It happened slowly, then all at once. When we first unveiled the pantry, we barely lived in the house, and I had no idea how much I would cook or entertain in here. Turns out that’s a lot (which is wonderful), and so the requirements for the “Toughest Work Room” grew rapidly (and messily). Not only is it a place to stash school stuff (stacks of notebooks) or quick messes that happen during parties, but Brian and I have become collectors of the counter tools we actually use. And putting them down the stairs in the basement seemed like a good idea at first (“We barely use it!” we said), not when you actually use it 1-2 times a week. So slowly, I’ve removed the pretty things to make room for our needs – food, my ever-growing supplement library, and tools.
Style – 2023
When I recently saw this shot as the beginning of a blog post about staying organized, I also said, “Wow, this isn’t a real person’s pantry”. But at that time (3 years ago) we did not have the stuff that we have now. First, long oils need a home, then bags of vitamins, then the big platters and bowls we bring out for most parties. Every few months, I would rearrange (always so messy) and move beautiful but rarely used items into the prop garage, making room for real life.
Real Life – 2026
top shelf: Let me tell you about the changes. On the top left is random stuff (including some). braisewhich I order online – a 2.5 mg THC drink that’s a great weekend wine replacement and super light), then all my protein, creatine, and Grans Vitamins (Spoiler, some kids like these, mine don’t, but I love them). My slow cooker (love), and the plates we pull out for parties.
Bottom Shelf: Peanut butter/honey/syrup, dog food, panini press (kids love these sandwiches), a few gift baskets out of reach of children. Then the air fryer (weeknight chicken strips), which we can plug in and not even take down, and the Instant Pot (weeknight hard-boiled eggs).
counter: We try to keep it as clear as possible. It contains our home alarm keypad, some cutting boards, our bread box (which actually holds our bagels and bread), and our $18 toaster that could probably use an upgrade, but we’ll use it until it breaks.
What we didn’t change: three years ago
This wall remains exactly how we originally styled it, mostly because it’s a sight line you see when entering the house and looking into the kitchen, so it has to look really pretty, otherwise it would irritate me on a daily basis. I love our cleaned jars (And stick with them for the most part). Naturally, the pretty aprons and brooms were filled with one of the zillion coats you need in Oregon. This is how it looks now:
I clearly needed a place for that incredible old still life painting of pears and figs (on that red and white tablecloth? Shut up). That pitcher full of beautiful wooden spoons is for my own visual pleasure, which I’m comfortable admitting in public 🙂 I added more jars of dried beans and pulses (hot tip: keep the bag folded inside it so you know what it is and how to make it), and then more bowls and cookbooks as I add to my collection.
This is the exact sight line of the kitchen door from where almost everyone enters our house, so while the walls to the left and right can be completely disgusting, the wall behind has to remain clean and beautiful (or I need to put a door in this room, which is not in my five-year plan).
What about drawers??
These drawers look much more real than they are. I originally designed them to have that gap so we could put potatoes and onions in them, or just make them easier to access. But these are just popcorn and bags of chips. This difference doesn’t bother me, but would I do it again? Don’t know. This is the first time I have thought about it 🙂
Coffee Bar Side – Styled 3 years ago
Now the good news is that although I didn’t use a single scoop of the fancy tea I bought to style this shoot, this side is pretty much the same. Sure, we’ve had more coffee and the plant is now dead (RIP), but it’s almost exactly the same (sorry, we didn’t re-shoot it).
A quick caveat about hidden cheap microwaves – if you’re designing a kitchen soon, I highly suggest this instead of something more built-in. I’ve heard a lot of stories about microwaves breaking, and then what? This gives us a mediocre microwave that works fine (mostly for reheating coffee and making popcorn).
While there are some rooms I like to keep looking pretty, it just didn’t make sense and once I started making changes, I tore it down. It’s immensely more functional (especially using tools you already have in the pantry and not even needing to bring them out). I think putting a door in this pantry would make a huge difference, but I know what will happen – I’ll use it even more as a dumping ground when people come over, saying “don’t even look in here” shame. 🙂
*by photos Caitlin Green
