Creepy Stairwell Closet Turned Pantry Food Storage

Dreaming of more kitchen storage? I decided to convert a closet to a pantry to turn unused space into functional space for all my canned goods. In this post, I’ll walk you through how to build pantry shelves step by step, using budget-friendly materials and a little DIY magic!

It has been a hot minute since I last posted a house update. Why? Well, it’s not because we haven’t been doing house projects…it’s because I just haven’t had time to write the blog posts to share about all of the details. It’s super time consuming and I usually have about 17 projects going on at once, so, I get a little distracted! LOL.

For example, just the other day, I installed 3 piece base boards, rebuilt the door to the rabbit hutch I built (thanks kids for sending a baseball though the glass), repaired and installed window mullions, made three meals for my family, made a giant mess in the kitchen … all while my husband installed crown molding in our upstairs hallway and stairwell. Plus we drove over an hour way to buy some stained glass windows, went out for a coffee date and probably 19347 things more!

Yeah, we don’t have boring moments here! – especially on the couple weekends a year when we don’t have sporting events!

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Truth be told, most of the time I don’t write a blog post showing our progress because our projects are rarely finished! But today, I’m excited to share how we decided to convert a closet to a pantry—a simple way to add extra storage without a major renovation.

DIY Pantry Closet Makeover: How to Build Pantry Shelves on a Budget

For all of you new readers, we own an 1886 Victorian home. Yep! It’s O-L-D! In the basement, under the stairway, there is a closet. Inside that closet is a smaller door that leads to a cellar room! … yep, creepy! Let me show you…

To the right of this, is another door that leads to the cellar and or an old entrance into the basement from outside.

Although the room is kind of creepy, it’s super neat! It’s foundation is built out of large field stones – just like the foundation of our house, it has a dirt/crushed gravel floor, and old knob and tube electrical! It’s probably about 10’x10′ in size. One day, we plan to turn this into a wine cellar!

Creating More Storage with DIY Pantry Shelves

OK…if you’re not creeped out yet, let’s get to the fun makeover part! I’m SO excited with how one day of work turned this old closet space into a super useful and cute spot in my house! Ahhh!! I’m so excited about it! 🥰

PROBLEM: I needed storage for all of my canned goods that I made throughout the summer from my garden. We haven’t been able to eat at our table for 3 months because of all the jars! 😂

SOLUTION: Build shelving to house LOTS of canned goods and make it adorable and not scary! All while using supplies and decor I had…I wanted to try to avoid buying as much as possible.

Second problem, that I should probably mention: all of the crown molding, trim and doors that were in this closet are now on the floor causing tripping hazards in the basement. Oops!!

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Build DIY Pantry Shelves

Step 1: Adding Insulation to Seal Gaps

First, I noticed a few spots that looked a little questionable…like…I could see furry creatures trying to make their way into our nice, warm cozy house in the freezing cold months. I filled those spots with 1.5″ foam insulation board that I had left over from 1building the rabbit hutch (yep, another project I never shared about – but, it’s amazing! It’s insulated, has real shingles for the roof, heaters, and the whole works!)

Step 2: Cutting the Wood for Custom Pantry Shelving

Once I filled all of the gaps, I went on a scavenger hunt for wood. I needed 2x8s I found a ton of 2x6s that would have worked perfect…but I really wanted to be able to make each shelf hold 2 jars deep, so, they needed to be built with 2x8s. I found two 2x8x12 that we had used to set up as supports when we painted our custom built green kitchen cabinets.

Although they were crappy looking, they were perfect!…and free! I used an ice scraper (??) that I found in the garage and scraped off all of the loose paint. Then I cut two pieces to 92″ tall and 2 pieces to 44″.

Step 3: Assembling the Pantry Shelf Frame

I brought them inside and got busy assembling the large 92″x44″ rectangle frame using my powered drill and 2 1/2″ wood screws. I ended up needing my husband to help me get some of the top screws in tightly because I was too short, even on the ladder. 🙃

Here’s the frame all built. I built it so it just cleared the ceiling. We anchored it to the studs above and to the left (behind the beam) with screws to ensure that the shelving unit never moves and is sturdy! *note: in an ideal world, I would have installed the bead board before adding the frame…but my husband kindly suggested that I didn’t need to go waste time and gas to drive to the town that Home Depot is in when I had to go over that way in 2 hours anyway…so, impatience got the best of me and I just started building! I don’t regret my choices.

Step 4: Painting the Pantry Shelves

Since I had some time to kill before going to Home Depot, I painted the entire frame using my most favorite craft paint in the world, Dixie Belle Silk Paint! Literally, I freaking love this paint and have been using it for almost 10 years! I just can’t bring myself to use any other brand because I know how wonderful Dixie Belle covers and holds up!

At first, I started painting the frame a light gray/blue. But I quickly changed my mind because that was too boring for this adorable little space. I wanted color!! And POP!! So, I grabbed a jar of Desert Rose and my mini angled paint brush, and got busy painting. I literally fell in love with the color! It was just right!

Step 5: Installing Beadboard for Shelf Backing

While the paint dried, I was able to go to Home Depot and pick up the few items I needed: Bead board and 2 more 2x8x12s. In all honesty, the bead board paneling wasn’t necessary…but in my defense, I always find bead board necessary! (even the rabbit hutch I built has it for the walls over the insulation).

