As we prep for the holidays — and the accompanying guests and gatherings that promise to brighten these months, we forage and shuffle things around in pantries to retrieve our favorite ingredients, cookware, bakeware, and serving pieces.

To prepare for November turkey basting and pie baking, for example, we’ll pull down those long-lost roasting racks, table toppers, and treasured family recipes — while preparing and organizing the biggest sit-down meal of the year. This can sometimes be a frustrating exercise when items can’t be easily found or start to tumble. To avoid this bother, it's truly the perfect time to consider ways to organize that will streamline this festive season and the years to come.

Does the space you have designated as a pantry align with your needs and lifestyle?

What works and what doesn’t?

Do you need more space?

Are items easily accessible?

What have you tried, and what have you not considered?

What if you could start all over?

When taking on any organizational project, it is always best to start with the end goal in mind: What would the ideal look like? And then address how to find the space or make existing space work for you.

Depending on the size and layout of your abode, pantry-like storage can come in various shapes and sizes. From an oversized cabinet to a small closet off the kitchen, or an adjacent room, a “pantry” can have many different meanings.

For those who do not have a designated pantry, is there another area or blank wall where you can create an innovative scullery or butler's pantry adjacent to the kitchen or dining area?

Looking at other parts of the home, someone with limited room might smartly turn their front entry closet into a pantry, while another might make use of a garage wall for storing items not required on a regular basis (like bulk-size cans and specialty cookware).

If this seems daunting, know that the spatial design experts at California Closets love to explore the possibilities with you, starting with the actual physical space available.

There are 3 types of spaces to consider, from the traditional to the more creative.

• PANTRY: a room or closet used for storage (as of provisions) or from which food is brought to the table
• BUTLER’S PANTRY: a service room between the kitchen and the dining room
• SCULLERY: a room for cleaning and storing dishes and cooking utensils, and for doing messy kitchen work

Once the space available has been identified, the California Closets designer will have a conversation around your eating and cooking patterns — what you regularly buy and store, and how often you shop. Are you a frequent farmers' market fan who needs breathable storage spaces for fresh items you rotate in from local vendors? Or are you a bulk shopper seeking sturdy shelves for oodles of cans and jars? Or, perhaps you aren’t much of a shopper at all, instead prioritizing space for serving platters, pitchers, floral vases, and other decorative hosting items, both practical and fun.

Every pantry set-up can have an entirely different look and feel that reflects the needs of the homeowner. For example, the team has worked with those who don't cook often, so instead they saved a dedicated storage area for water bottles, hydration packets, protein powders, and bars. Another family found great joy in ice cream gatherings, so they prioritized a section for toppings and cones — so that they’re at the ready whenever the craving strikes. One client, an avid host with an especially large house, kept an area cleared out and intentionally empty so that, when entertaining for many guests, the caterers already have a place to set up (tucked away from the public party scene). Yet another multi-tasking homeowner chose to slide her office into the pantry, making the space a bit of a “mom command center,” where her desk with iPad and calendar sat directly next to snacks and other items needed to scoot the kids out the door.

You might ask: Why California Closets?

Most pantries get delivered to homeowners with long shelves that aren't adjustable, meaning folks end up with a lot of wasted space and visibility problems when retrieving items from the back.

California Closets systems offer adjustable shelves that allow you to organize the pantry into intuitive themes and genres. By having sectioned areas in the pantry, you’ll also be able to maximize space by utilizing pull-out shelves, drawers, baskets on runners, and other clever items that have articulating motion. Instead of keeping negative space above cans, having items that can pull out to retrieve items is a good way to maximize vertical space. This means you can have more rows in the same area, increasing the amount you can store and the ease of access.

So, when the time comes, you’re ready to head into your pantry space with a family recipe (and perhaps a gathering basket) in hand, pulling the appropriate ingredients out to your counter or island to truly get down to business, without frustration.

During the complimentary in-home consultation, the California Closets designer will assist you in maximizing the cozy and delicious months ahead by getting to know every customer on a deeper level — helping you find out who you are, and how to best support that authentic you and your best habits. California Closets essentially says: make room for what belongs.

P.S. – A new pantry makes for a great holiday gift!

Should you need their assistance as you prepare for this festive season of hosting, experts in the field from California Closets are ready and waiting to help create spaces that best support all your storage needs — in the pantry and beyond. Call 503.885.8211 to set up a complimentary in-home consultation. Visit us at www.calclosets.com or stop into one of our local showrooms located in the Pearl in Portland, West Linn (exit 8 off of 205), Grand Central in Vancouver, WA, and down in Bend on Newport Ave.