Like most middle-aged lady moms, I get really excited about “pantry potential”. Dreaming of where I can hide the Instant Pot, fantasizing about displaying my Easter platters, thinking about the hours I’ll spend decanting and labeling almond flour. I started cooking seriously 4 years ago, and lockdown really escalated it from a necessity/hobby to a daily activity that truly fulfills me. Most nights I put on my apron and a podcast, shift from work mode to chill mode and try new recipes that my kids will likely complain about. On a good day I cook twice a day, and we hope to entertain small groups of friends every weekend (so I don’t have to ever leave the house), which means that this kitchen needs to function well (duh) and have proper food storage and prep space. Now granted this pantry (this whole renovation) isn’t exactly exactly normal – I fully recognize our privilege and feel so lucky. But regardless of budget hopefully some of the ideas or choices can help you if you are updating your kitchen or simply thinking about your own pantry dreams. And listen, this is my job so I had the extra motivation to make her look really, really pretty. Like the mud room, the pantry is a hard working space and a lot of people have pantry woes (us included). I feel extremely grateful to call this panry design “work”, but please know that you don’t need a pantry like this to be happy 🙂
The pantry lives near the kitchen, obviously, close to the back door (for easy grocery drop) and opens down into the basement (where I’ll store my canned apples, jars of tomatoes and potatoes once my homestead life really takes off :)) I LOVE that it’s very accessible but not visible from the living room because while this pantry will be pretty, she will likely still be messy and full of jerky bags, boxes of broth, goldfish and strewn with coffee grinds. I have a feeling I’ll have pantry pride and treat it with respect, but it’s still life.
The Inspiration
While most rooms in this house will be bright and airy (a holdover from living in CA for 12 years) this room and the family room both had the opportunity to be dark. Not only do I love the idea of that color pulling you in and surprising you, but I think that considering the ‘stuff’ that will be in there, the dark will make it look cooler and almost mask much of the packaging (I hope).
But what about function?
But the thing is that this room needs to work hard, so having everything hidden away, or so deep that things could get hidden wastes its utility. So I went on the hunt for pantries that were within our size that looked really functional. Here’s what I found:
This one functionally really fits the bill. I love the combination of lower cabinets, counter space (this is where our toaster, microwave, and coffee maker will be), and upper easy-to-access open shelving.
I love how these have pull-out drawers for the lowers – especially for how deep these cabinets are (24″) so you don’t have to try to reach in and find something in the back. We designed ours differently but with the same function.
Our Cabinetry
As you can see the shape of the room itself is odd with a triangular corner, so to maximize it we worked with Unique Kitchens & Baths in addition to our kitchen cabinets and utilized every inch (on the bottom). Now we didn’t need to do this (a cute vintage hutch could have been awesome in there), but I’m sure happy we did as they look AWESOME. We chose a dark blue from Sherwin-Williams called Slate Tile and had it painted in a satin finish.
Designing Your Pantry For Your Family
When we designed this we really thought about our family’s needs. What are our biggest ‘pain points’ (hello marketing speak) and what problems do we want to solve? What do we reach for the most and what is the most annoying to deal with? So I’ll show each and point out what is going where:
Coffee/Toaster and Microwave Area – The “Morning Wall”
This side will be for all things “morning” – coffee for us and breakfast items for the kids. They are in charge of their own breakfast so we designed it to be easy for them to do – i.e. the cereal boxes in the lower cabinet and the toaster on the countertop. The microwave is hidden inside the cabinet and the doors retract back as they did at our mountain house coffee station and bar. The drawer underneath it is for bread, bagels, and packets of oatmeal. The far-right has two deep drawers for bagged kids’ snacks – chips/crackers on top and jerky/dried fruits and nuts on the bottom. These kids have ZERO excuses to not make themselves their own breakfast or pack their own dry snacks.
