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
