Welcome to the second corner of my kitchen. The pantry.
Before we get to that I'd like to tell you a little story about a young girl. A girl who grew up in Nutley, New Jersey. The daughter of Polish parents, this ambitious girl became a model, a housewife, an author, a television host and then head of an empire. All based on her impeccable taste and ability to take every day tasks and elevate them to art.
Then she went to jail.
As you have probably guessed by now, that little girl was me.
In 1979 I shined as "girl modelling slacks" in the Robinson's department store flyer. That alone should be proof enough that I'm telling the truth. The jail thing is a bit hard to explain but suffice it to say you don't wanna get between me and the last full fat buffalo milk Greek Yogourt on sale.
So let's talk about that Martha Stewart now. She may not know anything about how to utilize a Chinese throwing star in a yogourt emergency, but she has a pretty adequate handle on good design.
When I first started thinking of redoing my kitchen I immediately thought of Ikea cabinets because EVERYONE uses Ikea cabinets. They're inexpensive, well made and easy to install. I knew I wanted Shaker cabinets. But when I looked at the Ikea ones in person they weren't exactly what I wanted.
And if I was going to pay absolutely nothing for my kitchen cabinets, I was not going to compromise! And that's exactly what I spent on these cabinets by the way. Nothing.
I knew going into this kitchen renovation that I was going to work as many deals as humanly possible to get my dream kitchen. I could guarantee the cabinets would be featured in a 5 page spread in Canadian Living Magazine as well as be seen on my blog from now until I get a new kitchen. Which I imagine will be around the time evolution actually eliminates the human baby toe.
My kitchen designer Carol Reed suggested the Martha Stewart line of cabinets at Home Depot for two reasons. Because they're really good cabinets and because the Home Depot is very blogger friendly and open to this sort of exchange. Carol was right on both counts. In case you don't remember Carol and I've never met. She designed my kitchen over the Internet.
I went with the Martha Stewart Ox Hill cabinets in the colour "Picket Fence". In layman's terms those are shaker cabinets in white. I knew I wanted a big pantry and after some configurations and reconfigurations Carol and I decided the best place for it was on the left side of the kitchen where it would be seen from the dining room.
Take a look at the pantry corner and I'll explain some of the details as we get through the post.
The thing about this pantry is Martha Stewart doesn't make one like it. She does however make cabinets and drawers so we Frankensteined together a mixture of base, upper cabinets and drawers to create a stunning pantry. And I don't use the word stunning loosely. Mainly I reserve it for tomato seedlings and Lladro figurines.
To make the cabinets look more like a separate piece of furniture, and well ... like a pantry I did a couple of things. First off, I had the base stepped out from the rest of the base cabinets by 3 inches. This broke the line of cabinets and differentiated the pantry from the rest of the bases.
Then I had the upper portion of the pantry (the drawers and the upper cabinets) stepped back from the front of the base cabinets they sit on by 5 inches. The whole effect is a sort of breakfront that turns what could have looked like cabinets stacked on top of cabinets, into a pantry.
I keep two wood crates in the bottom. The one on the left is filled with baking stuff like flour, sugar, baking soda, chocolate chips, vodka. The crate on the right is filled with dry pasta type things. Penne, rice, asian noodles, sake.
The drawers. The drawers on the other hand hold far more important things.
Behold the spice drawer of my dreams. And if you don't dream about spice drawers you are not livin' large ladies. Not. Living. Large.
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Because of the depth of the upper cabinets (22") and the lack of height from my ankles to my neck I had to figure out a way to make all of the items accessible without having to permanently attach a folding stool to my shins.
Enter the laziest of all the ladies. Susan. The lazy susan seems like it should be an easy thing to find in any number of stores. Do not be fooled. Miss. Lazy Susan is as rare as hair on a turtle.
I searched and searched for a lazy susan and couldn't find anything. I found a few flimsy plastic ones but that was about it. Ikea did have some at one point but they were a specialty item that they carried once and they were gone.
Even if I had found lazy susans in a store chances are I never would have found one large enough. I wanted it to be big enough to fill my entire cabinet so I wasn't wasting any space.
So I made my own lazy susans. 4 of them. I'll be showing you how to do that in an upcoming post. I know. Super-exciting, right? Live. Ing. Large.
On the inside of one pantry door, I put up stick on chalkboard paper (which I got at Dollarama years ago) to act as my chalkboard. I've had a chalkboard in my kitchen for 15 years now and I wasn't about to give it up just because I had no cabinets.
The final thing I did to customize the cabinets into a really great pantry was have a piece of marble cut for the upper portion to rest on. This piece cost around $200 to have cut to size and the edges slightly rounded.
It's Pink Tool belt's favourite part of the kitchen. Along with looking great, it gives me somewhere to put my jars, cans, or glasses when I'm going through the cupboard.
The marble is honed Carrera ...
... which matches the honed Carrera marble on my island which you've caught tiny glimpses of but haven't seen in its entirety.
And which you're not going to see now. I told you. One corner at a time.
Now if you'll excuse me, my ankle monitor is makin' me rashy and there's a sale on Greek yogourt.