General Food Storage and Appliance Wall
On the other side, we have 24″ deep cabinets that are a straight run so we have more opportunity to use it as a counter if needed (but likely won’t). The two pull-out drawers will house broth (measured the height to fit) and canned goods (all the heavy stuff) and we are putting really pretty hardware on it (stay tuned for that). The drawers above are likely for extra cooking utensils as they are more shallow. The far cabinet on the right will be for extra appliances with a pull-out lazy susan situation (I forget what it’s called) that will house our Instant Pot, bullet, etc. The two tiny drawers turned out smaller than I had imagined because since they are inset drawers the drawer mechanism is INSIDE those dimensions. It’s hilarious. They are so cute but not sure what to put in them. Paper Straws? Chopsticks? Salad Servers? Dunno.
What is happening above? What type of shelving??
First off, we have a really pretty horizontal large-scale bead board going up throughout the space that I can’t wait to show you. It’s gorgeous. We didn’t want upper cabinets in here as we didn’t want to hide the food that we need to grab, plus it would then just be a small room of cabinets. I fell in love with the monochromatic painted wood bracket look and that’s what we are doing.
These look chunky right now but once painted out the color of the wall (still TBD) they’ll disappear a bit, plus we are getting smaller versions than what I’m holding here. We will also likely add some shaker pegs to hang baskets of garlic and onions. All the things. ALL THE THINGS.
These shelves will start about 22″ off the counter and be 12″ deep with a 10″ bracket for support – giving us counter space if desired. This is really the max depth you want as stuff behind it will get lost, but we wanted flexibility here so we went for 12″ (the same as the inside of upper cabinets). Since it’s running the length of the room (60″ or so) we are putting in 4 brackets to ensure it can hold whatever we put up there. Hopefully, this doesn’t look too busy but I really want to be able to put stacks of platters or jars of rocks if I want to. Maybe this is where I want to put my ankle weights. Who knows? Then there will be another shelf on top of that, 16″ above the top of the first one. So two shelves with pretty details that I’m excited to show you once we lock them down.
The Shallow Back Wall
This area is again only 16″ deep and it’s front and center walking into the pantry so I’m not totally sure what I’m going to put here. Here are the options floating around in my head:
- A hanging shaker cupboard on peg rail – maybe for extra sauces or ugly condiments?
- Plate rail for my pretty platters – Oh how I do love to show them off…
- Art, vintage mirror, or family calendar. This will also be a good mail drop zone so the smart mom in me would set it up for that. Now that I’m writing that maybe I should do the shaker cupboard but inside we have key hooks, checkbooks (??), pens, and then we drop the mail underneath? I may wait until after we move in to design this area (the shaker pegs can be screwed in at any time).
Pantry Countertop Material
I put off this decision for a LONG time. too long. So right before we left (the day that we shot) we had to pull the trigger. The options were:
- Leftover Carrera marble – the same material as the perimeter counters in the kitchen (it’s a really white carerra with a ton of negative space and warm and cool veining – from Bedrosians and gorgeous). We had just found out that we had enough leftover and it was already at the fabricators. This would be the easiest choice, but not necessarily the cheapest. Around $1500 for fabrication (I reckon this is on the more expensive side, FYI).
- Butcher Block – While working with Zena Flooring they told me that they are making custom countertops out of unfinished stainable maple. We liked the sample and were very tempted. They could deliver and have it cut on sight by our team (aka not as expensive as fabrication). Made in Oregon. Wonderful company. Affordable (unsure of the price but likely in the hundreds). We wouldn’t really prep or chop in there so it’d be more of a nice wood tone.
- A dark stone (yet to source, buy, or cut) – That’s right, a third option was what we really wanted which was a dark stone to make it moodier and to make and to be the most forgiving. The coffee area especially can get super messy and coffee is acidic, so I was very fearful that we would regret marble over there. But we could have put down a board under our serving area.
We chose #3. We were excited to lean into a dark pantry and loved the functionality of the granite. I could have gone any direction because they all had their pros and cons. Brian and Sarah pushed me into #3 which I was surprised by and appreciated their confidence. When Brian is willing to spend more on something he usually is right. He kept saying, “Emily this is your original vision, just do it”.
