While a pantry was once a kitchen necessity, providing cool storage in the absence of modern refrigeration, over the years the appeal of them in our homes waned.
But, as our capacity to consume grew, so did the appeal of a space that provided additional storage for food, kitchen utensils and even extra workspace. As a result, pantry ideas have once again become a kitchen staple and are available to most homeowners, regardless of the size, shape or design of your kitchen.
So, if a streamlined kitchen is your goal, from freestanding cupboards to walk-in wonders, here's 17 pantry ideas to help you perfect the art of kitchen storage.
1. Turn an alcove into a fitted pantry
If your kitchen renovation plans in a period property involve turning living spaces into large open plan kitchens, what better use for the alcoves either side of a fireplace than a bespoke pantry space.
While it may not give you a walk in pantry idea, if you steal a little floor space for the depth of drawers and a worktop, it will still create something that adds value to your kitchen experience.
But, just as much thought needs to go into the design of a bespoke pantry cupboard, as it does any pantry design, says Richard Davonport, founder and managing director of Davonport kitchens.
"Pantry-style cupboards offer an impressive level of organisation in a compact footprint, but their success depends on a thoughtful interior layout.
"We design them around what clients reach for most often, using a mix of shallow shelves, door racks and internal drawers to prevent items from being pushed to the back and forgotten," he explains.
"The base shelf needs to be robust enough to carry heavier loads, especially if the cupboard will hold small appliances or bulk ingredients, so the joinery specification is more demanding than that of a standard cabinet."
Richard Davonport is a luxury cabinetmaker, designer and the founder and Managing Director of kitchen specialists, Davonport. The company designs and makes bespoke kitchens from its workshop in the heart of East Anglia. He has a vast wealth of experience in kitchen design, layout and creating beautiful kitchens for all type of homes.
2. Hide a walk-in pantry behind a sliding door
A pantry design with sliding doors makes perfect sense in every style and size of kitchen, but can be a particularly good option for those after small kitchen ideas.
If you are designing your new kitchen from scratch you can also consider pocket doors that disappear into the walls entirely, such as this idea. With its fluted wall and door design, it's a feature in its own right.
"Pocket doors are great for pantry ideas as they seamlessly blend into the kitchen design," explains Sebastian Aronowitz, founder of The London Kitchen Company. "They can be pushed to the side, out of the way (crucial in a busy family household!) while the pantry is in use and then closed when needed."
Sebastian Aronowitz founded The London Kitchen Company in 2008, following a career in cabinet making and a childhood love for taking things apart to figure out how they worked. Sebastian makes it a priority to design kitchens that bring family and friends together and his approach to kitchen design puts his clients at the heart of the discussion, understanding their day-to-day lifestyle, their wants and needs and their personal style. He thrives on a design challenge, ensuring he finds bespoke solutions to problems whether that’s working around wonky walls or providing recommendations for materials that work for a busy family home.
3. Consider a pre-loved pantry to add character and style to your kitchen
Although you may choose to opt for a bespoke pantry design if you're embarking on a self build, this might not always be an option. And, while there are plenty of freestanding pantry cupboards available to buy if you have space for one, opting for a pre-loved pantry might give you an even better solution.
This pantry from Rehome is not only crammed with storage, but is bursting with style and charisma. Perfect for a cottage kitchen idea, where it embodies the pantries of old with its engraved drawers and stacks of pantry shelving.
Keep your storage clear and labelled with this pack of 24 airtight containers, perfect for displaying on your pantry shelves.
4. Don't forget to account for pantry ventilation
If your pantry is located in a small room, tucked off your kitchen or utility room, and without a direct means of pantry ventilation, make sure you consider this when choosing your kitchen cabinets.
It's particularly important if you will be using your pantry to store vegetables or non-packaged goods. Airflow and a means of ensuring the space doesn't become too humid will be important in order to help keep your pantry cool.
In this instance, fretwork cupboard doors ensures air can flow freely around. Open pantry shelves also help prevent the build-up of excess heat behind closed doors.
