I would not close off the pass through or do open shelving. Unless you use the items on open shelving frequently they get dirty from dust and grease and you have to wash before using. I would leave as butlers pantry but install things like pull out shelves in the lower cabinets or change to drawers. Then you could more easily store some of your appliances. Also it's good for gatherings to have that opening to the kitchen. That's my opinion but you decide what you think will work best for your family. New subscriber and I'm enjoying this video series!
You actually have plenty of storage space. Once you declutter down to just having what you need, you'll have space in the Butler's pantry for storing your non-daily use stuff. Leaving the glass doors, but making them opaque, would geep it more open and be pretty. And just think how much money and disruption you'll save by not doing something more drastic. Plus, that little pass through to the Dining room is adorable - and gives you circular flow. Some people would kill (or remodel) for that! As you reduce processed and packaged food and snacks, you really don't need a full room pantry.
What’s great about sharing is that you find out you’re not alone. Although you open yourself up and it can be scary, the truth is that most of us are in similar situations. We’re struggling to keep things under control as well. My ideal situation is to declutter so much that things can never get overwhelming for me. Of course my son and husband don’t share these ideals.😩
Seems to me you have an enormous amount of space and storage. I can't see why you'd feel the need to "renovate" that perfectly lovely new home in any way, including the desire for a pantry.
I store my Food Saver and my blender in an easy to access cupboard. I have to take the blender pitcher off the base for storage because it’s too tall. Then I just put it away when I’m done using it and it’s all cleaned. I use my yonanas machine almost every night and do the same thing. Store away the base as soon as I’m done using it. Then clean the parts that make the dessert by hand. Then when those parts are completely dry, I reassemble it and store it next to it’s base. Just wanted to share what works for me.
Just a friendly thought. Soap up the dishes then rinse all. So water doesn’t have to run constantly. Great videos. I’d love to hear your story of your family.
We just down-sized from 3300 sq ft to 1640 sq ft - we did both - declutter furniture; stuff before we moved and then when we got moved in - we declutter more furniture and more stuff! Feeling pretty good - going through pictures and removing them from frames. Will give the frames away and store pictures in acid free papers and boxes. God bless you and yours.
Oh my gosh, that is too funny! I really have no idea why I put the butter in the microwave. Usually we leave our butter dish on the counter but this wasn't even in a butter dish, it was a random stick of butter. 😂😂
Hi! First time viewer here. I would just leave it as is. It looks great! Open shelves get way too dusty and you lose storage space. Loving your channel.
I put things I don’t use often in my garage, big pots and small appliances etc. I first put them in plastic bags to keep them clean and protect them. Frees up tons of space in my tiny kitchen.
Your pantry is visible from other rooms, so storage (open or not) has to be neat. I prefer closed storage bc it looks tidy, and doesn't get dusty. I would not close off the dining room entryway, but if you are seriously considering it, then rope it off and live as tho it's not there. I think you'd miss it. I think you might be looking to make a structural change instead of the deeper issue of decluttering. Personally, I think you've got a lovely spacious kitchen and pantry, and should reorganize and declutter, or you might be right back where yiu started anyway. Don't use vinegar or acidic cleaners on your natural stone counters -- it will ruin them over time. Also, I'm not sure about spraying on a disinfectant and leaving it for hours -- that may do damage, as well. Those are meant to be on no longer than a few minutes, I don't think. You'd better research that. Your spaces are looking very nice after tidying up.
I thought it was great the way you posted your tidying videos. It makes me feel better about my place, and I cleaned and tidied along with you! A new subscriber from Australia 🙃
Your honesty and vulnerability is so appreciated!!!!!! I am 28 with a 2 year old and a 4 month old. I also have a 65 lb dog that is constantly next to me while cleaning :p MY HOUSE LOOKS LIKE THIS EVERYDAY!! I try so hard to keep it clean but it feels like it is so hard to stay on top of it with life happening (not to mention lack of sleep with a baby). So thank you for the raw and real content. It is very encouraging! :) I like to think that a messy house just means other more important things are being prioritized 😊 because at the end of the day the mess will ALWAYS be there.
My husband and I have bought a smaller home for our retirement. It’s not quite as small as we were thinking of but it will be a lot easier to maintain. I am desperate to declutter as I CANNOT take all of this junk with us. My anxiety is through the roof and as I have very little energy and an autoimmune disease it just amplifies the problem. I am constantly watching videos like yours for the motivation I need.❤️🙏
When we were downsizing I called a friend who was so helpful. We went through two storage areas really fast. I had a ton of mixed media stuff I had collected for years thinking it would turn into art. We made a huge pile and a junk removal company hauled it all away.
