I have lived in my house for eighteen years and when we first purchased we said the kitchen and silver aluminum framed windows had to be changed…pronto! Well the windows are still silver aluminum and the kitchen was renovated nine years ago, well most of it.
Have you ever done some work on your house only to run out of steam, and money? Yeah, us too 🙂
In fact we have white walls but almost all of the 14 internal doors are still cream…drives me batshit crazy but neither the huz or I can be arsed painting them so cream they will stay for a bit longer.
TIME TO GET BUSY.
There’s hope though because I did pick up a paintbrush recently, and I actually used it! We have this pretty awesome pantry, awesome and old. In fact our house is the same age as me, forty six years old so quite a few things are old and tired (including me). The pantry is large and solid and I like it so when we renovated the kitchen we didn’t touch it. Actually we did, we had solid doors made to replace the mushroom pink louvered doors, oh don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same 🙂
My point is we left the interior ‘as is’ and by ‘as is’ I mean with orange and blue walls that I painted the first month we had our house and layers of contact on the shelves. Look orange and blue was most definitely not my finest home styling choice but I think I have rectified that abysmal choice.
I have always wanted a dark pantry interior so a few weeks ago I braved Bunnings (actually that joint is the business, love it), picked up some supplies and got busy in the pantry. I emptied all the shelves, scrubbed away years of red food colouring, why does that shit always leak?? I scraped back the layers of contact and painted.
The colour of choice is Dulux Domino, it’s one of my favourite colours for homes.
A PANTRY TO BE PROUD OF.
Then I tossed some crap that I was hoarding and got busy putting everything back onto the shelves. Yeah how freakin neat does it look, thankfully with only one adult son at home now I reckon I have half a chance of it actually staying that way.
I’m not a fan of plastic containers, sure I have ‘some’ but I try to use glass whenever I can. These ones are from IKEA and I love the warmth of the pops of timber and cork against the dark grey. The mesh baskets and timber boxes are also IKEA. Good ‘ole IKEA always delivers when it comes to storage, right?
The plastic cereal containers and baskets with handy handles are from Howard’s Storage World, see…some plastic.
Down low I have a few storage containers with lids and on wheels for dog food and also the things we don’t use often and surplus of, because how many freakin tins of tuna and baked beans does one really need in their pantry?? We had 27 cans of tuna and 13 tins of baked beans and the son who is a fan of both food now lives in Melbourne! Go figure.
Speaking of sons, look…melts my heart.
This made my heart swell. Oh and I am 170cm and one son is 6ft4…193cm. Baked beans and tuna will do that to ya!
Now if only I can find some motivation to paint the bloody pantry doors!
Got any fixer up type jobs on the go? Tell me, what’s on your wish list to do around the house?
Til next time,
Jen x
Shauna says
January 4, 2018 at 7:16 amInspiration plus Pantry Makeover but Dam I love those containers from IKEA but I can’t shop there I banned myself as they pay NO TAX (listed as a Church- go figure )for the privilege of trading in Australia. Our kids need Good Corporate Citizens paying Tax for their futures – anyhoo I love what you have done & I love the B…dy IKEA containers . This has just rolled out of my head into this page because Inhave had Zero Coffee – so apologies for Political Rave
Shauna
Penny says
January 4, 2018 at 9:15 amLove it ! What a great way to start the year. I’m renovating my old house (that my son now lives in) slow process but exciting too !
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:40 amOh, I have never heard of that.
Heather Hooper says
January 4, 2018 at 7:21 amJen
Your color choice is great the whole space looks very nice must say its oh so nice to have an organized pantry
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:40 amThanks Heather, organised house…calm mind
Amanda says
January 4, 2018 at 7:32 amLove your work! My goal is just a general declutter. Too mich crap in our lttle townhouse and it’s all gotta go! Then I can reclaim my office space and start redecorating – this place needs a spruce up!
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:41 amWe have too much clutter too Amanda, a little at a time 🙂
Philby says
January 4, 2018 at 7:36 amMust be in the air Jen, just painted a wall in the family room black……love it. Now I’m painting the outside of the house grey and white. I’m on a mission……
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:42 amGo YOU! I am desperate to paint our house white.
Jack says
January 4, 2018 at 7:36 amLooks fantastic and the colour is wonderful.
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:42 amThanks Jack x
Fiona Karas says
January 4, 2018 at 7:47 amIt looks amazing, well done x
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:51 amThanks Fiona, I am loving it.
Michelle says
January 4, 2018 at 8:07 amOur old house has asbestos, wonky floors from uneven piers, a kitchen from the 40s and a host of other issues and so we are taking the easier, less expensive option this year and are knocking down and rebuilding, call us lazy 😁
Lynette Rabbitt says
January 4, 2018 at 8:24 amHaving done several major renovations jobs to houses over the years you are doing the right thing. The cost of putting right everything that is wrong before you can even start to put paint on the walls would be very expensive. You are not lazy at all.I call it good thinking.
