The pantry is a bit nostalgic, conjuring up simpler times. It’s a closet or walk-in space in the kitchen, or nearby, with shelves lining the walls from floor to ceiling. From canned to boxed goods, paper towels and other non-perishables, the pantry stores anything and everything these days. 

Borrowing Space

If people don’t have a pantry, they look to find space to create one — whether outfitting an old closet with shelving or designing a multi-purpose room, combining a pantry with a mudroom and laundry area.  Others look to built-in storage — cabinets within the kitchen cabinetry — to solve their pantry needs, if they can’t borrow space from another room.

When someone is renovating a kitchen, we have ways of creating pantry space when it is desired.  One recent project we did looked like a standard pantry cabinet from the front, but once the doors opened, it’s a step-in pantry. We borrowed 18 inches of depth from an adjacent space behind it and built wrap-around shelving inside.

Walk-in Pantry or Storage Cabinet

People want a kitchen where everyone congregates and where a lot of the main prep happens to be a much more open, naturally lit environment.  They’re knocking down the wall between the dining room and kitchen, but it’s often too big of a space.  So, we’ll create a walk-in pantry and bring the scale of the room back down to a nice size.

If there are space restraints, we’ll combine areas.  People sometimes want other functions such as a coffee or wine station or charging station. Within six feet of wall, we’re able to do a storage cabinet that acts as a pantry with an adjacent counter with a stack that has a coffee machine or a wine cooler built-in. Thanks to built-in appliances and roll out shelving, we’re able to make this happen.

A Multi-Functional Room

We’re also seeing a trend of placing a second refrigerator for food storage in the pantry.  Today’s refrigeration is getting shallower in depth, so there’s less room unless you buy a wider style. But, then you’re taking up precious real estate in the kitchen.

Pet food, big pots, bulky type items don’t lend themselves to clean, modern kitchens.  Whether it’s a roll of paper towels or dog food it’s three steps away, but out of sight. The pantry not only makes a perfect place to store these items, but a place where the dog can eat too. It can serve a lot of different functions. Imagine stepping into a room between your garage and kitchen, where there’s a place for your coat and shoes, a sink, washer and dryer, and cabinets for storage. This is how people want to live today.

Everyone wants a space to store all of the “stuff.”  Today’s pantry not only functions, but looks pretty good while doing so.

Top Photo: Design by SGS Studio

Second Photo: Design by April Tidey/Photo by Janis Nicolay

Last Photo: Design by Point One Architects