My Favorite Detail – The Vintage Windows
When I was sad, in the spring when the rain wouldn’t stop, I would look at the renderings of the pantry and the idea of those vintage windows flanking the opening flooded my brain with dopamine. I’m not joking. These vintage windows are pleasure-inducing and cheered me up when I was down (which is why I’m likely supposed to do this for a living). If you are just catching up, we took two of the original windows from the downstairs that we had to replace and flipped them vertically to fit here, flanking the doorway. We designed the pantry with these in mind. I’m so excited. The window in the back didn’t exist but we framed it in and bought a non-operable window from eBay for $200 that worked with the design. They will both be painted on the interior of the pantry in the same color as the paneling on the walls.
So that’s where we landed last week (as I was writing this post) and then on Friday they sent me updated photos where they finished the paneling, the stone, and the windows!! So more to come VERY VERY SOON.
Photography by Kaitlin Green
Wow, the pantry will be beautiful! The concept of a walk in pantry room (rather than a closet type pantry) is relatively new to me. I see the appeal aesthetically in terms of keeping the main kitchen in good order, but I wonder about the actual function of the spaces. So you walk from the stove to the pantry to get the cooking oil? Does the pantry have a sink for the coffee making station? These aren’t criticisms, I’m truly curious. I’d love an ask the audience or poll of your design friends on the day-to-day use of the pantry room and how it relates to the kitchen. Thanks! I’m happy for you that it’s coming together so beautifully.
Yes, I have the same questions 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I have a small pantry room (I live in NYC so this is like casually admitting that I have stables or an ice rink), and I use it for everything I don’t grab during regular cooking. So, oils I use infrequently, baking supplies, small appliances, infrequently used spices, extra food, and snacks. I also hang all my specialty tools on pegboard, inspired by Martha. It’s a GODSEND. I agree about the coffee but it’s very doable if you run a waterline for the machine. It’s nice to tuck a few of the daily breakfast chores into a different area so two people can be bustling around without bumping.
“stables or an ice rink” 🤣🤣
Totally agree about spreading out breakfast areas/appliances to avoid bumping into each other! When we got a larger space, my husband and I were finally able to split our “coffee areas” so we could each be doing our own thing without tripping over each other!
I think walk-in pantries make a lot of sense in homes that have a more open concept. That way you don’t see everything sitting on the counter while your in the living room. My sister has a walk in pantry and it’s truly amazing. Everything has it’s spot and perfectly organized. She has a spice drawer by the stove for the things she needs on a daily basis.
Totally agree about the sink! Great point. Also, from my experience, having a snack drawer is the gift that keeps on giving. When my kids were growing up, all their friends knew about the Lynch’s snack drawer. It was so fun for us and for the kids. Mind you, it was not always filled to the brim! They are now in their 20s and their friends still bring up the snack drawer. Something to think about!
I don’t have a walk-in pantry, but I would only want stuff there that I don’t reach for daily. I don’t understand coffee in there or cooking utensils. The sink is the kitchen workhorse, and I wouldn’t want to walk across the kitchen just to get water for the coffee maker that’s in the pantry. I sometimes think apartment / galley kitchens are the most efficient because everything is right there. This pantry looks very pretty , but I don’t get some of the functionality.
Exactly – I don’t understand why you would
want everyday utensils etc in another room.
Perhaps I have missed something in the story.
I think there are everyday utensils that will be stored by the stove, and less frequently used ones that would make sense in the pantry. Things I’d put in a pantry (if I had one): fancy serving utensils, a whisk, your grill tools, the mandoline.
This sounds like a hard-working pantry, a secondary kitchen work space. It will probably feel like a gift from the gods on busy school mornings when both kids are getting their breakfast, a parent is making coffee and a second parent preparing all the lunches for the day (and possibly prepping for the evening stew!). You want that primary work area in the kitchen all to yourself with so many bodies and mouths and meals to deal with! I know it’s a pass through zone but it feels so cozy and purposeful, not an afterthought at all. This will be such a sweet spot to sneak chocolate chips or a kiss from hubs when the kids aren’t looking. Enjoy those lovely windows!!
