It’s funny how things turn out. Just six short months ago, the hallmark of life lived-to-the-brim was measured (for many of us) by spending lots of time outside the house, perhaps eating out, drinking in the pub and hanging out with friends and family. Fast-forward to COVID world and it’s a very different place. In spite of the relaxation of the lockdown rules, so much of our time still seems to be spent inside. Whereas once we invested our time and energy into planning holidays, places to visit and people to see, nowadays our lives in many ways are much simpler. We make shopping lists, plan our meals, schedule exercise, Zoom and Facetime calls, and every minute spent outside of the house is a bonus.
So it came as no surprise to us when we came across a feature in a back issue of Sunday Times Style called Larder Love. The premise of the article was this: We have never been so obsessed with what’s in our store cupboards and what we can cook up with the stuff lurking in there. So it makes sense that one of the hottest trends is the humble pantry. Gwyneth Paltrow and Khloe Kardashian were early adopters and Pinterest reports that searches for pantry organisation increased by 60% at the start of the lockdown. The pantry may have started off in grand houses, but one can also work in a modest space (for example repurposing a utility room; sometimes there is extra space in the wall cavity that could be turned into a shallow cupboard by fitting narrow shelves or you could even repurpose a wardrobe).
The article goes on to say that it can take two days to get your ingredients in order but the end result is immensely satisfying. The result should lend a sense of regimented calm to your supplies – despite what’s happening in the outside world. Once you have a sense of order, it feels like anything is possible.
Futon Company says: One really important thing that we’ve learned in COVID world is how adaptable us humans are as a species. Despite decades of having access to opportunities and products at our finger tips, for the most part, many of us have become remarkably good at finding new ways to live our lives. Actually there’s a lot of talk about this in the media at the moment. The New Normal, journalists keep telling us, is how we will live now, and this includes not having such immediate access to things like food. For those lucky enough to have a real life pantry and storage space this isn’t such a challenge, but for those living in small spaces (who are often used to buying meals for a couple of days at a time), finding space to store extra food can be a challenge. While we might not all have the space (or cash) to build a pantry there are always ways to create extra space by introducing new storage by maximising every single space available (under the bed, high up on the wall).
Duo Large Stacking Storage Box
Narrow Oak Leaning Ladder Shelves
