide the water lines and electrical as well. I feel like I can leave this door open now, as it is directly in the line of sight from the kitchen so I wanted it to at least be organized and neat.
I love having a place to display my grandmother’s iron as well🙂
For the last 17 years I’ve had to keep this door closed, but now I love seeing this beautiful space my husband and I created together. It’s so much more functional, and pretty at the same time. It also has that vintage feel like the shelving in my great grandmother’s little guest house. This old screen door is warped at the top, so I do plan to replace it with another one from the old house but have not had time yet to work on that. Maybe this winter…
This project was definitely a labor of love. My husband is always making sacrifices for all of us, and he really went all out on this one, having to take time off and dealing with all the issues that kept coming up. We finished right before the hurricane hit, and I actually filmed the reveal video shots the afternoon before the power went off, then the hurricane hit that night. I’m so thankful for the little things, the big things, and everything in between.
I’ll continue to link resources that are helping people get back on their feet here in WNC, and the business of dear friends, so please consider giving anything possible as so many have lost everything.
I have a video of the entire process, including a surprise visitor, so be sure to check that out.
Thanks for stopping by friends!
Anita
Oh my goodness what a beautiful transformation. You guys did an amazing job.
Author
Thank you so much Lucy!!
I just love it!! And you must too.. Your special touch and use of fabrics makes it so charming. I love how you have added all the details. Especially the herbal drying rack. And of course your use of lighting is just perfect for this charming little corner of your home.
Author
Thank you so much Alda! I’m so excited to have it after 17 years!
Oh my, Anita! This is just stunning! I love all that you’ve done! The storage, the color, the fabric, the camouflage in hiding the utilitarian necessities including the water lines, etc…it’s all so beautiful, yet so functional. You’ve inspired me with rethinking & redoing our small laundry room/pantry just off our kitchen. It’s quite visible from the kitchen. I know nothing will be done in the immediate since we recently moved in, but the built-in pantry cabinet isn’t really functional, and adding something similar to yours would be a huge help! As always, you have a gift with creating beautiful, cozy and inviting spaces! Just love it!🤎🤎🤎 Thank you for sharing!
Author
Thank you so much Roxie!!It took us a while to figure out what to do and another few years to get it done! I’m sure you’ll figure out how to make it work for your needs🙂
Everything looks so nice. Beautiful pantry
Both of you are so talented.
Author
Thank you Judy!
Lovely! And it’s so you, too. I especially like the screen door and curtains above the washer/dryer.
Glad you got such a nice pantry.
Author
Thank you! I’m really thankful, and it only took us 17 years to make it happen!
Absolutely gorgeous! You and your husband are very talented people!!
Author
Thank you Briana! I’m really thankful for him, and that we love working together🙂
Looks great blends right in with your kitchen. I love the door just the way it looks. I would leave the door open at all times to add to the beauty of the rest of your house.
Author
Thank you! Yes the door is always open, and I’d close it for photos or company, so I’m really happy to be able to leave it open🙂
This is a quintessential vintage storage space in a country home. Several of my aunts had storage spaces tha looked like this when I was growing up. One was a a farmer and the other lived in the small then Mayeery town with a huge garden.
Author
Oh thank you so much for that!! I hoped that was how it would turn out🙂
I’m in love with your pantry! It’s just perfect!
Author
Thank you! I’m sure enjoying it so very much!!