I have both a walk-in pantry and butler’s pantry. I won’t lie, the storage space is wonderful to have and it keeps the clutter away from the kitchen. Warning: super boring info follows but I wanted to answer your questions. I cook a lot and my heavily reached for spices & ingredients are close to the stove. I don’t have to step away to access them. The spices lay in a drawer and sauces/stuff in bottles are underneath in a cabinet with a pull out drawer. The oil is decanted into a glass bottle with a pourable spout and lives on the counter. My walk-in pantry is about 7 feet over and stores dry & canned goods and snacks, as well as paper towels & stuff like that. It is a very busy area as someone is always searching for munchies. The butler’s pantry (which is a hallway adjacent to the pantry) stores all the larger, less used appliances (for me) like the big kitchenaid mixer, instapot and dutch ovens in cabinets. It also holds entertaining dishware, the fancy stuff, roasting pans and platters that are too large for anywhere else. A section of the butler’s pantry counter is devoted… Read more »
I think it’s all so pretty, and I envy you the storage space!
I don’t really get having the toaster in there (even though I see it in some of the inspiration photos): I get it that the bread is there, but what about the plates/butter/jam? I’d rather have my toaster in the kitchen.
My sister lives in a semi-rural area and has a big pantry room….toaster, double sink, dish washer, electric kettle (a must-have in Australia), etc. lives there. It’s a dream once you get used to it.
We have the fancy looking boiled water tap straight on the sink. Does boiled and filtered cool water. BEST money spent in the whole kitchen. Haven’t waited for a kettle to boil in 10 years!
Stables AND an ice rink!!
Thoroughly enjoyed all the measuring tape posing. 😂 pantry will be awesome!
🙂 And the Romance Novel inspired scene descriptions below those photos! Very fun!
The pantry looks glorious…. A place for everything and beautiful too! Can’t wait to see its’ debut!
Absolutely gorgeous! I’m voting for the platter storage on the back wall, so you get to enjoy them and switch it up regularly. A little dopamine hit whenever you walk by, AND functional? Forget it! Perfect!
Love the blue- you are lucky to have so much space. We use our microwave numerous, numerous, times per day- I am sure it would drive me crazy to have to open cabinet doors each time we use it – also much easier to have it at counter level! My bet is that the microwave eventually ends up on the counter! 🙂
Right there with you – I saw the microwave in a cabinet in the pantry and was shook! That seems so cumbersome and inconvenient!
Never use mine for more than a clock glance. Or an occasional coffee reheat. I was envious of it being stashed away from regular kitchen. We all live uniquely, don’t we?
You never know—we didn’t have a microwave for years and now only use ours once in a blue moon! We keep it in a cupboard and take it out only when we use it.
Ours is below counter level and even my very tall husband who hates bending over and loves to complain doesn’t mind its location lol. Having lived in many places where the microwave was in a prominent place, I much prefer it in a more discreet location, and I use it a couple times a day.
my microwave is up high on a shelf and i love having it off of the counter. i have also had mine down low in an open cupboard and loved that, as well. but i hate things on my counter, so it’s worth it to reach for the microwave. we use it a few times a day and it works great.
I’d love having one. It would be a dream to have a place to store some appliances. I’d probably do a cabinet for cleaning supplies in there too, and store garbage bags, recycling bins too. I would need lots of shelves to store food, as I’m forgetful about what I have if things are hidden (what bread?). Balancing the pantry function with appliances is tricky. The more you put there the more it becomes a second kitchen and you spend the time in the pantry as opposed to the kitchen. This is something everyone can figure out. No judgment. Everyone can do what works for them.
I love that the pantry has no door and the general esthetic too.
Looking through the vintage windows in the pantry …..
to the backsplash in the kitchen will be amazing!
Kj, you are a-maz-ing!
Seriously, when is Kj going to get hired?! Lol.
I love the idea of the walk in pantry. I do not like cluttering up my kitchen counters with toasters (and toast crumbs) and small appliances. The access to all things breakfast in one area but out of sight really appeals to me. I think it will be super functional and beautiful at the same time. We are building our forever home and that was my first request. Our kitchen is not large but it’s the first thing you see when you enter our house so I made sure to add a small walk in pantry off the kitchen and out of sight.
I can definitely see the appeal. But do you need/have access to a refrigerator, dishes/utensils and water too? I would worry it’s just another one or two countertops to wipe down but in a different “room”. Anyone have this set-up currently? I’d love to hear how it works.
