How I Organized My Spices (and Made My Pantry Pretty Again)
Sure, I’d seen it all over Instagram and Pinterest—the perfectly curated pantries from pro organizers and designers.
They were pretty to look at but I’d often wonder how functional they were.
Were they just for show?
What’s the point of transferring spices into matching jars anyway?
Was this a waste of time?
But then, something happened.
As I would go into our kitchen to cook or bake, I realized I was dreading opening the pantry.
And this wasn’t just the top half with herbs, spices, and baking products.
It was everything.
I couldn’t find the spaghetti, had no idea how many cans of beans we had, and yep—there were definitely expired items hiding in there.
I was also buying duplicates at the store simply because I couldn’t see what we already had.
The pantry - specifically the spice section was a MESS but the honest truth was: I was embarrassed to open it in front of anyone.
So much time and effort had gone into decorating and organizing the rest of our home that I’d completely forgotten about the pantry.
Funny how we spend so much time perfecting the visible parts of our home—and forget the hidden spaces deserve love too.
It became obvious that I’d neglected this space and the only way to turn the page, would be to rewrite it entirely.
The Pantry Edit Part I: Form Meets Function
For me, the goal was to be able to easily find a spice and know item quantities before cooking or going to the store.
This meant that I’d need to be able to see everything within a few seconds.
The solution?
TURNTABLES!
The unsung heroes of pantry organization.
These are fantastic because with a quick spin, you can see everything at once! I love that they’re sold individually and also as a set with the support beams.
I bought a few of each.
SPICE DRAWER ORGANIZER
I hated walking back and forth from the pantry to grab a spice…even if it was just a few steps. To fix this, I split my spices in half, leaving some in the pantry but adding most commonly used ones in the drawer next to the stove.
Genius. I can’t believe I never thought of it before. It makes cooking and cleaning up such a breeze!
Here’s the spice drawer organizer I grabbed—it came with jars, a drawer insert, and a ton of labels, including blank ones!
GLASS STORAGE JARS
I only needed one to store whole oregano leaves (as seen in the intro photo) but since this was a pack of six, I used the other five in another cabinet in our pantry: The Grazing Cabinet.
More on this section later 😉
Summary
That’s it! Organizing the spice pantry was easy, affordable, and the first installment of eight cabinets. While I whip up content for the remaining seven, I hope this inspires you to think about a space in your home—maybe even outside the kitchen—that could shift your mood with just a few thoughtful tweaks.
This quick project checked all three of my goals:
✔️ A spice cabinet I’m proud to open
✔️ A clear view of what I have (and how much)
✔️ A system that actually makes cooking easier
Let this be your gentle reminder: you deserve to have a space curated especially for you, your needs, and the life you envision.
You don’t have to overhaul everything to feel better.
Sometimes organizing one small corner of your world is enough to remind you—you can create beauty and peace, even when life feels messy.
With Love,
Ambyr
