How to design a kitchen pantry

It is a total luxury to have a designated room or area in your kitchen that you can confidently call a pantry.

We all dream of a walk in pantry that is perfectly designed and organised but it isn’t always possible to incorporate this into your kitchen.

However, it is possible to create a pantry area whether it’s using a cupboard or even a few shelves. Find out how you can design a kitchen pantry.

How to design a walk in pantry

1. Decide on how you want to use the space

When designing a walk in pantry, it’s important to consider what your priorities are and how you want to realistically use the space.

For example, you may want to store large items as well as every day food items, so you will need to plan your shelving accordingly.

2. Talk to a local carpenter

We recommend talking to a local carpenter or kitchen fitter to get their opinion on what will work best with the space you have available.

As always, we suggest gathering at least three quotes to see what the general cost will be and then making your decision from there.

3. Have a mixture of storage solutions

Think about how you’re going to store different items in your pantry so you can plan accordingly.

Glass jars are great for storing dry goods and you’ll easily be able to see what’s inside, making things easy to grab. Baskets look stylish and are a brilliant solution for storing things like fruit and vegetables.

Take a look at more kitchen storage ideas.

4. Be practical

Pantries should be a highly practical area of the home that uses every square inch of the space you have available. Although we think a pantry should also look stylish, how it functions should be the priority.

Getting an professional in to design your pantry will really help to utilise the space that you’ve got.

5. Add personal design touches

Once you’ve got all of the practical elements out of the way and are happy with how your pantry functionally works, you can then go on to think about any personal design touches you want to add.

Introduce colour and personality into your pantry with artwork and add a pop of colour onto the walls.

How to design pantry shelves

1. Stock up on jars

Pantry shelves are a key component of how you’re going to store your items. Jars are a fabulous storage solution that are extremely practical.

Make sure you get jars that are going to fit onto your pantry shelves and that aren’t too tall. If you have deep pantry shelves, then choose tall jars to sit at the back and shorter ones to sit at the front so you can still see everything.

2. Get a label maker

You can purchase a label maker online for a small fee and it will make your life ten times easier.

Labelling your jars will make sure everything has a home, stopping your pantry from becoming cluttered.

You can also have fun with this and name things in a funny way that is personal to you and your home.

3. Consider stackable storage

Making the most out of your space is key. Do this by searching for stackable storage that will not only make the most out of the width you have available but the height, too.

There’s nothing worse than seeing things oddly stacked on a shelf, as it immediately looks messy and cluttered.

How to design a pantry cupboard

1. Decide on shelving height and width

Designating one cupboard in the kitchen to becoming your pantry is a great thing to do. It creates the look and feel of a pantry without having to have a walk in space.

Be precise and measure the size of your cupboard so you can install shelving that makes the most out of the space. Consider what size jars you want to have first and then work out what shelves will work best afterwards.

Top tip: A pro will be able to measure up for you to make sure everything is perfect.

2. Use all available space

Cupboards aren’t the biggest storage space in the world so it’s vital that you use every spare inch. A great hack for this is using the back of a cupboard door to hang or store things.

For example, adding a rail on the back of the door will allow you to hang tea towels or oven gloves. Therefore, helping your kitchen look less cluttered.

3. Choose practical storage

Think outside the box when it comes to your storage and consider items that are going to make your life a little easier.

Be inspired by the pantry cupboard pictured above and buy some circular storage that spins – this is the ideal space to store your condiments and spice jars.

4. Finishing touches

Just because it’s a cupboard doesn’t mean it has to lack style! Make your pantry cupboard your own by painting or wallpapering the inside of it. This will be a fun and playful feature to any kitchen.