My sister has a smaller sink in the cooking kitchen where the huge fridge is. There’s different cutlery in each space.
It looks beautiful. I’m really curious what’s going in the kitchen now if all this is in the pantry!
This pantry is as large as many apartment kitchens! I can totally understand your geeking out over this- I would do the same! Can’t wait to see.
It will be charming, but I think the message is “dedicated areas for storage and function”, even if you don’t have a pantry, which was done so well in the mountain house. Would love to see a post comparing pros and cons and how both function.
Fyi – I desperately wanted a microwave in a cabinet for our kitchen and the designer talked me out of it. He was concerned about maneuvering around open cabinet doors when the microwave is running.
The doors retract back into the side, out of the way.
I think she mentioned that the doors would recess back so shouldn’t extend beyond the cabinet when open (and in theory could be left open as long as it is in use so wouldn’t need to be opening and closing it).
I have always dreamed of having a butler’s pantry- a place for dirty dishes on the counter, a sink and a dishwasher, that would be pretty much out of sight from any dining or living areas. Take the dirty pans in there! To wait until my dishwasher (he goes by the name of Al) decides to wash them!
That room is called a SCULLERY. I want one. (and
an “Al” )…. it keeps the kitchen clean and used for the
serving of food, not all the clean up involved which is
out of sight and can do later. Love the pantry as how
it is coming along.
Yes, my Al is pretty handy to have around! 🙂
So happy for you to get to design and live in this home. No detail is too small for a post…it’s all fun to read about!
Gah!!! This is a dream pantry. Droool!!!
Yaaay! for you.🥰
Dang, the look on Brian’s face – he adores you! Sooo lovely.💞 Team Hendo!
The colour is gorgeous and those two tiny drawers are waaaay cute!
I love the whole concept and I’m still beaming that you chose to use those two original windows as the inspiration!😊
One thing: Please consider moving up a rung and getting reusable silicon baggies for the kids to decant snacks into, instead of single-use, throw-away packaging that adds to landfill for the sake of convenience. Please.
Every, tiny, “convenience” choice that is avoided makes a difference. 👍🌏
yes to that last part!
What give you the impression they use single-use bags? BTW I use single-use baggies, and I wash them and reuse them. I hate those silicon bags…they are impossible to wash.
Read the part in the post about the snack bar …’grab bags of…’
*drawer
“impossible to wash”??
Or, takes more effort than buying throw away plastic?
You can even wash them in a dishwasher.
Here’s how:
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-clean-reusable-storage-bags-22949963
OR
https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-clean-reusable-food-storage-bags-5093601
Rusty, I think you’ll find this article interesting: https://www.vox.com/23152123/climate-actions-individuals-can-take
I appreciate your passion for sustainability. Sure, people with privilege like the Hendersons can do what you’re mentioning. That being said there are a variety of valid reasons why some people might make choices like this beyond mere convenience (I love this Instagram post that explores it: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWvwv63LMXb/ ).
Ultimately the most effective things we can spend our energy on in terms of climate change probably aren’t the small choices we make as consumers; instead they’re the activism we participate in and the pressure we put on the large systems to change.
Kara,
Thanx for the article. 🙂
Yes, activism works.
Yet, we all CAN make a difference in our small ways, each day.
Each and every choice we make about every, single profuct we do or don’t choose to purchase DOES make a difference. A swimming pool is full of individual drops of water.
Single use pladtics are being banned by progressive governments all around the world.
If that hasn’t happened yet where you or other people live… BE THE CHANGE and CHANGE THE CHOICES being made purely for convenience.
Single use plastics we buy may not make an immediate, discernible difference, BUT they certainly won’t end up in the oceans, as they currently invariably do.
We’re each, individually responsible for our choices.
I choose to WALK my talk.
That’s the point.
