Evergreen State Sue Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 My kitchen does not have a pantry. We are thinking of using a couple of Ikea's Billy Bookcases for this purpose. It would be nice to hide the stuff behind the doors you can get with these bookcases, but we wouldn't have room to have a table in there and still open the doors easily. (Wish there was a sliding door option.) So does anyone have any ideas for hiding all the stuff. I'm thinking of somehow attaching a curtain but I'm not very crafty. I'd like it to be something easy you can open and close. Please share with me your experience or ideas. Thanks a bunch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 My solution doesn't really help you but maybe it will inspire you. :) Ours bookcase pantry is inside the angular closet under the stairs. Sorry the pix aren't great. They were taken at night with my old cell phone for a previous thread. LOL I don't remember the name of these but they weren't the Billy. They have a heavier shelf and are deeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 We shelved in the breakfast nook for an open pantry at our old little house. I left the wall of shelves open, but I put a curtain across the lower half of the other side (under a counter top.) My advice is to use rings at the top of the curtain; don't just sew a pocket in the top for the rod. I switched out after a few weeks, because it was a pain to open the cutain fully when it bunched up on the rod at one end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick_Mom Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 I'd be more likely to use my pantry for bookshelves, but that's just me. :D Really, though, it seems like a practical idea to use bookshelves that way. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 One idea is to put everything into kind of a decorative look. To do that, all you need is reasonably uniform, transparent containers. For that I recommend CANNING JARS! Yes, you read that right. They come in sizes up to a gallon. Get the widemouthed kind. They are very easy to stack, and pretty durable, and reasonably priced. Any dry goods and odds and ends can go in canning jars, and cans and packaged items can be stacked. Try to intersperse containers with cookbooks so the whole effect is more charming than industrial. The other option that I have really admired lately is that I visited a mountain cabin a month or so ago. It had a bedroom that was really small, and the bed almost filled it, so there was no room for a dresser. The closet was supposed to be one of those sliding door ones, the kind that usually has two doors, one of which slides behind the other. They took the doors off, and put a very tall dresser in one half and a closet system (for hanging garments) in the other half. Then they hung a quilt over the front, where the doors would have been, from those clip on wooden shower curtain rings, on a big, decorative drapery rod. The quilt matched the one on the bed. I instantly flashed on how I would SO be changing those quilt designs with the seasons, LOL, and how they would be coordinated rather than matching. The nice thing about this was that you could access the whole width of the closet at once if you were putting clothes away, but it was all well hidden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Roman shades, or just a simple curtain on a tension wire would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 So does anyone have any ideas for hiding all the stuff. I'm thinking of somehow attaching a curtain but I'm not very crafty. I'd like it to be something easy you can open and close. Please share with me your experience or ideas. Thanks a bunch! at most fabric stores even, should have a thin pressure/tension curtain rod. or they will have just a heavy flexible rod you can attach where you need it. You can find some cute fabric, and just make a rod pocket on top, and a simple hem on the bottom. just fold the raw edge, then fold over one more time to the desired width of your 'pocket'. leave the edges just the selvedge. if you go at a quiet time of day, I'm sure a clerk would be happy to give you some tips on how to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 ikea also sells cardboard lided boxes (for CD's/DVD's) and wicker baskets that are designd to fit the shelves perfectly. (my daughter just bought a bunch. we're skeptical she will be organized.) also, rubbermaid makes some nice air-tight modular storage containers that are available from amazon. pieces are also available individually. I've also seen some really cheap (small) plastic 'crates' for about $2 that are great for containing smaller items. (but they've got big holes - colorful foam sheets took care of that.) I got them from Fred Meyer - I think they're made by Iris. (or you can go to a store as they're getting rid of uniform sized boxes. cover them with contact paper/paint/wallpaper and you have storage containers.) I've been organizing lately. I've fallen in love with the container store . . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted July 16, 2011 Author Share Posted July 16, 2011 Wow! I knew you guys would give me good ideas! If they make a tension rod small enough to fit inside of the approx. 30 inch top shelf, I suppose I could use a curtain or maybe quilt. The bookcases would be on a wall were there isn't another wall coming out at 90 degrees to put a tension rod on so I could only use the inside of the bookcases. I'd need two. I love the country look of using canning jars, but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do that exclusively as I'm not an old fashioned cook and do buy canned and boxed items. I do think organizing the goods into uniform or matching baskets or containers would look good though. Thanks so much for the ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 If they make a tension rod small enough to fit inside of the approx. 