Bookshelf Pantry — Savannah by Season

Here's the first big reveal in our first home, the pantry! Our apartment came with this great, huge laundry area. However, we don't plan on purchasing a washer and dryer anytime soon and I didn't want all that space to go to waste. We had a lot of cabinet space in the kitchen, but I didn't want to fill them with cans and cereals and foods (which would probably end up being unorganized!) So, I decided to make my own pantry.

What I used:

2 Laiva bookcases from IKEA
Gullan Frukt fabric from IKEA (on clearance in Frisco right now for 99¢/yard)
Square bins from The Dollar Tree
Foam boards from The Dollar Tree
Scissors and Tape

First I just bought the two bookshelves, put them together and placed them in the space. Once they were set up, I just didn't like how it looked. It simply looked like two bookshelves put together, which wasn't what I wanted people to see when they first saw it (even if that's what it really is). So, I found that great fabric and decided to spruce the cases up a bit.

1. I cut fabric (from IKEA) and foam board (from the dollar store) to fit the back of the bookshelves.

2. Taped the fabric around the edges of the foam board, wrapping it like a gift. Make sure the fabric has been ironed (very important) & pull it tight around the foam as you tape.

3. Using teeny nails that came with the bookcases, I began nailing the foam boards on.

5. Make sure it's all secure. Don't panic about how the back looks, as long as the front looks good :)

To add a little decoration to the space, I used the foam & fabric to create letters to place on the shelves. Just cut out rectangular shapes out of the foam and sketch out the letters,

...cut them all out using an Xacto (NOT a kitchen knife like I may have used), then, wrap with fabric just as you did for the backs of the shelves.

Now you've made an everyday space into something a little more cute and fun.

The last thing I added was a curtain and spring rod to cover it. Now that I've split the laundry room up, there's more space for something completely different on the other side of the room. I love my new pantry.