🌏
Ok then let’s address the consumer side of affecting climate change: I’m going to assume you’re relatively new to the sustainability space and that’s why you recommended silicon baggies, and that you would appreciate learning about them. Why would your suggestion be to buy MORE and the item you recommend they buy be partly made with plastics that are made with fossil fuel products and that when they are done with it, it will NEVER break down? What people should use to decant their snacks are 1) what they already have (including washing ziplock bags you already have instead of buying new ones like Alice commented above) or 2) if you don’t already have something, things that will actually break down once you no longer have use for them: e.g. paper wrapping, fabric wrapping, etc. My husband is a product designer and can run circles around people in terms of explaining what materials are made of and what their lifecycle is, so I discussed this with him because I thought maybe there’s something about silicon I don’t know and he told me: it will never break down, it has to be much thicker than say a ziplock plastic because otherwise… Read more »
Hi again, Kara.
Assumption incorrect.
Re: Instagram post: My best friend has ADHD and she doesn’t choose single use plastic coz it’s banned here – straws, shopping bags, throw away plates and cutlery, take-away food containers, take-away coffe cups, helium balloons, the list goes on and on and on and on….
Businesses here use compostable take-away containers now, like bamboo, etc.
They exist … we just have to be bothered enough about the crisis of wildlife, climate and Earth, to “pull out fingers out” and MAKE THE CHANGE.
Got kids? Then it’s a no-brainer that you might possibly care about the future they’re going to live in.
Like, actually stop talking about it and DO IT.
Dear Rusty, I don’t know if you’re gonna read this because yesterday’s post and all that, but please don’t understimate the effect of biodegradable EVERYTHING, not just straw, on people with MCAS and other istamine disorders and sever allergies. Producers often don’t even list the components of biodegradable utensils, which can be grain-based, or banana peel-based, and can induce anaphylaxis in sensitive people.
Disabled people need safe, readily available, non-biological tools to pretty much survive.
I personally know people who feel so self-conscious about using or asking for a safer, plastic straw which doesn’t trigger their very serious allergies that they avoid drinking in public, or even on camera when they stream on twitch, and end up dehydrated (thus worsening their other conditions).
Hi Peby,
Yes, this is catered for via stainless steel and glass straws, etc.
Pretty reasonable to BYO when it’s a serious risk.
In Australia we have laws that must state what a product is made from.
My niece is anaphylaxis allergic to the slightest trace of sesame. So bad that none of us buy sesame anything in case she gets a kiss and goes into shock.
She’s learning self-advocacy at 6 yrs, to ask people if there’s any sesame in anything she’s offered, plus, she now always carries an epi-pen too.
The thing is, when one has a serious health issue self-protection and advocacy really must be up to them, since society is not and cannot be skewed for those in the extreme minority.
Rusty, this is an ableist comment. You seem like a caring person who wouldn’t want to discriminate against those with disabilities, so that’s why I’m pointing it out. I’m going to refer to Polly Barks again because she explains it much better than I can: https://pollybarks.com/blog/plastic-straw-bans
Reveal: I have a disability. That’s why my comments have so many typos.
I cannot feel my hands.
Go figure! Not an ableist comment at all.
Done.💥
Then I’d imagine you especially don’t want to discriminate against disabled people when it comes to sustainability. Also: I’m a woman, I can still make sexist comments. A POC can make racist comments. And on and on. I hope you read the Polly Barks post and learned about the history of plastic straws, why your conclusion of “when one has a serious health issue self-protection and advocacy really must be up to them, since society is not and cannot be skewed for those in the extreme minority” is not possible for many disabled people (for example she specifically addresses the issues of BYO straws you recommended), and what to do about this issue moving forward.
You do realise what this sounds like, don’t you? It’s even worse than, “I can’t be racist, some of my best friends are black!”
Also, what is the minority threshold under which society should disregard the needs of a group because they are too few? What’s the percentage under which one doesn’t deserve human rights?
Re: the Instagram post: so does your country not sell food items individually wrapped, like trail mix, or granola bars, or crackers? Or say frozen fruits and vegetables in plastic bags? Because that’s what the post was referring to. I’ve worked in the sustainable food space for over a decade and am a dietitian, and food accessibility or so called “convenience” is an important part of making sure people are nourished. For example, as a dietitian we don’t want people who are low income, or say busy parents, and who don’t have time or resources to access and prepare fresh fruits and veggies to not eat them at all because they feel guilty about buying something that’s packaged in plastic. It’s not their fault that the large systems won’t change to invest in sustainable packaging. (And the way to change this as an individual is activism, like I mentioned above, ie pressure the businesses and governments to change, NOT to buy more stuff.)
