I spent the weekend mapping out my pantry design and beginning the building process. It’s a 4×6’ walk-in closet so not big enough to treat as a butler’s pantry but large enough to store kitchen staples. I’ve been living with basic wire shelving units for years and finally I’m getting around to upgrading to real shelves.
Before I began the project I thought about how I use the space and what I store in my pantry. I don’t store cleaning products or vacuums or brooms in there, I prefer not to mix them with food. I did write down all the basic categories of products: paper goods, canned goods, breakfast foods, etc. then came up with a design for how I’d store it all.
Before buying building materials, I did a lot of research online. I was trying to narrow down what look I was going for, and while navigating the internet found several inspiring ideas for pantry design. Below are some details that stood out to me, and some of my favorite looks.
I decided I’d be satisfied with basic shelves and I kept coming back to this design, so I gave my shelving a wraparound design similar to this clean and bright pantry.
I’m creating separate cubbies for better organization and giving the edges a look of greater thickness by adding 2” lattice trim. I’ve used that trick before on shelving, and I’ll share more about it next week when I feature the new built-in shelves. These designs also appealed to me, clean and white with separate spaces created by adding vertical dividers for cookbooks, appliances, and food items.
I love how Sandra added wine storage in her DIY walk in pantry. Even without a wine fridge this is a great idea for the shelving above where she added more utility for storing wine or other glass bottled beverages.
I never really thought about using labels since I habitually store things in certain zones, but I suppose if you have more than one person storing items in a pantry the labels can be useful. Do you use labels in your pantry?
I like the tonal paint in this space and how the shelves and cabinets are all the same soft gray blue. I considered painting my shelves all the same color too but in the end opted for a pale greenish gray backdrop and white shelves.
This pantry is a beautiful extension of the kitchen in its design, with its tiled backsplash and black brackets supporting the shelves. I didn’t create anything this fancy though. :)
via the kitchn
My pantry is light and bright but I had to share this idea I found because it’s the opposite of mine but I still love the look of this pantry with its moody dark paint, tongue and groove paneling, and natural wood countertop. Inspiring combination right?
I’ll share the final look and the step-by-step process of building the shelves next week. :)
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