Larder Love

Oh, what a dream to have the luxury of all my baking supplies, small appliances, oils, canned goods, dry goods, table linens, and serving trays all with in reach of my kitchen/eating area.

Smaller cottages and homes of yest- er-year didn't have large built-in pantries so homemaker's had to find ways to make do. Hence, the unfitted kitchen concept. I've always loved the look of an unfitted kitchen and I've tried to achieve that by using a mix of antiques for various functions. A china cabinet as my faux butlers pantry, and an antique buffet as a place to store table linens, cutlery, and serving trays. 

 These ideas have served me well over the years but it's time for a change!

By the way, how do you like the lovely red larder in the top photo? Why not RED? Red is a warm and inviting color in the Kitchen in just the right dose and its' cheery too! 

My days of crawling around on the floor for ingredients, pie plates, salad bowls, cooking oil, and canned goods that are stored in my lower kitchen cabinet ( yes, one cabinet ) are soon to be a faded memory! Let's just say, I have had my ah ha moment! 

 No longer will I run to the basement or a far- away cabinet for a can of pasta sauce or jam.

Soon I will be among the elite homemakers of homemakers with my very own Larder! Oh now, don't get your tail feathers in a bunch... It's not as easy ( or as brilliant ) as it sounds... Ya see, I've got this out- dated Armour from Pottery Barn ( we call it the monster because it won't fit in any other room in the house ) we used to use for our TV and media storage. I thought I was being very clever when I asked Boz to take the top doors off so we could use it for book shelves and have a more open look in the living room.That was after I tried to give it away to friends, neighbors and sell it on Craig' s list.

The Monster

All the while I was fussing about not having enough food storage in the kitchen.

 I realize now, in my efforts to get it out of living room ( in order to create shelves for our books collection ) I was being very hasty! What was I thinking?

 

It's similar in shape to several of these pantry images (minus the pantry pullouts inside) and will fit perfectly where our buffet is now leaving space on either side for extra dining room chairs. 

It will need paint of course! Our kitchen has Beach White cabinets with two Black cabinets for an accent and our island is black too! The question is..... what color do I paint it? I was leaning towards the off white for a clean, fresh look, but Boz thinks Black would look nice too! Naturally, I'm entertaining red as an option as well. But, I'll probably come to my senses on that one...I just need to live with it in my head for a while before I let it go!

This is a sneak peak of our island.. I love the storage for cook books and display items. The other side has drawers and enclosed lower cabinets.

 A farmers sink is another way to add more space to a kitchen with minimal counter space. We added one to our new kitchen last winter. I found it online here.   Their cost was about half of the local Kitchen and Bath show room.  It's great for filling pitchers, draining pasta and clearing the counters of cooking utensils while cooking. Our kitchen remodel is about complete. Except for floors and a new island top we are just about there! I plan to do a full reveal post so I can share more tips on ways to save money using reclaimed items and your creativity!

 
Simplifying your life doesn't mean you have to settle for a bland color palette or do without the things you need to make your daily rounds easier and more efficient. Sometimes it's a good thing to hold on to something until you can think of a wonderful new use for it if you can't schlep it off on a friend or neighbor!

 Tip: Next time you think you NEED to get rid of something, look right under your nose first. You might already have something that would fit the bill!  With a little or in some cases a lot of tweaking  you'll be on your way to simplifying your home and fattening your wallet at the same time!

I'll keep you posted on the progress!