If you’ve ever dreamed of having a built-in pantry but have been put off by extortionate prices, we have some good news – you can create one for as little as £350 with a simple Amazon furniture hack.
When Homebuilding & Renovating's content director Laura Crombie was quoted thousands of pounds to convert the cupboard under her stairs into a pantry design, she decided to do it herself using budget-friendly finds on Amazon – and the end result really paid off.
Below, you’ll learn how she did it, see the incredible before-and-after photos, and get direct links to the exact products she used. Luckily, they’re available to shop online, so you can recreate this luxury look for less in your own home.
How to create a built-in pantry for less
You will need:
- x2 VASAGLE Bathroom Floor Storage Cabinets
- x1 FOREHILL Display Cabinet with Glass Doors
- x2 Dripex Bamboo Wine Racks
- Leftover skirting
- Leftover timber
- Paint
- Primer-sealant
- Paint rollers
- Smart strip lighting
What Laura used for her Amazon furniture hack:
This affordable bathroom cabinet offers plenty of storage, including four drawers and a cupboard with adjustable shelving.
Showcase your favourite bottles with this freestanding wine rack, made from eco-friendly bamboo.
This multi-functional display cabinet features four glass doors and six shelves, perfect for storing kitchen essentials.
Controlled via your phone, voice, or remote, these smart strip lights can change colour and be set on a timer.
Achieve a spray-like finish with these 5mm microfibre rollers – recommended for furniture.
Suitable for interior and exterior surfaces, this quick-drying primer-sealer improves paint adhesion.
How she did it:
To create this built-in pantry idea, Laura began by using leftover timber to build a base frame for the units to sit on, off the floor. The storage units were then screwed onto the base, the walls, and each other to ensure they were secure, with leftover skirting applied along the bottom.
"The units are basic but sturdy once screwed in, and look high-end when they’re painted carefully. It took a long time to prep and paint as we needed to find the right primer for the different finishes of the units," she explains.
"In the end, I used two thin coats on Zinsser 3-in-1, followed by three thin coats of Helmi 10 (available on Amazon), colour matched to Farrow & Ball Selvedge, which gives a durable, low-shine finish."
Laura used the same colour and finish on both the walls and the units, and recommends Two Fussy Blokes' Mini Rollers (available on Amazon) to achieve a flawless (yet affordable) result.
As a finishing touch, smart lighting was installed under each shelf and can be voice-activated via her smart speaker or set on a handy timer.
Laura concludes, "We’ve been renovating our 1960s house in Worcestershire for five years, and this is the final room to be completed, as it’s a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have! It’s the perfect combination of a display unit for aesthetic bits and closed cupboards for stashing away all the mess and kitchen rolls."
Want more DIY hacks on a budget? Discover Laura’s £10 trick for painting furniture affordably, or get inspired by our favourite walk-in pantry ideas.