Did you see this article recently about how the fossil fuel industry came up with individual carbon footprint to take the heat off of them for causing much of the climate crisis: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/23/big-oil-coined-carbon-footprints-to-blame-us-for-their-greed-keep-them-on-the-hook
Every ‘down vote’ equates to ignorant laziness.
Have you heard? The world is not flat.
If the down votes were done because they disagree with being less wasteful, sure. But down votes can be for a variety of reasons, such as perceived tone. Or, perhaps, because you cheer on Emily as she engages in a very wasteful renovation while in the same breath talk about food wrappers ending up in the landfill. In the US, construction waste is MASSIVE and design blogs like this encourage it–consumerism is their business model–yet we’re over here debating snack decanting. It just feels off.
All that said, I love design blogs, I would love to renovate a house some day, etc etc. I’m not judging any readers for how they participate with this or other blogs. I also deeply care about climate change and the future of our planet. The world is not black and white, and many things can be true at once.
Done.💥
Yep, wouldn’t be Em’s blog without Concern Trolling
The tiny drawers may be useful for grilling skewers (kabobs) or marshmallow roasting sticks.
Or chip clips/clothes pins, batteries, or serving spoons you don’t use all of the time. I’m forever losing the smaller things in the mess of my other spoons and spatulas!
Yes – in our last kitchen, a drawer this size was designated as our “junk” drawer and it contained, a flat blade screwdriver, a phillips head screwdriver, scissors, slip joint pliers, and other “stuff” that was useful but didn’t fit in any other kitchen drawer. It was just right and the small size prevented too much “stuff” from accumulating.
We have a small drawer like that and keep those long handled lighters for candles in there.
Poochie treats! Or if your kids are like mine, they might want their own special tiny candy drawer if they can save it for more than a day. The Baggu shopping bags would fit folded in those drawers perfectly too because they come in and can be stored in these little pouches about that size.
This is going to be so good! I’m so inspired to create some kind of pantry space too! Probably just out of a closet since we don’t have a pantry, but still! Love all the choices! those inset drawers….dreamy sigh.
We are in the process of renovating our relatively small kitchen and this post is making me SO glad I convinced my GC that we needed custom cabinets for a small appliance garage “breakfast” area. Imagining pulling out the plate and knife and then having the bread, coffee & coffee maker, toaster, and peanut butter all in the same area is seriously giving me butterflies!
Big Time Pantry Envy going on in my head right now! WOWOWOWOW, it’s a dream come true. Go ahead, pinch yourself once from me : )
Such a funny intro Mrs. Henderson 🤣 👏 love all the homesteading bits 🤣🤣
if it’s moody and dark won’t it be annoying to find things? We get ants easily in SoCal so I’m a bit obsessive about visibility 😬
We chose Leathered Black Pearl Granite for our coffee area and it’s indestructible. I definitely felt suck in the 90’s picking anything labeled “black” and “granite” but it is beautiful in person, full of soft texture and warm black tones, and best of all it was $53/sq ft installed. Granite gets such a bad rap but there are beautiful varieties out there if you look hard enough! Also we have TEN of those tiny drawers, we fill them with all sorts of things…. measuring spoons, ladles, parchment paper rolls, I even have one for “the hinged things” ie garlic press, cherry pitter, and lemon squeezer. You’ll be surpised how useful they end up being!
Why would you want to have your toaster, coffee maker, bagels and all breakfast stuff in the pantry? In my world that is precisely what the kitchen is for. This way you will have 2 kitchens essentially…
Looking great. One pet peeve though: please stop using this latest trend of calling items ’she’…
youtubers were first calling things like make-up ’bad boy’ and now everything , like furniture, dresses etc is being feminized and called ’she’. Very annoying with these trends, at least for a non-US person
Carro, I don’t see ”she” being used anywhere in this post except as a pronoun in the photo captions (used to refer to Emily).
I think she means the sentence “extra motivated to make her really really pretty”. Not trying to reinforce this complaint at all, just observing. Not entirely sure why this is a peeve, except “trendy and YouTubers.” Personally I keep my pronoun sensitivity to people. Not sure the pantry cares….