That is a good idea. I have one on the outside to wipe feet on before entering but a rug on the inside would be a good idea. Should I do a runner type rug or like a rectangle welcome kind of rug?
I love your shadow-she is beautiful! As the mom of several furry shadows, I agree that it is difficult to get things done sometimes. If I really need to get deep in the cleaning zone, I will take my biggest "shadow" to my boyfriend's house to hang out with his dogs while I get my cleaning done! I had a good laugh about the butter in the microwave-I've put my toothbrush in the fridge before!!!
Must feel good to get that decluttering done! I have wood floors too, and I find using a "sweep mop" is super helpful. I don't mean a measly Swiffer, I mean an actual sweep mop that has a detachable/ washable pad. It's wide and has a long handle and you can just walk quickly and it picks a bunch up in to the pad. It makes for quick floor cleaning. The type I use it not a "wet mop", but dry. I've been using mine for about 10 years now and it's such a time saver & keeps floors so clean & makes for quick work!
Pickle is adorable! I have 3 rescue fluff muffins that do that! Every once in a while during the day I have to sit in my recliner with my feet up so all 3 of them can be in my lap! You have a beautiful house! We’ve lived in our ranch style house for over 25 years so as you can imagine I have a lot of purging to do! But I’m determined!
Thank you again for your honesty. It really helps us who feel like we’re the only one. 😔💕😊 I LOVE my Method Pink Grapefruit scented all purpose spray. I keep a bottle in the kitchen as a reward&nice finishing touch at the end. It’s scent is very uplifting 💕I like your idea of doing a sanitizing spray at the end of the night 💕I’ll have to look for a spray with a scent I like.💕 I’ve been trying to decide whether to get rid of my dish drainer, which I keep out permanently. I don’t like the look but I love it there for the quick washing. When I moved to my smaller home, my daughter made me get rid of half of my dishes. Now I really ought to go from 6 sets to 4…BUT, what if I have 6 or even 7 folks for dinner at a time???🤕😢I’m looking forward to decluttering/cleaning with you, one room and (layer?) at a time. It really is a continuous process. Have a blessed week. 💕🙏🤗
I actually like the butler pantry, it makes a nice pass way to the dining room. I also like cabinets, but not glass doors on them. I don't like to see the items inside. It is a tough decision!
I actually think if the glass doors were not on there, I would be happier. My mom suggested maybe taking the glass doors off in lieu of open shelving but honestly, I would really like to have my items behind solid cabinet doors if I am not turning that area into a big pantry. It is such a tough decision which is why I love feedback and opinions. Thank you so much for watching and responding. ❤
@@coffeecarbsclutter you could put some plastic film with a frosted effect, to obscure the contents but still keep the feeling of glass. Just a thought.
I don't like open shelving: it looks messy and gets dusty, plus your butler's pantry is visible from other rooms. I would put film on the glass of the cabinet doors to make them translucent. You have a large kitchen, sp maybe just some decluttering there would help out.
I am a big fan of pantries. I live in a 2 bedroom apartment (no pantry) so I made our large coat closet in the hallway/living room into a pantry. Just me and hubby so don't need that much coat closet.
Enjoyed the video! Counters are a catchall for things, especially because you have tons of counter space. Don't be embarrassed by your messes, we all have them once in a while. I like the idea of the dresser in the living room for extra storage, what do you keep in there?
Isn't that the truth! When we bought this house I was thrilled with the counterspace because our former home did not have great counterspace but I did not realize what a clutter magnet these counters would be! It also takes forever to wipe them all down. 😂 In our dresser we have blankets, some seasonal decor, and my kiddos homeschool books that are being actively used. The rest of our homeschool stuff that is not used as frequently is in what I lovingly call our homeless room. I think everyone will be shocked when that video goes up in a few weeks at the transformation. Heck, I will be shocked when it gets all done! 😆
I love that your dog walks and lays in the pile of swept up dirt too. Mine are obsessed and love to grab the dust pan with the swept up dirt. Which flings it everywhere.🤦🏼♀️😂
That is true. My pantry is not super user friendly but we have a few other options we can look into. Nothing is being done anytime soon. I have to get the walls patched and painted throughout the rest of the house and that is going to take months. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate all the feedback. ❤
I might be in the minority, but I would absolutely wall off the passthrough because no one has ever regretted having a large pantry, and plus it would make that front room more functional as an office or even downstairs bedroom space if needed in the future. If you decide it's too inconvenient carrying food down the hall, you could always switch the living room and dining room furniture so the front room is a den and your formal dining room has a nice fireplace.
