Oh my. This is way up there in the favorites section of projects I've worked on. The before and after is quite dramatic. This job was done for a client. The original pantry was filled with wire shelving that is just not adequate for holding heavy jars and canned goods. Things fell through the spaces and it was hard to keep it all organized. There was also a lot of unused space up above everything.
I took a bunch of measurements and mapped out a plan to make it look nicer but also help it function better.
Since this is a busy family, I decided to do one section at a time and work as fast as I could. I wanted to limit the amount of time that all of that food was in chaos out in the kitchen area. I worked on the longer run on the right first.
I was not looking forward to this part because all of the fasteners were installed with drywall anchors. I knew I was going to be pulling a bunch of drywall out with each piece. That meant I had to fill all the holes with drywall mud before moving on to the next step. If I wasn't concerned about the family dealing with the mess, I would have waited until the next day to paint over the dried mud and then I would have waited for the paint to dry before I continued with the install. Instead, I did the install over a messy wall. That's a detail that I will be dealing with in time.
For this section, I grabbed 4 melamine boards with holes for adjustable shelves and several shelf boards that I cut to size.
This is where I stopped for the day and everything was put back on the shelves but in an organized way since there were so many cubbies to separate everything.
Next, it was time to work on the back section. I didn't take a lot of pictures that day because I was busy painting. I spent the extra time filling the holes in the wall and painting like I should have done for the other section. This section had less stuff in it that had to be stored in the kitchen since some of it could be stored on the finished, right side. My client picked out the most adorable peel and stick wallpaper with chickens on it. She also had some leftover paint that matched it really well so that's the color we chose for the whole room.
The next day of work meant putting cabinets together. I didn't take pictures of that either but here's a picture of both of them installed and proof of my mistake in estimating how much wallpaper was needed for that wall space.
The finishing touches made such a big difference here.
The next big step was floating shelves. This is the part that I love the most. It was a labor of love. I made several mistakes that I am kicking myself over. If I had it to do again, I would have taken more time instead of rushing. My client and I decided on stained wood, chunky, floating shelves and I couldn't be happier. First, the structures needed to be built and installed.
I spent hours sanding, staining, and applying poly to the plywood and trim that covered the framing. It was well worth it because the shelves turned out so great!
They ended up with gaps around them so I had to go back and add more trim. Here's the whole room with everything back in.
Side by side pictures show how much of a difference this renovation made.
It may sound a little cheesy but I feel like I made a friend in my client. Hers is a busy family with lots of life interruptions so the proper time and energy hasn't been put in yet to make the most of the space. She and I haven't set a date but we plan on picking a day to work on organizing the entire space while I paint the wall behind the shelves on the right. I love that I got the opportunity to see a vision of mine come to life in someone else's house. I am honored to have been trusted with the task.
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