Useless Closet to Small Pantry Makeover

Have a tiny closet that might work better as a small pantry? Here’s how I converted a closet we weren’t really using into a useful & organized small pantry for our family! If you’re looking for small pantry makeover and organization ideas, I hope you find some inspiration in today’s post.

This project has been a long time coming! I’m starting the year off right by converting this small closet we weren’t using into a functional second pantry.

The BEFORE photo is absolutely embarrassing, but here’s how this closet looked. This small closet is at the back entry of our home. I wasn’t using it as a coat closet because I installed a hook wall nearby. It’s basically functioned as a place to throw all of my construction junk like baseboard scraps, paint, stain, cords and paint rollers. I finally cleaned up this closet, put the items where they belong (in my work studio) and gave this tiny space a makeover!

Watch the video below to see how I turned this useless closet into a small, organized pantry:

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase an item via these links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Links mentioned in the video:

• Original small pantry makeover video: https://youtu.be/kwmnTSonn2Y
• Mitre saw: https://amzn.to/3n0xr40
• Nursery makeover video: https://youtu.be/5EC9IjPfqew
• Brad nailer: https://amzn.to/2MrLCTd
• Barn wood patterned contact paper: https://amzn.to/3824BMl
• ClosetMaid Door Rack: https://amzn.to/3aXJqNh
• Cube bins (comes in many other colors!): https://amzn.to/3aYnVfg
• FREE printable pantry labels: https://thediymommy.wpsc.dev/free-printable-pantry-organization-tags
• Our full kitchen tour: https://youtu.be/SZzJhZ_TrfY

To begin this small pantry makeover, I cut some melamine shelving to size, and cut some scrap pieces of trim to act as shelf brackets. I nailed the trim pieces to the interior of the closet and placed the shelving on top. As a special touch, I added some contact paper with a barn board pattern at the back of the closet.

Next, I painted the door and trim around the door and installed this ClosetMaid Door Rack to the inside of the door. Since the shelves inside the pantry are relatively shallow, I thought this extra storage is great for our canned goods.

To organize and store snacks and bulk goods, I purchased these handy cube bins from Amazon (I chose beige bins, but they come in many colours!) that fit perfectly on the shelves.

I added some tags to the bins to help everyone in our family know where everything goes. Print these pantry organization tags for FREE by clicking right here!

I’m so happy with how this makeover turned out! This closet is so useful pantry. If needed, we can easily switch it out to use as clothing/cleaning storage in the future.

Now tell me: Would you convert a small closet to a pantry like I did?