My husband would be thrilled if I would do away with the dining room. He wants to make it into a more formal sitting room kind of thing. We rarely have company over and mostly we sit at our breakfast bar to eat meals. He may have a point about getting rid of the dining room but I am just not quite there yet. I am in the process of picking out curtains, paint, and a new light fixture for the room to make it more inviting. Right now I feel it is a bit...sterile. I do agree that no one, or at least very few, have regretted having a larger pantry. 😁❤
Oh - you missed a spot in the living room - there's a great big ball of white fluff with floppy ears on the couch. I moved last year and thought I'd done a good job of downsizing at the time - turns out not so much - I'm still trying to organize and get rid of things - sometimes look at things and think to myself "why do you still have this?" Was going through a bunch of Tupperware recently because I had unboxed it and set it on my small kitchen counter to sort through - after about 2 weeks of looking at it and mumbling to myself about lack of space, I ended up shoving it all onto a shelf in my walk-in pantry - unfortunately it's waiting for me.
Dang! I miss that spot every time. 😂I know all to well the feeling of needing to sort something and then just moving it out of sight. It can be hard to get into a headspace to deal with it. My advice, pull out 5 pieces at a time and sort those. That way you won't have a large pile staring at you and you can see immediate improvement with just 5 pieces. That is how I tackle challenges like that. I am cheering you on!
Rofl, totally relate to butter in the microwave. For us it is the fridge.... Keys missing? Did you check the fridge or freezer? Book missing? Did you check the fridge? Yeup, it was there.
I keep a spray bottle with vinegar and lemon juice. It’s a great all purpose cleaner and deodorizer. I bet that would work in your reusable zip lock bag.
I think I will try that tomorrow. The bag is still perfectly fine but that freezer burn smell is strong. Thank you for responding and letting me know about the spray bottle I might try that myself. ❤
Definitely not open shelving, they can get so dusty....being able to put items away is, I feel a better solution...but its what ever makes you like and makes life easier that matters xx
The funny thing is, I try to check the microwave right before I go to bed for this very reason and I evidently forgot. I was so surprised to see the butter the next morning. 😂 Thank you so much for the kind words and for checking out my video. ❤
Loving your videos. And you should probably make a big pantry that way you can store the things you don’t want on your countertops bc it will look less cluttered.
That is exactly what I think but I am worried it might hurt resale value down the road should we decide to sell in the future. Once we get the dining room finished, I am sure we will use it more but right now it is so hard to see the forest for the trees. 🤗 Thank you so much for the feedback. I really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment.
@@coffeecarbsclutter Are you planning to resell soon? I feel like you should make your house function for your family the way you like it and not worry about future buyers because trends always change and opinions vary all over the place
This is the first of your videos I’ve seen so you may have addressed this before: How easy is it to clean your backsplash? It looks difficult even if sealed.
It is a nightmare to clean. One of these days I swear it is getting ripped out. I clean it by using my bosses steam shot around the stove area and heavy washing and dusting on the rest. Our builder put that in and it was not something we could change. 😭
Closing off that wall to make a pantry would be a great idea Because a lot of the things that you have out could actually be stored in the pantry and that’s a big area that you have.❤ I don’t think there’s one person in this world that do not need to D clutter for me to be a neat freak and OCD and when my last son was born who is autistic I got very behind and I am still working my way to get my house back in order which now he’s 18 he’s learning how to help so it’s a process and I take sections of my home To D clutter
Our kiddo is Autistic as well and it really is a struggle to balance meeting his needs and keeping up with the house. Hugs Momma! You got this!!! I completely understand and will cheer you on your journey alongside mine. ❤
I did that for the longest time as well but we use sooo many onions our home that it was becoming a bit too pricy for us. I have onion overwintering in the garden so this year hopefully I won't have to buy onions at all once they start producing. 😁
@@coffeecarbsclutter When we moved 7 years ago, I did a lot of decluttering. When we move five years later I was shocked at how much stuff I still had to declutter. It is a constant battle.
Question of the day was…. Why is the iPad in the fridge?… answer .. because I was watching a film!,, logical when you know that I was filling a 5 gallon container with filtered water.! It takes a long time, sooooo, I watched a film😱😱🤪🤗😂 & forgot to take the iPad out when I’d done the water chore🤓 is there a problem????🤣
Great question! They are only there temporarily as I find a new home for them outside of my home. When we downsized into this house, we did not get rid of enough stuff including big furniture.
Fair enough. I was thinking when I did the pantry organization in a couple of weeks, I might toss in a couple of renderings of what it might look like either way and see what the general consensus is. I am really hoping to come up with an idea to make the pantry more useable as is. 😀
Also, not sure if you like this idea, but I load the dishwasher throughout the day.... I finally got in to this habit ( & make sure my hubby and daughter do the same ) & that makes it so I don't have a sink of dishes to deal with at night. Even if it's a small cup, I put it in the dishwasher after using. It's really helpful to me - - also, it's visually helpful to not see my sink full of dishes. The things I need to hand wash, I just put to the side, but the rest I load as I use. Finally got my hubby to do the same!