Looks beautiful. I love the color! I see that you are using Sherwinn Williams paint, is it a special type that would take the abuse of being used on cabinetry?
You are a very lucky girl!!
Wildly envious. Your pantry is bigger and has more windows than my kitchen. On the other hand, you cook, I don’t much anymore. So it’s fair. Fun watching this whole build.
I’m just wondering where all the food is going to go😅 You mention stacking platters on the open shelves and decorative elements but what about the pasta/rice, baking ingredients, beverages, mac & cheese boxes, peanut butter, etc? Will those go on the open shelf as well?
I’m curious about your decision to have a breakfast wall instead of an appliance storage side vs. a food storage side…
I understand the need for kid accessibility but they’d be able to access cupboards on either side just as easily. Right now, you have appliances infringing on food space on both sides. It seems like designating the odd angle side (with the microwave) as your appliance storage, the long side for food storage, and the short wall at the back for your platters/serving ware would’ve been a better use of space & flow.
Going to be decanted into pretty containers.
Can’t wait to see the pantry when its complete! This is pretty obvious and probably already been thought of, but since this post was so detailed I’m wondering if there’s a specific spot for the waste bin? Not like the regular trash, but a small waste bin for coffee discards, wiping up crumbs, etc. And I agree, if you can get a water line hookup for the coffee, that could be nice. But I liken it to a pot filler – a luxurious convenience.
Oh pantry planning is so exciting! Count me in for the plate rail and a dark butcher block counter. I chose it for my massive pantry which is more of an English dish and copper cookware room. The butcher block is just so much warmer than stone for a pantry, I believe.
I am at the very end of bringing back my version of a victorian pantry in my 1892 victorian home in Portland, OR. I have to say that it is possibly my favorite room in my home! It is small, but very mighty. All hail to the walk-in pantry!
I am so excited for your design to be completed. I am watching and waiting, expectantly! Love this!
This post is perfectly timed…we are planning out a new walk in pantry now. Curious what the dimensions are of your space? And whether you are planning to share elevations or renderings, in addition to the inspo photos? Thanks for a great and helpful post, as always!! So fun to be renovating a whole house six months behind you guys. 😉
PLEASE stop using the phrase “pull the trigger.” I couldn’t even focus on the rest of your blog post after you used that phrase AGAIN despite multiple readers REPEATEDLY asking you to stop.
Yep.
My bottles of spray cleaner have triggers, my hose sprayer nozzle has a trigger, my hot glue gun has a trigger, etc, etc, etc. I literally pull triggers all day long and never touch a gun. If you’re so triggered by her use of that phrase, you could just stop coming to the site.
Why do they have to stop saying any kind of phrase, just because readers say so? They don’t. It’s their post, it’s their website; if you don’t like it, simply don’t read the post. It’s as simple as that.
The photo captions as a romance novel… I was here for them haha
It all looks so lovely. The cabinet color is beautiful. There is a drawback to cabinets with dark interiors. I once had dark cabinets with dark interiors. It’s not a deal breaker but, speaking from experience, the dark interiors make things hard to find. My current pantry storage has white interiors which makes finding what I need so much easier. I was amazed at what a difference.
My pantry cabinets are also in a separate space from the kitchen and it works out great. My kitchen is very small so I only have room for items which are needed every day. The benefit is, it is nice to have those items at arms length. Storing dry goods and small appliances outside the kitchen works out fine.
Chalkboard to keep a running grocery list- easy to jot down items you just used the last of or you noticed you are getting low of. Sometimes we just take a photo of the board before heading to the store.
You lost me at “broth drawer”
I have dark marble countertops in my kitchen (pietra cardosa I think?) that get a ton of action including daily coffee messes and I’m very glad we got them in a honed finish- I think they’d look terrible by now if they were trying to be shiny. I’m very happy with how they look 6+ years into daily cooking though- the dark & moody accent really grounds our space and I still find myself admiring their natural beauty. I also suspect the dark color is hiding a ton of coffee stains! So I’m 100% aligned with this decision.
Beautiful design!
Curious about the color/finish of the pantry?