Why Drawers In A Pantry Are Better Than Shelves For Organizing

From deep, built-in units to freestanding wire racks, shelves have long been the champion of pantry storage. Their simplicity is a key part of the appeal, offering up flat surfaces to stack canned goods, line up cereal boxes, organize dry goods, and even house bulky appliances not often used. The traditional approach is technically functional, but it comes with frustrations that could be easily fixed with another simple upgrade: drawers.

The limitations of basic shelves are pretty apparent. Items stored at the back of deep shelves inevitably get lost or forgotten, leading to wasted food. And retrieving those items practically involves an archaeological dig, requiring you to move several items around just to grab one. The shelf system looks good on paper but more often than not results in disarray, making cooking and baking more of a chore than a pleasure and sometimes forcing you to try creative DIY pantry ideas to expand your kitchen storage.

Enter the humble drawer, ready to take your pantry from chaos to HGTV-worthy organization. Unlike static shelves, pull-out drawers offer incredibly easy access to all the goods in your pantry. Plus, drawers keep every item neatly arranged, saving you time and aggravation when cooking and making it easy to track your inventory. These are just a few of the reasons why kitchen pantry renovations are trending right now.

Drawers revolutionize the whole pantry concept and how you use it. They prevent items from being pushed to the back and (probably) expiring, saving you money on grocery bills. And beyond that, drawers make it much easier to flex your organizational skills once you create a pantry system that works hard and will stay organized. Drawers allow for easy categorization of items by type and simple separation with dividers and bins, which makes everything from finding snacks to meal prep a breeze. They make items more accessible for everyone and, when closed, leave a tidier appearance than cluttered pantry shelves.

To get the most out of drawers in your pantry, try using drawers on the lower half, up to the standard countertop height. Making them around 35 to 40 inches high will keep everything visible, and you won't have to awkwardly stretch to reach items in the back of too-high top drawers. You can then opt to elevate the space by placing a durable, stylish countertop material on top. This not only provides valuable extra workspace for tasks like measuring ingredients but also creates a cohesive, high-end look that integrates seamlessly with the rest of your kitchen's aesthetic. It's almost too good to be true!