29 Pantry Shelf Ideas That Will Transform Your Kitchen Storage

One of the most difficult places to organize in the home may just be the pantry. Because it's crammed full of food, dishes, small appliances, and other items, unless you're proactive about keeping everything orderly, it could easily become disheveled. Further, some small kitchens don't have enough room for a large pantry, so your food storage space may be cramped.

If you're trying to decide how to design your pantry, we're here to help. One of the most important things to consider is what kind of shelves you want to use. This starts with choosing the right material, like wood, metal, or wire, and then the right color, from white to dark brown. You'll also need to decide if you want to use open shelves or closed ones behind cabinet doors. And, if your kitchen doesn't have a designated closet for the pantry, you may need to find an alternative place to keep your dry groceries. To provide you with some options to choose from for your pantry shelves, we've gathered 29 design ideas below.

One way to make sure you use all the space available to you is by choosing adjustable shelves. If you go with this shelf idea, you'll be able to change the height of the shelves to provide more room for certain items and less for others. White is a great color choice, as it will lighten the small area and could make it feel larger. If your pantry is limited in square footage, a pocket door may make the most sense as well. 

While most shelves are completely flat, some have a small edge on the front. This can be beneficial because it will prevent things from falling off of the shelf and potentially breaking or making a mess. If you like to decant your food into glass jars, you may want to consider this option, so you never have to worry about the glass shattering. 

While most pantry spaces only have shelf storage, this doesn't have to be the case. If you'd rather hide away some of your items, try pairing open shelves with closed cabinets. This idea could be especially beneficial for those who have an open pantry, or one with no door, because it will be easier to create an orderly appearance.

Sometimes, the pantry is just a small, shallow closet with a swinging door. If this is the case for you, you may need to use all your available space. One way to do this is by hanging an over-the-door unit on the inside of the door. These shallow shelves, which are typically made out of wire, are perfect for things like spices, oils, or small jars. 

Of course, if you have any extra cabinet space, store your food on the shelves in this area. As in the image above, the best way to make this as functional as possible is by using labeled containers that are all roughly the same size or that can be stacked on top of one another. A benefit of choosing cabinets with swinging doors over those that slide is that you could add storage on the inside of the doors. 

A pantry with a window may need to be creatively designed, as you don't want to block out the natural light. On all the solid walls, you could include floor-to-ceiling shelving, which could hold things like glass jars and baskets. Then, in the space underneath the window, one idea is to include a short shelving unit that holds sliding baskets, which would be perfect for fruit and vegetable storage. 

Those who are really tight on kitchen space could add one thick, floating shelf above the sink. This shelf idea could be the perfect place to keep glass jars of food. It's best to store items that have been decanted in a space like this, because they'll be visible at all times, and matching jars are always better to look at than the packaging from the grocery store. 

While light wood will brighten a room, dark wood will give it a more rustic and moody feel. The shelves above are all the same size as well, to provide a cohesive and orderly look. Another shelf storage idea is to label what's on each of your shelves, and one way to do this is by hanging small cards that list all the ingredients and foods stored in each space.

Fill a blank wall by hanging a small shelving unit on the surface. These are typically made out of multiple materials, with a metal frame and solid wood shelves. While not extremely large, this shelf idea will provide some extra storage without taking up any countertop or floor space, which will help you maximize the amount of usable space in your kitchen.

Choosing deep shelves is typically best for those who want to store their food inside containers like baskets. This is because, without the baskets, it would be hard to reach items in the back of the shelf. The containers can easily be slid out, allowing you to reach everything with ease. Another storage solution for deep shelves is keeping your items in large jars, as these will take up more space and be easier to see than smaller items. 

If your cabinets are full and you don't have a designated pantry space, consider adding a free-standing shelving unit, which could be tiered like the option above. This means that the bottom shelf is the largest and the surface area gets smaller and smaller as you continue up the ladder. You could use this piece to fill any empty space, but if you do this, it's best to decant items into decorative baskets or jars. 

The main benefit of choosing wire racks for your pantry is that they're easy to keep clean. Any crumbs or small grains will fall through the small holes onto the floor, where they can easily be swept up. Another benefit is that wire is durable and customizable. However, keep in mind that because wire isn't a solid surface, it can be challenging to store things like skinny bottles on such shelves.

Those who have a cornered pantry could create corner shelves that wrap around the walls. Right on the corner, you could include storage solutions like a spinning lazy susan or a large jar. Another shelf storage idea is to place your biggest items in this area, like your small appliances, as they'll be easier to reach than smaller items. 

This free-standing pantry is positioned right next to the sink, which would make food preparation easy. To streamline the design of the piece, it has both wooden shelves and a wooden frame. They also maximized their storage space by including metal hanging baskets for fruit on one of the shelves. Other interesting features of this shelf idea include plastic storage containers, a ceramic jar, and a shopping list hanging on a clipboard.