Your Villa - Foothill Cities - June/July 2021

D E S I G N + B U I L D Tips for perfecting your imperfect pantry BrandPointContent.com edited by YourVilla Staff When you open your kitchen pantry, is it streamlined and tidy or more cluttered and chaotic? The state of your home impacts your state of mind, so getting better organized in the kitchen can help you feel calmer in other parts of life. Cleaning and organizing our homes gives us something we can control when we can’t control much of the rest of the world - even with a space as small as a pantry. Stylist, interior designer and TV host Emily Henderson has a few tricks for keeping her pantry clean and user-friendly. Buy in bulk: This saves on packaging waste and offers a better glimpse of what foods you have and how much. Plus, this helps prevent last-minute runs to the store for a missing ingredient when you’re in the middle of cooking a meal. Try keeping pantry staples like flour, sugar, pasta, coffee and cereal fresh in secure, space-saving containers that fit in the pantry or cupboard. Create a hierarchy: Organize shelves based on ease and accessibility. Keep snacks like pretzels, cookies and bars at a lower height, as they’re easier to reach. Everyday cooking items like rice, pasta and dry beans should be placed a bit higher, followed by baking ingredients - and anything else used less often - up top. Decant: Decanting means moving pantry staples from their original packaging into a different, labeled container, usually a clear one. Being able to see what and how much is inside a container makes cooking, packing lunches and baking more efficient - plus, it makes the pantry appear more luxurious. Adapt to your space: If you keep a system, it doesn’t matter if you have a walk-in pantry or only a few shelves to work with. Choose containers that are modular and stackable to maximize vertical space, then designate sections for certain tasks. Taking time to organize pantry and cupboard spaces now will have long-term benefits. A pantry that’s perfect for you helps save time, reduces potential food waste and frustration. 20 | YourVilla Magazine