30 inch top shelf, ! they do make a very thin rods that screws into the wall - you could screw it into the bookcase near the top. or even use a dowel if you can figure out how to hang it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 they do make a very thin rods that screws into the wall - you could screw it into the bookcase near the top. or even use a dowel if you can figure out how to hang it. They also make swing rods so the curtain could be opened like a door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 They also make swing rods so the curtain could be opened like a door. Oh, I like this idea! I might have to investigate that further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 We bought the two bookcases this evening and put one together and fastened it to the wall. I already started putting food in it. How fun! Of course we couldn't do this easy project without problems. One of the parts broke off while installing it. We were able to get it out and borrow for the second bookcase. But that means we have to wait to get the second one up until after we get a replacement part. This happened when we installed bookcases in our schoolroom. Ikea is good about sending them free to you, but it does delay the project a week. Once I have the bookcases up and stocked, I'll look at my options for hiding the contents behind curtains or something. Great ideas here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 One idea is to put everything into kind of a decorative look.To do that, all you need is reasonably uniform, transparent containers. For that I recommend CANNING JARS! Yes, you read that right. They come in sizes up to a gallon. Get the widemouthed kind. They are very easy to stack, and pretty durable, and reasonably priced. Any dry goods and odds and ends can go in canning jars, and cans and packaged items can be stacked. I'm seriously thinking of taking my packaged spaghetti, noodles, rice and putting them in jars. How would you deal with the directions that are normally on the box? Would you just cut it off the box and slip it in the jar? Or put them in a recipe binder? I guess I'm not that great of a cook to remember if the noodles were supposed to be boil for 9 minutes or 14! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I just test the pasta as it is cooking to see if it is cooked. I have never done it by a timer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) Another idea is to make swinging doors, but with fabric attached only at the top. They make curtain rods that are meant to swing out. Use two curtain panels on these and you can swing them out and will have full view of your shelves. Less wear and tear on the fabric and it should be a neat look. As an example, here's a set for $30: http://www.swagsgalore.com/fitoswarmrod.html Edited July 17, 2011 by Teachin'Mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I'm seriously thinking of taking my packaged spaghetti, noodles, rice and putting them in jars. How would you deal with the directions that are normally on the box? Would you just cut it off the box and slip it in the jar? Or put them in a recipe binder? I guess I'm not that great of a cook to remember if the noodles were supposed to be boil for 9 minutes or 14! My dry goods are almost exclusively in jars for the "working" quantities; the rest are stored in the deep freeze. Moths. Brrrrrrrrr. I write on the shoulder of the jar the water to rice ratio (or whatever) and cooking time, with a Sharpie. It'll come off with an alcohol prep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 We have a pantry...but keep the books wide open since we use it so much ;) I would think if you really want to hide the contents, just uses a pretty cloth shower curtain on a decorative rod that rests on hooks you screw into the outside edge of the side of the bookcase (can't recall what the Billy looks like). Or just leave it all open - as long as it is neat and tidy why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Do you have any other space in your home to create a pantry? I ask because we don't have a pantry in our home either. However, we do have a basement. It was unfinished when we moved in and we are finishing it now. I bought 2 of those heavy duty metal shelving units from Costco (Sam's has them too I know) and put them in the basement. It is a slight pain to have to go downstairs to find things, but it works for us. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I'm seriously thinking of taking my packaged spaghetti, noodles, rice and putting them in jars. How would you deal with the directions that are normally on the box? Would you just cut it off the box and slip it in the jar? Or put them in a recipe binder? I guess I'm not that great of a cook to remember if the noodles were supposed to be boil for 9 minutes or 14! I take directions off some foods and slip into the jar with the food, or I just tack it to my bulletin board. THey do make very small cafe curtain rods and tension rods for very narrow spaces. I know WalMart has some, if they don't then check other stores. WHen I lived in one place I attached velcro to a shelf and then to a piece of fabric to make a curtain as well. I was able to hide the velcro so it all worked ok. If you can hem you can use sheets for curtains as well. Sometimes they are cheaper than buying fabric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I was just going to say - we have a pantry in out new kitchen, with a pocket door, that is almost always open :) My sister had a bookshelf/pantry at one point. She never hid anything. She just had everything neatly arranged and seperated by "type" of food. I always thought it looked fine - in fact - it kinda went with her kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 Do you have any other space in your home to create a pantry? We just have a one story home. Whenever one of the kids moves out, I might be able to convert the bedroom closest to the kitchen for a larger pantry, but that will be several years yet. When I say pantry, really I'm just talking about basic food storage, not stocking up a year's worth of food. I just don't have enough cupboards to store what we use daily like cereal, oatmeal, coffee, tea, plus the weekly stuff we might use like tuna or pasta, spaghetti sauce, soups or beans. I just want that stuff in the kitchen where it is convenient. I suppose now that I have a few more shelves I can stock up more than the basics. It is just more convenient to be right where you need it and see what you're running low of. In this process I found I had 5 ketchup bottles that were hiding and far too many chicken broth cans/cartons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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