Scavenger Chic

One Day Pantry Makeover in an old Farmhouse

• By Joan
• March 13, 2024
• No Comments

One Day Pantry Makeover in an old Farmhouse

I was visiting my son and his wife at their old farmhouse Airbnb, and I  had one day left in my visit to conquer  a project.  There was lots to do,  but I had them pick a project any project, and they picked this kitchen pantry for a clean out and reno.

 https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/796898070761058706?adults=1&children=0&enable_m3_private_room=true&infants=0&pets=0&check_in=2023-08-20&check_out=2023-08-25&source_impression_id=p3_1692541787_dQeelbIFQRlf5OUd&previous_page_section_name=1000&federated_search_id=4c907bca-9031-43b7-9c6c-806ebac1b56c)

The pantry is rather stocked but it’s mostly random items that were just shoved in there while other parts of the house were being worked on.

Everything had to go.  What I was left with were these dirty old shelves, random pieces of 2×4’s holding up the shelves, and a piece of plywood covering an old wooden window.

First thing on the demo list was to remove the 2×4’s and 2×3’s holding up the shelves.  I assumed that these random pieces were an integral part of holding these shelves up, but they still had to go because they  looked terrible.

Lo and behold there was absolutely nothing wrong with the structure and sturdiness of the shelves.  Happy Day 😀 

Since this is an old farmhouse, I’m just picturing grandma making tons of preserves and canning and needing the extra shelf support.   That’s just the image that pops into my head.

A fresh coat of paint on the shelves hides all the stains they’ve endured over the past 70 years.  Did you see those stains in that last picture?

This was 2 coats of an oil based semi gloss paint.  If I had more than one day to do this makeover, the walls could have definitely use a freshening.

The piece of plywood covering the back window also had to come down.  I like old windows.  And while this window overlooks a storage closet that had been added on to the back of the house, I would much rather look at a cute little old window, maybe with curtains, than a plain old piece of plywood.

While the shelves were in much better condition (and didn’t need any extra support) than I had imagined, the window was in far worse condition.  It could no longer open and shut and offered no seal against the weather.

So back up the plywood went, but this time I cut it to fit inside the existing window frame.

I also grabbed some additional scrap wood and extended the frame down past the existing window, far enough so that I could hang 2 thrift store pictures.  When I picked these pictures up I didn’t envision them in a pantry, they were actually giving me bedroom vibes,  but you gotta go with the flow.

I painted black inside the frame so that the two wood colors  would blend seamlessly.

An existing break in the shelves is the perfect storage spot for a high chair.

Ready to restock the pantry.  This time a little less haphazard.

Projects don’t always have to be big to make a big impact. As always, stay inspired.

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