Does size matter 😉
Yes and no. I’ve had a single cupboard pantry in Bondi, a full butler’s pantry in Wright and now a regular walk in pantry, and every time I’ve managed to fill them with a messy mix of Rice Bubbles, Tabasco sauce, and endless half used pasta bags. It does help to have more than just a cupboard so I do recommend choosing a walk-in pantry at a minimum.
Containers
While it’s nice to have all your containers match, it’s not necessary. I have an eclectic mix from Costco, Tupperware (thanks Nikki Nokes!), and the odd Wollies purchase. Basically, as long as the food is out of a crinkly plastic bag and into a clear container, it will look much better.
To wine fridge or not to wine fridge
Wine fridges are great, but they do take up a heap of room, especially if you put it in the pantry. I’d recommend getting a good wine rack so you always have a supply of beverages – even if you’re not a big drinker it will make your pantry look fancy J
Kids
Kids have changed my pantry forever – we now have 10 times the fruit, kids snack bars and only 8 different types of breakfast cereal. A quick fix for an overflowing fruit bowl is some ingenious baskets from IKEA left at kid-height, take advantage of our newest Canberra resident – IKEA can fix your pantry in no time. And thanks to my ever crawling/walking/waddling 11-month-old, the bottom shelf is full of cans and packets that can’t be opened by anything less than a Stanley knife.
And when all else fails and the kids tip out the self-raising flour and smash the jam jar on the floor just before your friends come over, make sure you get a pantry door and close it, because it’s more fun drinking from the newly stocked wine rack than putting your dried fruit in alphabetic order.
