Finally, A Pantry

I have complained to just about everyone who will listen about the lack of storage in my kitchen, but after Christmas things reached a sort of breaking point.  I received several things from Christmas, among them a paella pan, a knife block, a frying pan and lid, a food processor, and some assorted food items (assorted spices, arborio rice, etc.).  I realized, upon returning home, that while I might have been doing all right before Christmas, all these new additions needed to go someplace, and I didn't have a place to put them.  This problem was underscored when I returned from the grocery store with a couple of things that, in Chicago, I would have stuck into my pantry - olive oil and pasta sauce - which, combined with the other food items I couldn't find places for, make it blindingly obvious to me that if I ever wanted to clear off my counters, I would need more storage space.  So I betook myself to the Target in Columbia Heights (which I'm marking on the blog map, because I go there so often) and resolved to look for storage.

I had a bit of trouble.  I found the storage section without much difficulty, and bypassed plastic and metal for particle board that looks like wood - wire is all well and good for a closet, but anything in or near my kitchen is in plain view 24/7, so I wanted something that looked nice.  I came across a one-door, five-foot tall cabinet unit which, while it would have served perfectly as a pantry, was far too heavy for me to cart home on the Metro.  I then saw a two-door, three-foot tall cabinet in three colors which seemed exactly what I needed.  Better yet, one of the colors, alder (a sort of neutral blond) had had its price reduced by six dollars - I would happily spend $25 for my pantry.  The problem: the alder unit wasn't on the shelves, and after inquiring of a staff member, I determined that it wasn't in the stockroom either.  Drat.  I didn't want white, because it's too clinical, and I didn't really want espresso either (even though my table, chairs, desk, and bookshelf are espresso), because 1) these pieces were made by a different company, so the colors might not be the same, 2) this is particle board, not wood (like those other pieces), so the color might not translate, and 3) I thought lighter would look better in the place I intended to put it.  But no alder was available, so I went upstairs to get an extension cord.

As I descended the escalator, I noticed that there was another storage section, in one of the the rotating areas where there had been Christmas candy the last time I was at the Target.  So I walked over and poked around, and after encountering some of the same pieces that I had seen in the first section I was ready to give up.  But then I turned around and saw it: two-door, three feet tall, alder, and right there.  It shouldn't have been there - none of the other cabinets were there (I suspect someone thought better of it after putting it in a cart and, rather than putting it where it belonged, just ditched wherever they were).  But there it was, just one - the only one in the entire store!  I seized it and hastened, Gollum-like, to the check out.  After lugging the box onto the Metro and home, I assembled it, and here it is:

Although I didn't plan it this way, the alder color actually matches the floor pretty well.  As you can see, I have now found a place to store my paella pan, since it won't hang on my pot-rack.  I took the opportunity to free up a bit more space around the apartment by adding some things to the top of the cabinet so it looks all professional and such.  I am most pleased, of course, by the extra storage space - three feet tall, one foot deep, two feet wide, and three shelves gives me lots more room for food and whatever else needs to go in there.  And for $25 dollars!  I'm only letting myself get one large thing per month, and this is January's, but I think it's a pretty good choice.

Of course, I know you didn't come here to read about furniture - I just wanted to share this particular triumph with you.  I owe you pictures from and posts about my time in Gettysburg, and I promise to write them either tomorrow or Monday.  I'll back-date them to the middle of this week, but I'll be sure to provide links to them if they aren't immediately apparent on the home page.  I wouldn't deprive you of those pictures - I stayed in this incredibly kitschy hotel that you've just got to see...