5. Create a breakfast pantry idea
No longer reserved for storing food, breakfast pantries have become a popular request in kitchen design, offering a fresh take on a traditional idea.
"Over the last few years, breakfast pantries (within cabinetry) have taken off with most customers requesting them so they have a given space to make hot drinks, grab breakfast and then close it all away," confirms Sebastian Aronowitz.
Bit what should it include?
"We recommend items such as a boiling water tap for hot drinks, coffee machine, a mini-fridge for milk and drawers to store coffee pods, so you can really turn it into a one-stop-shop for everything you need," suggests Sebastian.
"Working with a designer means you can make this entirely bespoke, so you could perhaps also add a pull out shelf ready to cut bread or store everyday cereals with ease."
Shop for breakfast pantry essentials
A 50 capsule storage organiser tray box stand compatible with standard size pods and capsules
This ventilated tap system provides filtered cold drinking water as well as instant boiling water
Beat busy mornings with this 4 slice toaster in a fetching shade of sage green
6. Good pantry storage is key to a successful pantry idea
While the visual appearance of your pantry is important, it's functionality is ultimately the main reason you are considering one in your home. And this means your pantry storage ideas are what turns a nice idea, into a great idea.
"Ensuring your designer has designed the pantry with storage solutions in mind should make for easier organising," agrees Sebastian Aronowitz. "For example, if you have a deep cupboard space, consider maximising the space with half-depth shelving and then use customised door racks for smaller items such as spice jars."
Richard Davonport suggests you start my making sure one element is right, and that's the depth of your pantry unit.
"Getting the depth right is one of the most important decisions. Go too deep and visibility becomes poor; go too shallow and capacity is compromised. Treating the interior almost like a miniature piece of architectural joinery helps strike the right balance, creating a space where everything is easy to reach and nothing feels wasted."
7. Pick a freestanding pantry for easy extra storage
Although the lines between pantry vs larder vs storage cupboard have perhaps become a little blurred over the years, the reality is most of us seek extra storage solutions.
Kitchen storage is essential, regardless of the label you give it. What perhaps best defines a pantry cupboard, is what you store inside it. Fill it with crockery and it's clearly not a pantry. Stock the shelves with ingredients and cooking utensils and you'd be well within your rights to define it as a pantry.
But, when it comes to choosing one that suits, you can make it blend in, or stand out. "There’s no hard and fast rule of how a pantry should look – it’s all down to personal style and how you’d like it to look in your kitchen," agrees Sebastian Aronowitz. "do you want it blend in seamlessly even with the doors open or do you want it to be more of a feature?"
Either way, choose a design you like and one that will add value to your time in the kitchen.
Try this freestanding pantry larder from Dunelm for a pantry style cupboard in your kitchen diner
8. Turn an awkard corner into a petit pantry
Not entirely walk-in but certainly bigger than a basic cupboard, this corner pantry idea is a great example of how to make the most of your kitchen floorplan.
Instead of opting for another run of below worktop cabinets, a floor to ceiling corner cupboard becomes a semi walk in pantry idea instead. Wraparound shelving and cubby holes provide ample storage opportunities, while a narrow kitchen worktop becomes the perfect space for small kitchen appliances.
9. Use a pantry as a home bar idea
If being able to entertain in the heart of your home forms part of your kitchen design brief, the principles of a pantry cupboard can be a great starting point for the end product.
With storage, shelving, a pull out shelf and good pantry lighting, a simple cupboard becomes a great home bar idea. The added bonus? You can transform it into a breakfast pantry or a traditional storage spot whenever you choose.
10. Aim to include a sink in your pantry
While your pantry may well be separate from your utility room ideas, it is really useful to include a sink in your pantry if space allows.
A sink in your pantry will mean you can wash off muddy vegetables fresh from the garden, or clean off sticky jars away from your kitchen sink. It also makes it possible to leave items soaking without getting in the way of other activities.
In this Scandi-style pantry, a deep butler sink is a useful feature, although other types of kitchen sink can work equally as well.
