I have wanted to show you my pantry/sewing space for a while and for real (none of this little glimpse nonsense).
I don't know if you want to see it, really, but I want to show you, and the girls and I have always thought that we wanted this blog to be just the sort of blog we'd like to read if we came across it, and we would want to see pictures of the pantry if we were we. Which we are. At least I am.
But today I'm showing you some preliminary things because otherwise that post is going to be much longer than a post about a room that's less than 7′ x 12′ deserves to be.
Although I could go on even longer…
I think every house should have a pantry and a mudroom. Have I recommended this book to you yet?
It's very sweet…but if you find one (it'll have to be used), try TRY to get one with the dust cover, which isn't reproduced inside.
The Butt'ry Shelf Cookbook by Mary Mason Campbell, with illustrations by Tasha Tudor.
Loving!
You can sigh over that pantry…a real New England beauty.
Anyway, today I'm going to go over a few details of what I'm going to show you soon (I would say tomorrow, but I'm trying to help Deirdre get out the door to France!!!), so that you can be on top of things.
First, I want to show you my desk redo, which was long enough ago so that it now has some little dings. But I'm very happy to have a handsome black piece of furniture on which to sew and store my various notions and also some office supplies.
It started life as one of those teak veneer jobbies. I have had several of these, thanks to Habou who once ran a secretarial service. Like most of my stuff, they came to me when she said, “I have these…do you want them?”
Lick o' paint, lick o' paint…For this one I did use primer, then black spray paint.
Did you know that it's not a good idea to store thread out in the air and the light?
Next, the stool. We now have three of these stools, left over from the set of four plus little children's table given long ago to the kids by, who else, Habou “the furniture lady.” After many years of service, the stools remain useful for reaching high things.
However, their drawback is a) looking the worse for wear and b) being the exact same color as the floor (not that tile one, but the kitchen floor), resulting in many a trip and fall.
My shins are permanently dented from crashing into these dang (albeit handy) things, which seem ubiquitous. There when you need one, there when you just want a little tumble to enliven your day.
I think red will alert us to its presence, don't you?
Last, and for a good sneak peek (keep scrolling) of my favorite room in the house, we have this object, found on the side of the road (along with a perfectly good giant wicker Crate and Barrel lined hamper, the only defect of which is a musty smell. After a good airing, I will try to find a place for it!).
Now, at first glance it seems like a particularly sturdy magazine rack. It might be that. However, it lacks sides, is mighty well built for that purpose yet strangely narrow (like, you could maybe put four magazines in it), and is awfully heavy.
But, you know how you try to store certain things on their side, like pizza pans, trays, etc? And they keep falling over without something to support them? But you don't have anything to support them other than other stuff that also falls over?
Well, I decided that this thingy-dingy would work to organize some of that stuff, thusly:
Do you see it in there? Can you find it?
Do you think that's a good use for it?
I'll be back with just what you wanted: a REAL tour of the pantry!
Anonymous says
Dear Leila, I love the thriftiness you share. It gives me hope for what I can do, one who doesn't 'see' these kinds of things. Also, I have been sewing most of my life and did not know about not storing thread in air and light. What consequence does it have?Cary
Kari says
Very NICE!Yes, that's exactly what I would do with it. Does it have feet? Do they fall through the wire shelf below?Kari
Bethany says
What a great use for it! Pretty pantry, by the way.
jill says
Love it! You've inspired me to allow my crafty, creative, impulsive disorganized 16 year old to do her room differently. I have been trying to get her to keep it "pretty" (which, for me, means bare and clutter free), now I see that she needs more open shelving and lots of cubbie-type shelves to store away what she needs but also keep it handy.This will be an adventure (for me) but she is such a unique girl I do want to encourage her in her pursuits.Jill Farris in the (again-sigh) drippy Pacific NW
Leila says
Ladies, wait. This is not the pantry post, it's just the prelims. Cary, the thread will rot! Have you ever taken out thread to have it break? or sort of shred around the core?Thread will last for a long time, but not if it's out in the light, especially the all cotton and poly-core-cotton-outside threads I use.Kari, the rack thingy doesn't have feet, and it does have those bars. The shelf has wire, pretty closely spaced. Nothing falls THROUGH, just OVER. But this seems to have added a good bit of stability.
Betsy says
AHHHHH!!! You have just unleashed a spray-painting monster inside my head. 🙂 I am already a huge fan of the ease and transformative power of spray paint, but it hadn't occurred to me to paint veneered objects. Oh dear, watch out world! Thanks so much, Leila. Oh, is there a particular brand/type of spray paint you use for any/all your projects?
