How To Incorporate A Pantry Into Your Kitchenset Design – It’s only been a year since I “frou-frouded” my kitchen pantry. I love it and find all the little storage elements I added very helpful. I was able to manage it properly.
After living with this space for a few years, it’s time to reconfigure it and install new flooring.
How To Incorporate A Pantry Into Your Kitchenset Design
First things first….find my inspiration. Same song, second verse…travel the blogosphere and Pinterest and see what triggers my trigger.
Pantry Ideas For A Stylish And Organised Kitchen
Once I had an idea of what I wanted, it was time to take some measurements and draw everything out on graph paper…inspiration + space = ”plan.” Drawing scale to scale gives me the ability to play around with what I want on paper before I start cutting and nailing. It also gives me important measurements for cabinets, flooring and shelf materials.
I wanted base cabinets to hide rarely used appliances (food processor, grinder, etc.), dutch ovens, crock pots, etc.
Like Lauren, I like to use 12” wall cabinets as bases. However, I decided to build my shelves a little differently.
Unfortunately I couldn’t find any wall cabinets to use as base cabinets…at least none that were affordable. It is a pantry. With the cost of materials through the roof I had to be cost conscious of this little project.
Custom Pantry Reveal
So it all worked out in the “plan”. Again, a fluid plan, but a plan none the less.
First up… the flooring. The flooring is original tile and I decided to use the same tile I used in the laundry room. Tile on tile worked well in the laundry room so I decided to do it again.
I wanted to reset the shelving and build some additional “shelf towers” so I removed all the existing shelving….
I wanted a new light fixture so I found one I love. However, it came with Edison bulbs. You can see the bulbs in the glass, but I don’t like the light…too “yellow.”
Gorgeous Pantry Closet Ideas For Your Kitchen
One morning I woke up and thought, “I really don’t like that light.” So I got up, took the new one down and put the old one back up again. Again, it’s a pantry… Functionality is important sometimes. Maybe I’ll eventually find something that’s both beautiful and functional… at the bottom of the list at this point.
I whitewashed and painted the walls (my new fave, BM Chantilly Lace), grouted the floor tile, and started building base cabinets and adding new shelves. I preprimed and sanded all the material, so once it was assembled all I had to do was caulk and putty holes. Lightly sand, wipe with a tack cloth and ready to paint. Prepriming and sanding before you cut and install can save a major dust storm at home.
Again, I’m not going to go into a long tutorial… there are a lot of great tutorials out there.
If I want to splurge, I build walnut counters or even butcher block. But then again…it’s a pantry!
Best Butler’s Pantry Ideas
The question then is, if I go with a less expensive wood, do I stain it with a dark stain or leave it natural.
I love Dark Stain but I worry about it running properly. But you know, I don’t care. I love the dark stain and since the walls and cabinets are white, it’s dark! I decided to use pine “project board” from Lowes, stain it with “brown mahogany” and then apply a few coats of polyacrylic. (Remember, polyurethane will turn yellow over time)
Floors are finished, walls are painted, cabinets and shelves are built and painted, above. Now the hard part… I let it all sit and cure before I load it all back in. IT’S IMPORTANT PEOPLE!!!! Let your paint and finishes cure before you fully decorate…otherwise you’ll end up with spots and scuffs and wasting your time and money!
You’ll notice that I got two shelves on the right and center walls by reconfiguring them. I changed the top left shelves to 10″ and 8″ deep shelves instead of the 12″ that were there. I didn’t need the depth and felt like the space was “opened up”.
How To Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets And Pantry
I could have moved the top to the right side all the way around and had dog and cat food storage underneath…but I needed some shelves that were 14″ long so I decided to do a special “shelf tower”. Perfect for tall items like stacked storage containers, cereal boxes and wine bottles. .All other shelves have 10″ clearance, which is tall enough for most of my stuff.
I love that we added an outlet in this pantry…perfect for the toaster and they can have an opener without taking up real estate in the kitchen.
I think my Kitchen Aid mixer would look nicer here but I like it on my kitchen counter. If it was here I would have to lug it back and forth to the kitchen…it’s too heavy and I’m too big!
I was a little bummed that I couldn’t find cabinets with doors at first, but honestly I like this look better! While dutch ovens and crock pots don’t really look precious, open shelves keep the room from feeling too small and claustrophobic. Believe it or not this space is only 5 x 5. Small but mighty!
Sizing A Butlers Pantry When Remodeling
At some point I will no doubt add a backsplash…not sure if it will be tile or wallpaper or something else…but just to give the space a little color and character. Right now I’m tired of getting to this point!
Last year I added glass to the pantry door. I love it and I’m glad it’s one thing I don’t have to do anymore!
The most important thing I want to share is that reworking a space can make a huge difference. I now have a beautiful pantry that works beautifully as an extension of my kitchen. Remember, my kitchen doesn’t have large cabinet storage so this pantry is very important!
On a scale of 1-10? For me, it is not difficult because I have the tools and knowledge. For a beginner DIYer, maybe 8. But there are a ton of tutorials out there for how to build simple shelving or how to use old cabinets. The first thing you should do is find the “inspiration” for the space you have and work from there. It’s doable…you can do it!!!!!
Essential Pantry Ingredients To Keep In Your Kitchen
I told someone on the blog board because she was afraid to do something like this for fear of confusion.
Don’t be afraid to “mess up”. That’s how you learn…watch tutorials and read blogs. There are so many great resources at your fingertips these days. Pantries are practical and attractive to any home. They allow you to save money by storing non-perishables, and they create a visual focal point for your food storage. But what if your home doesn’t have a dedicated pantry storage space?
Any bi-folding or sliding door closet can be turned into a pantry with the addition of custom shelves. Some shelving can be slid right into the room and loaded with items, or you can create your own internal organizer.
Hall closets are perfect for this type of small pantry replacement because they are often located close to the kitchen. And if you’re concerned about storage, a line of decorative hooks offers an inexpensive alternative to your coats. And of course, if you don’t have a spare wardrobe, you always have the option of building your own closet.
Genius Ideas For Building A Pantry
When building a pantry, why start from scratch? This clever DIY pantry shelving idea starts with a bookcase as a base, then adds trim, cabinet doors, and some decorative utensils to make a fully functional, space-saving pantry. And best of all, it fits anywhere you can put a standard bookcase!
If you’re using cabinet doors that don’t match the case lines or finish, err on the side of telling the difference without a near miss. Notice how different the cabinet doors are from the bookcase in the photo. Using a contrasting color makes it clear that the difference is a choice rather than a mistake. Go with a very contrasting color for the doors, or consider replacing the doors with glass to make them stand out. Find more bookcase projects and tips for building a similar bookcase pantry.
The bottom of the staircase is often considered “dead space,” making it a favorite place to create extra storage while working on home organization. Whether you opt for simple open shelves or more elaborate custom doors (as shown here), a walk-in pantry makes the most of this unused space and expands your food storage options. This concept gives you a small, hidden pantry option that’s always out of reach