11. Use your floor to ceiling space for your pantry
Whether you have a small pantry or a more roomy set up, it makes sense to ensure that you are using every last inch of space if you want to get the very most out of it.
Don't just look around the room for storage options – look up too. Fit shelves that go right up to the ceiling and use hanging racks too in order to give a home to all those lesser used pots and pans. This is where steps and sliding ladders come in useful.
Bespoke kitchen joinery is the way to go when it comes to utilising all your wall space.
12. Include plenty of practical worktop space
Any self-respecting walk in pantry needs some work surface space if you want to unleash its full potential. Not only will it provide a useful resting spot for jars and the like while you select goods, but, if you choose the right kitchen worktop material, it could also be the perfect food prep spot.
Materials such as marble and certain stone-based composites remain cool to the touch and are the best kitchen worktops on which to roll out pastry and dough.
Make sure you also avoid these kitchen worktop mistakes if you ever need to replace your worktop with a new one.
13. Get your pantry lighting ideas spot on
Pantry lighting is crucial if you want your new larder space to be useable and stylish. You will need to position lights so that you can see everything you have on your shelves and in cupboards too – particularly in pantries with no windows.
If you plan on having a pantry with glass doors, it is nice to include a few lights for ambience too – under-shelf light and spots can really give the space a nice glow in the evening as well as showing off any lovely dishes or glasses you might choose to store in there – this can form part of your kitchen lighting ideas as a whole.
14. Take a bespoke approach to get what you want
What one household needs from a pantry will most likely be quite different to another. For example, if you live in a rural area with no shops nearby to pop out to should you have forgotten something, you are likely to want much more storage space for dried goods than a city dweller.
Think about the kinds of items you want to store in your pantry and whether or not you will want to include space for appliances, such as a wine cooler, food mixer and so on.
"Think about your lifestyle and the people who use your kitchen. Would a little storage station for porridge ingredients and toppings be useful or shelving for health enthusiasts to keep their supplements," advises Sebastian Aronowitz.
Think carefully about postioning too, says Richard Davonport.
Placing it where food prep naturally happens, close to the fridge or cooking zone, reduces unnecessary movement and keeps the workflow smooth. When a pantry supports the way the household actually cooks and shops, it becomes far more than a storage stopgap; it becomes a central working feature that keeps the kitchen running efficiently.”
15. Ensure you choose a practical flooring material
Your choice of pantry flooring is just as important as your kitchen flooring ideas. While it is all well and good designing a stylish pantry that you can't wait to show off to guests, above all else, a pantry needs to be a highly practical space.
Surfaces need to be easy to clean and your flooring also needs to be durable and cool to the touch. Natural stone flooring porcelain and ceramic tiles are all brilliant options – look for non-slip versions too
16. Split your pantry into zones
Whatever size pantry you are creating, zoning it is a great idea. In large pantries it means less hunting around for what you are after, while in small pantries it keeps things nicely organised.
Aim to keep dried goods together and think about which food and drink items will most benefit from fresh air and a cold wall.
Pots, pans and crockery won't mind being located on an internal wall, while fine wines will prefer to be away from any bright light or heat sources.
17. Be sure to include electrical sockets
If you plan on housing kitchen appliances within your pantry, then don't forget to design in sockets and be sure not to go scrimping on the quantity either.
"A key function of the pantry is to help keep worktops clear, so always include sockets for appliances," says Sebastian Aronowitz.
Think about those bulky appliances you could keep out of the way that you don't necessarily want to get rid of but which you rarely use – stand mixers, coffee machines, bread machines, air fryers and microwaves are all popular pantry appliances.
If you weren't sure your kitchen was large enough for a pantry, as some of these ideas prove, having a pantry in a small kitchen is certainly feasible when you know how.
Or, perhaps you have an old larder in your kitchen that you've now realised is in need of an overhaul to turn into something more practical. If so, follow our guide to building pantry shelving to help transform it into the perfect pantry for you.