Anonymous says
Oh, Leila. I have my mother's copy of that cookbook. She and I made things from it when I was growing up and she gave it to me a couple of years before she died so I could continue to read and use it. 🙂 It is one of my favorites to just dream about pantries and filling them with good things I've made and preserved myself. I didn't know about the thread. I have all of my thread spools, inherited from my mother, hanging on the same really nifty wall racks where she kept always kept them. It makes a neat wall decoration over my sewing machine but I guess I'd better store them away after all. I'm looking forward to your pantry pictures. My sewing machine is downstairs in the finished part of the basement but I so rarely get down there to sew I have been thinking of carting it up to my bedroom ever since I saw your sewing corner in your pantry in a previous picture. Perhaps one day I will have a pantry/mudroom, too. :)Joy
Margo says
I adore looking at people's pantries and other supposedly private spaces. I don't why I like it so much – much more interesting to me than, yawn, the dining room or living room where guests are usually confined. So thanks for showing yours!
Pippajo says
My pantry is only three years old and I was ecstatic when The Viking built it for me, but now it has become a source of stress and self-condemnation for me.No matter how many times or how often I organize it, no matter what new methods I try to employ, it always seems to look like someone trapped a very angry monkey in there overnight. It's always a MESS!I wind up piling things up on the island and table closest to it as the "Intended For The Pantry" pile. Now, isn't that counterproductive?Needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting the actual Pantry Post!
Dawn says
I love it!
The Mayo Family says
Good morning~I have been visiting your blog for a bit now…came across from a friends blog…you know how that goes! :)I am really enjoying it so much and have been blessed!I am now getting some more "adult" children as "where has time gone"? So, it's fun to see, learn and gleen from others that have adult children!Love the "cozy" feel of your place & am really looking forward to the rest of the "tour".We are learning to try and fit in lots of "stuff" in very lil' space so I will take any advice. Schooling, sewing, crafts and all are a large part of our day…so why hide it all away…I had no idea you could spray paint that type of finish…hum! :)Have a wonderful rest of the week.Blessings~Lori(a Momma of 8)
MichelleZ says
I really like your ability to re-purpose items. It is always fun to find a treasure that is just hanging around. Great use of the metal rack.I can't wait to see the pantry…I dream of having a true pantry in our future. Hopefully a mud room and a room for my sewing and soap also; right now it just gets spread out everywhere. After all that we may no longer have bedrooms for the kids. :DThat looks like a great book. I will have to look for it.I love the pictures you take also, each one is a story in itself…you have many talents. Blessings,Michelle
Mrs Bossy says
I must say that I also value the pantry, the mudroom, and ceiling fans! I am plodding my way through the Josef Pieper book, Leisure The Basis of Culture. It is a big stretch for my common brain, but I thank you for suggesting it.
Natasha says
I also have a deep love for pantries and so I look forward to seeing the rest of your posts. Your pantry is absolutely the best I've ever been in. When visiting, I've had some nice phone calls from your pantry. It is a very warm and comforting spot and it's so fun to look at all the fabric swatches and the jars of buttons. You do a great job of making it both a kitchen storage and crafting area in such a small place. Also, I adore the Tasha Tudor book you gave me for Christmas and I just added this pantry book to my Amazon cart!
Woman of the House says
Have you seen this book? <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pantry-Its-History-Modern-Uses/dp/B002QGSXVO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276814540&sr=8-2http://www.amazon.com/Pantry-Its-History-Modern-U… />All you pantry lovers will adore it! I did!
Haus Frau says
Tasha Tudor's pantry artwork is responsible for my gradual kitchen overhaul. I might also tease you by blaming you as well since you posted the picture of that amazing dustcover. The pantry of my dreams…. ;)And yes, every house should have a pantry and a mudroom. I am trying to see how our darling small 1940s house can accomplish that, especially since we have five children so far.I love reading your blog. Please keep up the writing!
Leila says
Betsy, as to spray paint –I have used all kinds, and it depends on the project — if it is metal, it's not good to use the cheap stuff, but if you are just touching some wood up in the same color, don't waste your money.I like Rustoleum and I like the Lowe's brand, Valspar. They have some really nice colors! The shelf in my kitchen above the fireplace is the aqua blue Valspar, the ironing board in the pantry — the legs — is their orange — and the stools (and a bed in the guest room wait until you see!!) I did in red. There are two bright reds, and the darker one of those two is just my favorite color. Deep, bright, dark, true blood red! Exciting.Enjoy!