Whether you are remodeling, building a new home or just reorganizing your existing kitchen, you may want to consider adding a pantry. If you have the space, a walk-in pantry is an ideal choice. If you are a little tighter on space consider an unused corner or an under used closet in the kitchen area that might be reborn as a pantry. Before you and your designer jump into your pantry design here are ten things to consider.
Plan your space. Pantries typically need floor to ceiling shelves if you want to make the most of the space. However, if you are building or renovating it might not be smart to wait until after you put up the drywall to shop for shelves. Choose the shelves you want and then plan the pantry with the shelves’ depths in mind. This will help you eliminate any unforeseen sizing issue and will help eliminate the possibility that you will be stuck with pantry shelves that are too deep or too shallow for your liking.
Know the doors that will work best. Pantries are already fairly small, even the walk-in variety. If you add a door that opens into the pantry, it can be really hard to get to the items you’ve stored behind the door, limiting the items you can store in your pantry. You may want to opt for a door that swings outward into your kitchen or a pocket door so you don’t lose any useable space in an already small spot.
Consider the flow of your kitchen. When considering adding a pantry, think about the natural flow of your kitchen. If you don’t consider your pantry in your overall layout, you’ll find yourself walking around tables and carrying supplies clear across the house. Plan everything together.
Make sure to include electrical outlets. There are a number of small appliances that you may want to plug in your pantry. Some people put wine refrigerators or can openers in their pantries. Even if you don’t have plans for those items in your pantry, you never know what you’ll what in the future, and at that point it will be too late to easily add them.
Choose lighting carefully. The lighting you choose doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive – it just has to be functional. Consider how frustrating it would be to enter your new pantry, searching for a specific item and not being able to find it in the dark. At the very least you should have the wiring set up for a light so that you can install it in the future.
Where should you put the pantry? Look for unused space, a room beneath a staircase for instance. You don’t have to lose valuable real estate in your kitchen in order for you to have a pantry. You need to also consider that your pantry needs to be located in a clean, dark, dry place. Also important is the temperature of this small space. If your pantry shares a wall with a laundry room or any room that gets hot, like a computer room, your food could spoil more quickly. Think about your pantry’s location in conjunction with your entire house, not just in relation to the kitchen.
Don’t limit yourself. It is true that most people like to have large, solid shelving in their pantry. That isn’t your only option, however. Consider adding accessories like plate racks, wine racks, or vegetable baskets, to name just a few. Thinking outside of the box can help you make the most of your pantry storage.
Kitchen pantries come in all shapes and sizes. Although some people just opt for a glorified cupboard, most people dream of a walk-in pantry, large enough for their family’s needs. Avoid costly mistakes by thoroughly planning your kitchen pantry.
