How to Make Pantry Storage Drawers

Today, we’re sharing how to make pantry storage drawers!

Can I just tell you guys how totally excited I am to have all our dishes in one place?   No playing, we used to have to go looking under beds, in the tops of random closets or the drawers of the dining room hutch for dishes in order to put tablescapes together.

Clearing Pantry Clutter

It was all my bestie S’s idea to make pantry storage drawers.  She helped me realize I needed to use every inch of available space in order to make the TINY pantry more efficient.

Before the pantry drawers, I would have to move all of the loose bits of silver and crystal off the floor every time I needed to sweep the pantry floor.

It was a mess!

Getting a Game Plan Together

After a lot of discussion and planning, we finally settled on building 2 large storage drawers to go underneath the shelves on each side of the pantry.

This idea allows party supplies, serving trays and seasonal dishes to be contained yet off the floor.

We also decided to put the pantry storage drawers on casters. This made  storage drawers easier to move for cleaning and sweeping the pantry floors.

While both ideas are super simple, they’ve have helped to keep our dish pantry and entertaining supplies more organized than we could have ever imagined.

Here’s a look at how you can make pantry storage drawers too…

Pantry Storage Drawer Supplies

• Saw (or ask your home improvement center if they’re able to cut the wood for you)
• Plywood
• Wood Screws
• Cordless Drill
• Trim
• Wood Glue
• Nails
• Hammer
• Ruler
• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Tarp (To protect surfaces from paint)
• Drawer Pulls

Pantry Storage Drawer Steps

Before heading out to buy plywood, make sure to measure the space that will house your pantry storage drawers.

In addition, you’ll want to measure the width of your pantry door. That way, you’ll be able to get your drawers in and out of the pantry as needed.

We chose a durable sheet of plywood and had the sales associate at Lowes cut a few different sizes for us.  Some home improvement places charge extra for this service so make sure to check with the sales associate in advance.

If you plan to make your own cuts, you need to use all safety precautions and care as saw and saw blade will be sharp.

You’ll need enough wood for a piece for the front, 2 sides, a back and a bottom.

The measurements for our pantry storage drawers are:

• Length – 40 1/2 inches
• Width – 16 1/2 inches
• Height – front: 12 1/2 with casters; back: 11 inches with casters
• Depth – 8 inches

We used a cordless drill and wood screws to secure the pieces together. You’re basically building a box shape drawer.

Once the shell of the pantry storage drawer was finished, we we added trim to the front of each drawer.  We secured the trim with wood glue and nails.

Then we added casters to the bottom to make the storage drawers easily accessible.

Once the casters were in place, I painted the entire piece in Valspar’s Ultra White. It’s a straight out of the can white you can buy right off the store shelf at Lowes.

When the paint had dried, we added hardware I picked up at Hobby Lobby. It’s a classic style and the same hardware on all the drawers in the kitchen.

Storing Dishes & Entertaining Items

These pantry storage drawers hold a good bit and it’s so nice to have everything contained now.

They’re really easy to move which is also helpful!

We use our pantry storage drawers to hold seasonal items like Christmas dishes, plate chargers, serving bowls, trays and a few boxes of sentimental crystal.

It’s always fun to have friends and family over for parties and festive dinners throughout the year.

Take the time to organize your supplies now so by the time party season  begins you’ll have everything you need at the ready!

Check out these posts for more on our kitchen and pantry:

• How to Stencil Textured Walls
• Kitchen and Pantry Makeover Reveal 
• How to Organize Your Kitchen Into Work Friendly Zones

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,
CoCo