Portuguese Pantry

photos by Gao's Cabinets

I know this blog is about baking but I recently remodeled my walk-in pantry and was so happy with the results I wanted to share more details.  Let me start by saying the "before" pantry was such an absolute disaster zone that I cringe just thinking about it.  You literally could not walk through the room because it was crammed with things from floor to ceiling.  Last summer I got so fed up with the mess that I made the decision to redo the pantry.  I spent 4th of July weekend taking every single thing out and I assure you it was no small feat.  It wasn't until I saw everything laid out that I realized how much excess and waste I had contributed to - duplicates, even triplicates, of baking equipment or accessories!  Family, friends and Goodwill charity were the lucky recipients of my clear out.  

Once the pantry was completely empty I was then able to bring in my contractor and cabinet maker to help plan my dream room.  Straightaway I knew I wanted to incorporate azulejos, Portuguese ceramic tiles, in to the design.  Lisbon is one of my favorite cities in the world and I love the beautiful tiled buildings there.  (My phone is filled with dozens of pictures of them from my last two visits.)   After searching high and low I was finally able to find authentic tiles from a UK vendor called Everett and Blue.    

Once I had the tiles sorted everything else about the pantry design came together quite easily.  With tile sample in hand I set about designing the cabinets with my favorite custom cabinet makers, Gao's Cabinets.  I've worked with them before on my kitchen and laundry room so there was no question who I would use for the pantry.  If you're in the Bay Area I can't recommend them enough...they are a dream to work with.

When it came to the overall design of the pantry I had several objectives that were non-negotiable: 1) a place to display my baking and cooking equipment, 2) enough storage to hold all my crap and 3) overall peace and serenity.  For organization I turned to my gurus, The Home Edit.  I admit I'm a super fan and obsess over all the pictures they post on their Instagram account.  Their simple, clean aesthetic just speaks to the perfectionist Virgo in me.  

I hope you'll agree with me that the finished pantry was worth it.  I couldn't be happier with the results!!!

Resources:

General Contractor: Ed Hauer Construction

Ceramic Tiles: Everett and Blue

Cabinets: Gao's Cabinets

Cabinet Color: Benjamin Moore "Palm Trees"

Refrigerator: Whirlpool

Quartz Countertop: Caesarstone

Woven Baskets: The Container Store Water Hyacinth

Bin Clips: The Container Store

Clear Storage Bins: Idesign

Clear Expandable Organizer: Idesign

Clear Lazy Susan: The Home Edit 

Peg Board: Lowe's 

Peg Board & Wall Color: Benjamin Moore "Alpine White" 

Trim and Picture Rail Wall Color: Benjamin Moore "Swiss Coffee"