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Monday, January 12, 2015

PANTRY DOOR ORGANIZATION: MINI COMMAND CENTER


With the beginning of a new year upon us, I suspect most of us would like to be more organized.  I'm raising both my hands, because although it may appear very differently, my "stashes" can get pretty messy.  One of my biggest problem areas is the kitchen counter, specifically that spot right there!




Although nice and clean there, it's normally piled high with mail, school notes, and whatever is is my hands when I walk in the door.

Before painting a few months ago, I had my little organized spot on the chalkboard wall, but even though it was neat I tired of seeing it out front and center all the time.


(Did anyone notice I painted over the chalkboard wall?  It was fun while it lasted, but time for a change!)  It has really helped to have a spot to keep those papers I want to keep especially handy, but the initial mail drop and counter clutter continued to be a problem.

When I put the kitchen back together after it's recent paint job, I took the opportunity to make a few small changes in what went where.

I previously had some bulletin boards hanging inside my pantry doors, but decided to take advantage of the amount of room that's in there.  I moved the wall file inside the doors and it's been working perfectly!  And, to corral the mail, I found another wire mesh basket to fit right underneath.  It has magnets on the back and was designed for a locker I think, but I was able to attach it to the door with a couple of nails (after painting it gold of course!). Everyone in the family knows now to drop whatever they bring inside into that basket, rather than laying it on the countertop.  So far so good!


I've had the paper towels on a shelf in the pantry for years, but decided to hang them on the door as well.  And yes, I spray painted my $2 paper towel holder gold too.  ;)


On the other door I stacked 2 of the bulletin boards I previously had on both of the doors.  They're handy for school information and menus, and cute notes from the kids.


And the best part, after we stash all of our papers, we can close the doors and only have pretty things to look at!


By moving my mini-command center into the panty, I was able to stack some pretties in the little doorway nook, Hey Y'all (sadly no longer available), a Blue Willow plate and one of the Polish Pottery plates that I brought home from our trip to Poland.


So, one small step towards a more organized, less cluttered home!  I'm sure you're all perfectly organized and clutter free already...



Would you like to comment?

  1. Julia @cuckoo4designJanuary 12, 2015 at 6:41 AM

    So efficient! And looks great inside the door too. Love the change

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  2. I'm definitely craving more organization lately. I'm slowly but surely getting there one space at a time! Love how this turned out, such a great use of space. I also love that you spray painted your paper towel holder :)

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  3. Beautiful as always!

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  4. i love the use of those narrow walls and inside the doors for organization! so great! and of course love how everything looks so you.

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  5. I love being able to close the door on clutter! Perfect, Jennifer!! xox

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  6. Great idea to use the inside of the pantry doors. Love the baskets for maile and files. Perfect and of course gold is perfect too.

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  7. I love it all!!! By the way, I noticed your hardware is on the outside of your kitchen cabinets like mine. Did you paint it to match your door knobs/handles? I have beautiful brass knobs and tacky hardware. Any solution to this problem? Thank you! :)

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  8. Hi Betsy, are you talking about the hinges? If so, those are the original brass hinges. I had painted over them with my first cabinet paint job 4 years ago, but this time I stripped the paint back off and just shined them up with Bar Keeper's Friend. If yours are really bad I'm sure some Rustoleum Metallic Brass spray paint would work well (or the gold, colors are very similar but Brass is getting harder to find). Rub N Buff might also be an option. It would take a ltitle longer than spray paint but might hold up better.

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  9. Thanks so much for your suggestions, Jennifer! Yes, I meant the hinges. :) My knobs are Baldwin brass and are so pretty but all I see are those tacky "gold" hinges. ;) I had thought about painting them the cabinet color but hesitated using paint because I wasn't sure how well it would hold up. Do you use a paint sprayer for most of your projects?

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  10. Kris {Driven by Décor}January 12, 2015 at 11:18 AM

    I'm with you on the kitchen countertops being the place where everything collects. Love that all of your organizers are behind closed doors (even though they sure are pretty enough to have out in the open!).

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  11. Lisa @ Shine Your LightJanuary 12, 2015 at 11:42 AM

    I still can't get over how the subtle change to white cabinets totally changed up your kitchen!!! So fresh and bright! I have my files, bills AND bulletin board, and a small chalkboard with important phone numbers for the kids to have access to in an emergency (neighbors, grandparents) all inside our pantry doors too and LOVE having them right there and yet tucked away. I especially like having a place to throw the mail instead of on the counter. The paper towel holder in there is a great idea too!

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  12. Cheers to you. I need to get organizing as well!

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  13. Love that you put them on the door! Similar to our system and it seems to work so far :)

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  14. I adore the spray painted paper towel holder! Looks great with the gold trim pantry doors.

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  15. Great ideas, Jennifer. The catch-all spot at the end of our kitchen counter is my biggest pet peeve! I have tried baskets, and stuff still ends up on the countertop...ugh!! Maybe I can come up with something more creative like you did ;)

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  16. Jennifer@TheChroniclesofHomeJanuary 12, 2015 at 9:38 PM

    The counter clutter is a CONSTANT battle for me. I need to figure out a better system where everything has a place and things get put in those places!

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  17. Pam @ Simple DetailsJanuary 12, 2015 at 10:16 PM

    Love the clutter hidden away so tidy! And, the gold paper towel holder is the best, that would make me happy every time I grabbed for one! :)

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  18. Now that's a great way to maximize your space and stash away some unsightly paper work. I like that you sprayed in gold and made it look pretty. I also like the addition of cork board to pin messages and important notes. Clutter no more! Thank you for sharing.

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  19. Awesome! I have a space on my counter top that is a "catch all" place ~ and hey, it's just me here! :) I am in the mood to clean and organize but the flu has slowed me down. Oh, and I did notice that the blackboard wall was gone.

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  20. this is a brilliant idea! totally stealing this! :-)
    sophisticatedblissblog.com

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  21. I love chalkboard walls, but what do they accomplish aside from messages? Your organizing baskets inside the cabinets - wha a great idea.....here's to organization!!!!

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  22. Love this idea!! And I love that you painted all the functional pieces gold to tie it together and make it pretty:-) I need to tell my husband I'm not the only spray paint addict out there;-)
    Your kitchen is SO beautiful!!! Great job, you've got amazing style.

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  23. Jennifer I love all your ideas and already am incorporating a few in my kitchen. In the past we throw our keys on the counter, tape notes to the refrigerator, and put the mail wherever there is an open space. I love the mini bulletin board and rack for the mail. We now have both right under the phone on the wall, thank you!!!!

    Debra Newman @ Unique Stone Concepts

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