I just feel like you can never go wrong with it and it adds so much CUTENESS that I can’t understand why you wouldn’t want to use it!!…plus, it’s literally only $21 bucks for a panel. It’s soooo worth it!

I loaded up my supplies and rushed home to keep building before it got too cold and dark (p.s. I did keep working in the dark, which was totally fine with me…once I get started on a project, I just want to keep going!)

The first thing I did when I got home was paint my 2x8s with Desert Rose. Although Dixie Belle Paint dries sooooo quickly, it was only in the high 40s at this point, so I wanted to make sure it had enough time to actually dry before I cut them and brought them inside.

…and yes, you might have noticed that my shirt matches the paint! One of my good friends asked if I chose a paint color to match my shirt in case I was painting sloppy. HAHAHA! No!!! I just LOVE pink and this is like a beautiful mauve color. Yes, mauve!! I’m bringing back all of the olden day colors and I’m not sorry about it! —> when you own an 1886 Victorian, there are no rules! You can use as much color as you love (and you should!).

While the paint dried, I hit a frustrating snag—getting the bead board behind the frame was impossible. After some huffing and puffing, I cut the panel in half (hamburger style, like in elementary school) and created two pieces that fit perfectly. I then secured them to the back of the frame with finishing nails and a nail gun.

Next I added my first shelf … because I was aggravated that I had a seam in the bead board 🙄

Step 6: Installing and Anchoring Pantry Shelves for Maximum Storage

I measured the frame width for each shelf individually—a tedious but necessary step. Tip for new woodworkers: It’s better to take your time than to cut too short (you can’t grow wood back!). The slight bowing in the side frames made each shelf a slightly different length.

Next I used my Kreg jig that my husband bought for me back in 2013 to make my $12 DIY Planter Boxes!! I made pocket holes, on the underside, on both ends of the shelf.

I measured the shelf placement, leveled it, and secured it with my battery-powered impact drill. After installing a few shelves, I made a 6″ spacer to simplify the process for the next ones.

Each shelf holds two jars deep! I really wanted to utilize the space I had to it’s maximum potential! I have a lot of canned items from this year (I picked over 600lbs of tomatoes I grew!! woot woot!)

Pint jar shelves are spaced 6″ apart and quart jar shelves are spaced 8″ apart. This allowed me to maximize the amount of shelves!

Oh my gosh, that pink!!! It’s seriously so feminine and beautiful to me! Perfect for holding all of my canned goods that I worked so hard to grow!

Step 7: Styling the Pantry with Farmhouse Decor

After installing the shelves (with more still to add), I started thinking about decor. Because really, what’s a canning pantry without some charm? I found the first wooden sign I ever made, back when I hosted DIY Wooden Sign Workshops in North Carolina!

Although this sign was cute, it really did not fit the vibe of my canning pantry. But the frame itself was still good, so I had an idea!

I made this sign with vinyl, rather than paint (and honestly, that is such an easier route to go). I peeled off the vinyl, which ended up being a tedious process. The vinyl I used was permanent adhesive…which, it truly isn’t “permanent, permanent”, but it certainly stuck on there really well. Thankfully, none of the cream paint came off, so I was in the clear!

I took a coffee break and started designing a sign for my pantry. I looked at Pinterest for inspiration, but really didn’t find anything I liked. So, I had to come up with the design all on my own.

Once I had the design all set, I sent it to my Silhouette Cameo where I cut it out using permanent vinyl in matte black.

After weeding the design, I added the transfer tape and applied it to my wooden sign! (if you’re interested in learning how to make a wooden sign, I have a full step-by-step tutorial showing you how! How To Make A Wood Sign – Farmhouse Style| From Start to Finish.

I’m so happy that I was able to repurpose that old sign! Seriously, I’m a hoarder, and I hate getting rid of things that I know have potential! Which, in this case, it turned out great!

Step 8: Adding Vinyl Flooring for a Finished Pantry Look

When I first envisioned this room, I wanted a pretty floor and a marble shelf. I grabbed a roll of adorable vinyl flooring from the attic (the same cute one I used in the rabbit hutch!) and cut it to fit the space.

The floor was tricky due to two jacks supporting the staircase, each with a metal plate and four bolts. To make it work, I simply poked holes in the vinyl for the bolts—problem solved! 😂

It’s not perfect, but I had to make this room less scary—otherwise, no one would grab things for me! I didn’t glue the floor down, and the bubbles from storage will settle in a few days.

The Final Reveal: Our Pantry Makeover Transformation

Once all the major renovations were complete, I grabbed a few more decor items I had laying around in my attic or my porch – like the vintage pitcher I bought with my dear friend, Angela, when we went to a barn sale in North Carolina (I love being reminded of moments in my life through my decor). I also stuck an old milking stool, a couple of crocks and artificial plants in there to give it more of a homey feel.

I am absolutely in love with it!!! …and this is only day 1! I still have to build another shelving unit and do a couple more things up in the space above the stairs!

p.s. those jars at the bottom in the photo above = KETCHUP!!! Yes!!! I made homemade ketchup! Pretty amazing if I do say so myself! 💪 When you grow over 600lbs of tomatoes, you have to get creative with what you make!

What do you think? Would you have done anything differently in this space? What would you add? I’d love to hear your thoughts—drop a comment below!