Pantry Options for Kitchens

Location and Design

• Although most pantries are small, they can still take a chunk out of the square footage of your kitchen. Look for hidden and oddly shaped open spaces underneath staircases and other commonly overlooked and unused areas to house a pantry. Avoid having a shared wall with an extremely hot room, such as a laundry or furnace room, as the heat will make food items in your pantry spoil more quickly. For easy and convenient access, build the pantry so it goes with the flow of your kitchen or dining area.

Shelves and Racks

• Deep pantry shelves hold more than shallow ones, but items can get lost in the back, so keep their depth shorter than arm's length. If you choose cabinets with doors for the pantry, install the doors to open outward to avoid cluttering the pantry space with open doors that impede access to shelves and racks. Build shelves from ceiling to floor, making the top and bottom shelves larger than the others to store oversized items like coolers, stockpots, pizza pans and other rarely used items. Install racks on limited wall spaces to store small items like spices and dried herbs.

Lighting and Electrical Outlets

• A pantry is typically a closet that gets no natural light. Choose a ceiling light fixture that illuminates the entire room, including corners and floor storage areas so you avoid "losing" items hidden in the shadows and recesses of the pantry. Install as many electrical outlets as possible so you can use the pantry counter to operate noisy kitchen gadgets like blenders, drink mixers, food processors and electric can openers out of earshot of others. Include one or two grounded outlets for three-pronged heavy-duty appliances such as freestanding electric mixers.

Appliances and Extras

• If space allows, install your dishwasher under the pantry counter to free up space under kitchen countertops. Add a freestanding icemaker to the pantry layout to have extra ice available for entertaining. Plumbing utilized by a nearby refrigerator with external ice and water access can be extended to a small sink in the pantry, which is handy for quick cleanup of pantry shelves and counters.