That is what I try to do. My morning routine is empty the dishwasher so we start fresh. Throughout the day I try to get stuff in it as we go along. Most days I am pretty successful with that approach but then I will hit a day where I miss and then it is hard for me to get back on track. I just keep trying though. ❤
Do not close off the pantry, to dining area; do not use open shelving, put the vacuum sealer in the cabinet & other appliances not used often AND as far as that storage /organizer cabinet...extend it the whole wall of the hallway.......looks like you need space. On that you can have both open & closed spaces. Your "laundry room" needs a shelf over the W/D to get the detergent , etc. off the top of your appliances. Your kitchen, pantry & "coffee bar" has a LARGE amount of storage places.....get rid of duplicates & what you don't use.Rearrange your stuff & only place what is pleasant to see behind those glass doors...You have a wall pantry opposite w/ doors. ALSO get rid of that dog food/water dish in your dining room........it's tacky
I'd suggest before making any big change that you try to see where things could be stored in the existing cabinets; think through where would be a logical area for ease of use and experiment by trying out different ideas for locating different work zones. This would be easier & FAR cheaper to change more than once to find a solution before resorting to such a big commitment to change the layout of the house. I would also attempt to pretend that the structural work is done by cordoning off the access between the dining room and kitchen and see if it drives you mad! Also bear in mind that if you're not currently using the dining room much but plan to do so in the future you will probably feel differently about that area then. Hope this gives you some food for thought.
Sunshine will also kill smells. Best thing for mustiness and mold, also. Libraries put books with a bit of mold outside for a day, brush it off, and then spray with Lysol or something similar. UV rays rock!
I don't think a renovation is necessary for what you want to do. After you declutter and move things around you might figure out a better solution. Also, get a roll-out tray for your base cabinet for your blender. Or you can even just use an actual serving tray. It makes pulling out and pushing in glide smoother. Shadow is ironic for a white dog. 🤣🐩
I would keep the pass through and replace glass doors with regular doors. Get a big box or bag, put it in dining , and whenever you come across something you don't need, drop in box. When box is full, take to donate.
You asked about renovating that space. My questions-- What are your pain points you're trying to solve? Something about the function? Something about the appearance? Also, what is your organization style "bug" from Cass the Clutterbug? I think your style should dictate how you solve your pain points
I have always wanted a Butler's Pantry! You have such a gorgeous kitchen! I would display your nicest dishes and glasses in the upper cabinets in the Butler's Pantry if i were you. I would put the blender and sealer in the lower cabinets. You are doing a super job!!!
I would test open shelving by removing doors to cabinets first. I have moved to open shelving in the kitchen because we are a family of visual clutter bugs..... And it has worked well for us.... But it does collect greasy dirt. And I would leave the pass through... But either way would test it out by blocking it temporarily first too
I just found you today. You were talking about the things on your counter that you don't use all the time, check into an appliance garage. I wish I had one.
I can understand that. Honestly, I am hoping that once I get the kitchen decluttered, I can come up with other workable solutions that do not require big renovations. 😂 Thank you so much for responding. I really appreciate it!
@@coffeecarbsclutter and maybe if I lived there I would feel differently 😄 I know there’s a lot of things that I feel would flow better if they were renovated in houses I’ve lived in!
I'd suggest that before doing that try to see where they could be stored in the existing cabinets, would be easier (& cheaper) to change more than once to find a solution before resorting to such a big change.
Good job. I’m old enough to have lived through the open shelving trend of the 70s. I wouldn’t do it! It makes for more visual clutter & can be a pain to keep clean. I’d also keep the walk-through.
conventional coffee is among the most heavily chemically treated foods in the world. It is steeped in synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides, molds and yeasts
Thank you! It is a constant battle to keep those counters clear because in our house, clutter attracts clutter. 🤣 I really appreciate your kind words. ❤️
Hello…..I’m new to your channel. I’m in the same boat as you are in with clutter. I noticed your dining room area. Not telling you what to do, only mentioning but it would look great if you added a area rug under your table and a runner in your hallway. You have nice wood flooring and would look great for coloring. I’m looking forward to more of your videos.
I would love to have a rug in our dining room and we may one of these days. We tried a runner in the hall but my kiddo runs constantly up and down the hall so I was forever fixing it or he was tripping over it. We finally gave it up for now. Perhaps in the future it will make a comeback. And please know that I LOVE feedback and suggestions so thank you for sharing your ideas. They are great! ❤