Lynette
Michelle says
January 4, 2018 at 10:30 amThank you Lynette, your thoughtful words are much appreciated. I love watching reno and house-hunting shows but they have made us very aware of the pitfalls and we realised we would be opening up a can of worms with our old girl but we are keeping up the tradition, our old girl was trucked in over 60 years ago from regions unknown and my hubby’s grandparents lived in her til they passed and then my hubby has lived in her for 30 years, I have only been here since we married a few years back but our new home is also being trucked in ☺
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:43 amMakes sense…have fun rebuilding x
Donna says
January 4, 2018 at 8:12 amLooks freakin awesome. I had to giggle when you said with only one son now there is should stay tidy. We are empty nesters and my hubby is the worst I think. He pulls things out and never puts them back how he should. Isnt paint an amazing thing. Such a difference.
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:44 amPaint is so transformative, especially when on a budget.
Lynette Rabbitt says
January 4, 2018 at 8:29 amMy dream – a walk in pantry. I have had a couple over the years and boy do I miss having one. I have 1/2 a cupboard (with a single door) so have had to utilize a low book case for the rest of my storage. It is amazing what a coat of paint does to an area. Love the look of the pantry.
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:44 amHope you get that dream pantry Lynette x
Mina says
January 4, 2018 at 8:40 amLooks fab. After 15 years in our house, where we completely renovated the whole house, we have never touched the front or back garden. Today the landscaping team arrive to finally turn our Sahara desert into a family paradise.
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:45 amOMG…this is sooooo exciting…and my dream
Julie says
January 4, 2018 at 9:22 amWe also have the half arsed job done. Painted our inside of our entirely cream house grey and white but the kitchen cupboards remain cream. Everyday I say let’s do it, but holidays are coming too an end again!! I will take inspiration from you for my pantry. I love what you’ve done. Thanks Jen, great job, thanks for sharing..
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:45 amI feel your ‘cream door’ pain 🙂
Beth | AlmostPosh.com says
January 4, 2018 at 10:03 amThat colour is fab and looks great with the glass and timber accessories! Our kitchen isn’t horrendous to look at but it is very small so any improvements will involve significant renos and wall removal. Our food storage is across 3 different cupboards but seems to work OK. Would love a pantry though!
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:46 amSignificant renos are so pricey…but worth it. x
Linda says
January 4, 2018 at 10:52 amLove your pantry makeover! Everything seems to stand out more. I have a 1972 built house and looking tired in lots of areas, it’s owners are over 60 with no energy (some heath issues there), but small changes do make a huge difference.. I just showed the partner and he is inspired by the paint job as ours has contact….you might just have provided a catalyst for us to tackle that small area…thanks 👍
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:47 amwoohoo…have fun x
Kellie says
January 4, 2018 at 11:25 amLove the colour choice Jen and your use of storage. We have lived in our house now for almost 19 years. Like yours, our house is almost as old as me. It was a display home back in 1975! It has now had not one but two families grow up in it (we’re the second owners) so it deserves a bit of love. I have dubbed this our year of change / getting things done. We have been putting off renovating for so long due to focusing on the mortgage and the fact that anything we do will probably have to be major. However, I figure if we don’t do it now, we never will. I am both excited and terrified. I like change but I don’t like being around as it’s happening. I can’t cope with mess and not being able to find things so wish me luck.
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:48 amGood luck, it will absolutely be worth it
Sandy Osborne says
January 4, 2018 at 6:11 pmGood job
Looks awesome👍
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:48 amThanks Sandy, so much nicer to look at.
Iris says
January 10, 2018 at 12:04 pmLooks great Jen 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼 What a difference a paint job does!! Can’t wait to have my pantry done, at the moment I have makeshift shed shelves.
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:49 amThe industrial look…very on trend 🙂
Karin O'Grady says
January 11, 2018 at 9:16 pmThis shiz floats my boat. I love the dark paint
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:49 amThanks, I am mad for it too karin.
Sharon King says
January 16, 2018 at 12:36 pmI turned my broom cupboard into a second pantry and I did bright white and put in blonde wood laminate shelves from Howards, all very crisp but I love your dark colour and its making me think about what I could do to the walk in robe……….
Jenni says
February 10, 2018 at 10:50 amooooh, very sexy for a walk in robe!
Jan MacGowan says
June 18, 2018 at 1:25 pmLove your pantry, especially paint colour, those side shelves (copying that idea), and most of all, YOU HAVE TINS OF STUFF!! I’d started to think I was the only person who still used any tinned products. So glad I clicked on ‘pantry’ to have a look at yours.
Cheers, Jan