Monday, July 7, 2014

Adding a Pantry to the Refrigerator Cabinet

I recently marked another project off of my to-do list. I added a pull-out pantry to both sides of the refrigerator cabinet at our summer cottage. I had to figure it out as I went along and made several trips to the store to fine tune the hardware but I got it done and am so glad that it is behind me. It adds a considerable amount of storage in an otherwise unused space. Big disclaimer here: this was not my original idea. I saw one at my friend’s house that was built into her custom cabinetry and I thought I could probably do that. So, I copied hers. (Thanks, Stacy!) Because my husband sometimes gets stressed when I am in a very messy project, I waited until he was out of town to complete this project. Thankfully, he was gone for two days so that it was completely finished when he got back home.

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It was hard to take photos because the island is in front of the frig but I think you can get the idea.

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I started by measuring the space inside the cabinet on each side of the refrigerator then I used a handsaw to cut the trim piece of cabinetry on each side of the refrigerator. I did cut 1/8 th inch from the trim piece so that it would slide in and out without dragging the floor.

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I slid the refrigerator out to allow some workspace and I used a hammer to pry off the piece of cabinet trim.

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I purchased 1 x 3 poplar boards from my local home improvement store and cut them the appropriate lengths to construct a simple bookcase type structure.

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The photo above is the basic box laying on one side. The other shelves were then added. I used wood screws for construction and I did not think that I needed to use glue too.

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The photo above shows the finished shelves and you can see that I added three casters to the bottom. Those were fixed casters, not the swivel kind so that the shelf would slide straight in and out. I also added aluminum strips (3/4 inch wide) to hold items on the shelves. The aluminum strips were purchased at the home improvement center too and I used a handsaw to cut them to the appropriate size.

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Next I used wood screws to attach the trim piece to the front of the shelf. (The screws were put it from the back so that they don’t show.) I attached a cabinet slide to the top and the bottom to keep the shelf in place as it slides in and out.

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The photo above shows the unfinished part of the cabinet where I pulled the trim piece off. The photo below shows where I painted that little piece to blend in with the cabinet. It only shows when the shelf is pulled out.

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We have the same hardware in the laundry room and the kitchen so I used the pulls from the laundry room cabinet so that the pulls would all match and attached them to the fronts.

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I am thoroughly enjoying summer and am looking forward to the Haven conference this week!

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I’ll be linking to the Scoop at Worthing Court, to Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life, and to Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style. Click the links for lots of inspiration!

8 comments:

  1. Now that needs to be featured in a magazine or website somewhere! You are pretty brilliant....and brave!! Great job.

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  2. Wow, Pat, you did a great job! This is not only beautiful; but, a great use of space, as well!

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  3. Wonderful idea...I love it. It really takes advantage of every square inch for function and beauty!

    Only a woman would think of that!

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  4. Wow, I am so impressed that you did that yourself! I am married to a very handy guy so have never had to do anything like this. I love it and it is amazing how much storage it gives. Thanks so much for your visit too! She is our angel, and yes, the answer to many prayers!!!!

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  5. Wow! you did these yourself? You are so good! I wouldn't know where to start. It looks very functional and practical. Thank you so much for praying for my granddaughter, Rea....Christine

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  6. Now this is genius and you have a built in look too. I love it. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me.

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  7. Lydia, this is SO impressive!!! Such a brilliant use of space, and I love how you took it on yourself when your husband was out of town! :) Thanks so much for sharing at Best of the Nest!

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  8. Lydia, you are a magician! I have been marveling about this kind of shelves for over a year but being a total newby in DIY, I had no idea where to start. Thank you so SO MUCH for this clear and simple tutorial!!

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