Our DIY Pantry renovation and design is underway! I actually started ripping up the trim in this pantry before we got our boxes delivered. I just couldn’t wait to change up a few of the spaces in this home. If you’re just tuning in, our home was custom built in the late 1990’s. Although pristinely kept, it needs a lot of cosmetic updates. I love a good project house and this one is the perfect fit for us.
DIY Pantry Renovation and Design Idea
Today I’m sharing our DIY pantry renovation and design. We knew DIY’ing this pantry would be relatively simple because it was a small space, and we have done our fair share of DIY projects in the past. I also already had a good idea of the layout I wanted, because this pantry is so similar to our previous pantry.
I low-key aspire to be an interior designer or stylist of some sort and so I’m always chomping at the bit to make things more aesthetically pleasing. Although aesthetics are a low priority to some when it comes to a space people rarely see, for me it’s still important. I want to create intentional spaces throughout this home that really reflect my personal style. It’s a great opportunity for me to flex my creative muscles, and for Dale to unpack his tools.
DIY Pantry Renovation Goals and Wishlist
First of all, we needed more kitchen storage space. Our kitchen in this home is smaller and I wanted to be able to store some things in the pantry. I designed lower cabinets instead of just the empty space below the shelving. The main goals were for it to appear less cluttered and increase storage space. I also love the look of lower cabinets in a pantry as it looks more custom.
On my DIY pantry renovation wishlist I added some beautiful upper shelving to display our prettier pantry organization like the baskets and jars. You can read all about our pantry organization process that I did with a professional organizer on this blog post. It was really important to me that form met function in this pantry design too.
Lastly, I wanted to replace the vinyl flooring for something more substantial underfoot and aesthetically appealing.
Pantry Flooring
This marble jigsaw mosaic tile was what I ended up choosing and I learned how to install it all by myself in the process. I know it sounds crazy but my 76-year-old grandmother came up with her tile saw and taught me how to cut and install tile. She said I’d be proud of myself and would feel great being able to say “I did that,” and, she was right. I love the finished look and did the installation by myself. Dale ended up grouting it for me soon after so I could take care of some other things, but now I know I can do it all myself!
Lower Cabinet Hack
We wanted lower cabinets but this pantry is actually so shallow that we needed to use upper cabinets for this project. Upper cabinets are much slimmer than lower cabinets(only 12 inches). You can use upper cabinets as base cabinets if you have a little extra time. You just need to build a base for them using 2×4’s so that they sit up off of the ground.
We went to Lowe’s and purchased budget-friendly upper stock cabinets for this project. We got a combination of sizes of cabinets to fit the pantry dimensions. Then we trimmed it out with a DIY toe kick using a 2×4, which was much cheaper than buying a toe kick. Dale also installed side trim pieces to fill the small gaps between the cabinets and the walls.
I used my new paint sprayer to paint these cabinets and I LOVE how the color turned out. I recommend using the fine finish tip for cabinets and detail work. We used the color Boothbay Gray by Benjamin Moore which will either appear slightly green or blue depending on the lighting. In the future, I may switch out the cabinet doors for a more custom look but they’re great for now!
DIY Pantry Shelves
We decided to do DIY pantry shelves for this project. One thing Dale has lots of practice with is DIY floating shelves. He’s done this for me at three houses now. DIY floating shelves are a beautiful alternative to the builder-grade pantry shelves that were previously installed. Another option would be to build out upper shelving to make the cabinets look built-in.
Since we didn’t know what countertop we were going to use yet (we saved that step for last), it was simpler to go with floating shelves. We used birch plywood because I like the look better than pine. Once Dale had the pieces cut, I conditioned and stained the wood, then applied a protective coat after they were all installed.
Pantry Countertops
I really wanted this DIY pantry renovation to look like a fully-designed space, so countertops were a must for me. You could easily just finish out these cabinets with a plywood top and paint it to match if you have a smaller budget. We checked out some stone countertop options and almost pulled the trigger on one, but then decided to do butcher block countertops instead for a couple of reasons. First, butcher block is considerably cheaper. Like, 76% cheaper.
Secondly, countertop installation is currently booked out at a minimum of 6 weeks in advance where we live. If it was for my kitchen, I would obviously wait it out or order earlier. But being a pantry space, we decided it wasn’t worth it. We used birch butcher block countertops and stained them to match the floating shelves. It was fairly easy to get them to match since they were made of the same type of wood.
Pantry Organization
You can read my full blog post on our pantry organization project. This organization project was done in our last house and it was remarkably easy to move to our new house. DIY pantry organization can be tough, so I shared all of the tips and the process the professional organizer shared with me in that post! All of the baskets and storage bins I like are also linked in our pantry organization post.
DIY Pantry Renovation and Design
I’m so proud of this little project as I did a huge chunk of the work. In the past sometimes I’ve felt as if my role is solely “designer” or “brainstormer”. It was so satisfying to really do more than just dream and paint. If you have any questions about our DIY pantry remodel, please send me a DM on Instagram! I love to chat all things design and DIY with you.