Jody
And to think the pantry was where your sink used to be. It is a stunner. How much fun did you have putting all your pantry stuff away--all tidy and organized?
Sally A
It's georgeous!! I love the marble! It's my first choice in countertops even though I've heard it can be difficult to keep nice. But I think if I just have the mindset that every mar you get just adds character I'll be alright.
I, too, love the hardware. Those latches are awesome and the color adds so much warmth!
Can't wait for the lazy susan tutorial! I had to settle for the flimsy plastic variety. They'll do, but would like something more substantial.
Can't wait to see more!
Lynne from Design The Life You Want to Live
Erhhhmergerd !!! Your kitchen is looking dang sexy !!!
I have a wee practical question for you. Any hot tips on how to keep the marble looking clean and white? Did you seal it? Do tell. Do tell. TELL. <-- I yelled that.
I'm so freaking excited for you!
Karen
LOL. When they cut the marble they sealed it. But also, it's honed marble, not polished. And since I've only owned it for about a month I'd like to brag about the fat that it is indeed still all white. But give it a year or two and that'll change, lol. Since the island is old, old, OLD marble, it's all stained and cracked and marred, which I love actually. So if anything happens to the pantry marble I don't have to worry. I didn't answer your question at all did I? Sorry 'bout that. ~ karen!
barbee
My mother-in-law once told me the story of her brand new Haywood Wakefield dining set. In his birthday excitement, my future husband was jumping up and down, unknowingly gouging the table with his belt buckle. Her mother-in-law Freda soothed her dismay by telling her that one day she would stroke those scratches & say "That was Johnny 's fifth birthday." I had to remind myself of this story frequently while raising my son (whose middle name was property damage).
cbblue
So smart you are! Great ideas-all of them. I need those Lazy Susans. You didn't mention the hardware. I love it. Old fashiony and shiny new all at once. Great choice. I am anxious for corner four. When will your kitchen be in the magazine? I will try to hunt it down but I am in the US.
cbblue
Dumb me. I am looking forward to corner three-then corner four.
Maureen
I've been thinking there were some flaws in my kitchen design and that I didn't have quite the cabinet space that I'd hoped for as I started putting things in place. Now I wish that I'd put in a pantry. I'll have to make do with shelving out the utility room, now, lol. That setup is beautiful!
Vic
Wowsers!, so looking forward to the lazy susan post.
Susan
OMG, I have no words. Okay, I have a few... that pantry is KILLER! As I sit here in my small condo with a galley kitchen that I can't afford to reno. Sigh, you are one talented lady :D
meg
wow. I LOVE those drawers. I love drawers anyway... but 4 in one place?! ! the little bit of marble is a nice touch, can't wait to see the whole kitchen!
Grammy
I swooned. Really. To hell with Martha Stewart, you are the one I want to push down in the mud. That comes from my fourth birthday, when I was showing off and another little girl pushed me and I fell in the mud, bending the hoop in my blue party dress and dislodging the giant bow in my hair. Ever since that day I've fantasized that fate for girls who have the prettiest things. I want a pantry like the one you made. That is a gem.
Sue
I too bought my kitchen cabinets from Home Depot. I designed my kitchen with a very helpful young lady, who has sines left for another employer. She was fantastic. Mine aren't Martha cabinets, but I am quite pleased with the way my kitchen looks and functions. Even after 8 years. I wouldn't change the layout. Your kitchen is shaping up nicely! I'm looking forward to seeing the other two corners! I hope you enjoy your new kitchen! <3
Nancy Blue Moon
Wow girl..That is just gorgeous..and I have been thinking of doing my spices the same way..
Bobbi
lovely...just lovely. and i love a lazy susan, myself. i even have them in my refrigerator. pantry included, i have 8.
Edith
Beautiful. Just beautiful. I'm so happy for you.
Stephbo
That bee-atch Martha Stewart has some great things. I hate her. I love her. But not as much as I love that marble! It's gorgeous!
AnnW in the US
How many more days do we have to wait? This might be the most anticipated kitchen since Pretty Handy Girls! I think yours will be classic, perfect, and perfectly designed. Can't wait
Stephbo
Soooooooo....... The dream spice drawer paragraph. Is that a typo in the second sentence, or is it intentional? Because I never quite know with you.
Karen
LOL! That was a typo, lol. I've since "fixed" it. ~ karen!
Jamieson
Looking forward to the mega-reveal sometime in the future when we have evolved to read holograms projected directly on our frontal lobes. Til then, the bits are looking quite splendid, congrats!
Pat
Wow! I'll say it again....wow! You are such a clever woman. That is the greatest little pantry with sooo much character. You did a fantastic custom job. Are the spices in alphabetical order? Just askin'...... Can hardly wait for the rest of the kitchen.
TucsonPatty
You. Are. So. Frigging. Awesome. I love the marble. I love the drawers. I want drawers and my mom had drawers and they are so wonderful and useful, and did I mention I want drawers like that! Love.
This is almost better than the fridge!
Laura Bee
I knew it would be worth staying up tonight! Stunning & yes, drawers like that would make me cream my jeans as Carole Pope sang.