Design Your Perfect Pantry: According to LiLu

How to Design Your Perfect Pantry

Design your perfect pantry? Yes, you can do it! The first step is understanding the options in pantry design and deciding which type of pantry will fit your family’s cooking style the best. In every home and every kitchen design, we do storage plays an important role. In the kitchen, one of the major spots that packs major storage and function is the pantry. There are four basic types of pantries that you should consider. If you design the perfect pantry it will change your life and make cooking easier and more pleasurable.
For more on Kitchen Design read our post Kitchen Design Wellness in Mind

Pantry Cabinet

A pantry cabinet can be a great option if you love having access to everything you need in the kitchen close by. I call this point of use storage. The idea is that you store things right where they will be needed and adds efficiency to your kitchen.
The beauty of the pantry cabinet is there are several kinds of these pantries. A double door cabinet with roll out shelves and spice shelves on the doors was perfect in this kitchen we remodeled for a serious cook, who loves to cook in a leisurely way but likes the beauty of having everything she needs within the main kitchen.
Pull-out pantry cabinets are great in kitchens with a smaller footprint. Yes, the is the way to design the perfect pantry for your small kitchen for the passionate cook. If the pantry is narrow and deep a pullout will prevent losing things in the back of the pantry or forgetting what you have in the pantry.
Pros
-Point of use storage
-Great for small kitchens
-Can use multiple pantry cabinets in larger kitchens
-Efficient for the busy cook
Cons
-Limited storage
-Some have no counter directly adjacent
-Often not appropriate for Costco size containers

Walk-in Pantry

Why would you use a walk-in pantry? The first reason I would choose a walk-in would be if I had a larger family (or teen boys) and need to keep a large amount of dry goods and stable ingredients on hand. Another reason we sometimes use this option for homes that are far from shopping opportunities. One new construction home we designed in Hawaii had a 50- minute drive from a grocery store.
This is a great choice for people who want storage adjacent to the main kitchen and want to store a lot of extra ingredients. These pantries often have an obvious entry door in the corner of the kitchen and sometimes they are designed into the cabinetry as a “hidden” pantry.
Pros
-Large amount of storage
-All storage easy to see on open shelves
-Good for serious cooks with larger families
Cons
-Need to walk a bit into the kitchen to gather things
-Need good memory

Butler’s Pantry

A butler’s pantry is the way to design the perfect pantry for the home entertainer. It usually connects the kitchen to the dining room and is the perfect place to store needed cutlery, serving dishes, and can have a warming drawer to keep plated food warm before serving.
The butler’s pantry can allow you to stage multiple courses of a meal in a space adjacent to but hidden from the dining room, so the experience of a dinner party is a seamless and elegant one.
While most homes today don’t have butlers working daily, many serious entertainers may hire servers or caterers for a special occasion or important business entertaining. Having a butler’s pantry becomes a must-have when you have occasional staff.
If you are a big entertainer and love cooking, you might consider that the perfect pantry design for you is probably a butler’s pantry + a walk-in or pantry cabinets.
Pros
-Keeps mess out of dining room
-Great storage for all things entertaining
-Perfect for the big dinner party-giver
Cons
-Not much food storage
-Takes space and may be best for larger homes
-May go unused if you don’t entertain

Scullery Kitchen

The scullery kitchen is making a big come back in modern homes for several reasons. Many people have adopted an open floor plan where the kitchen, living, and dining rooms are open to each other. The scullery kitchen gives these homes a spot where the messy business of cooking the perfect meal or the cleanup can be hidden from the view of the family or guests.
It can also have a second set of appliances and a working sink.  A scullery kitchen is perfect for larger parties as a spot to store food and pre-prepared platters. When you have a larger event, it can also become a caterer’s kitchen and set up area. Extra ovens, refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers are the ultimate luxury for the busy household.
The main idea is to keep the dirty work in the scullery. If you just don’t have the time or energy to clean up after that big dinner the mess all goes in the scullery because as Scarlet said, “tomorrow is another day”. If you have Scarlett’s attitude a scullery is definitely the design of your perfect pantry.
Pros
-Keeps mess out of the great room
-Who would say no to an extra set of appliances
-Can store extra food and dry goods
Cons
-Takes up a large space

Whether you are considering a kitchen remodel or designing a new construction home we encourage you to design your perfect pantry! A great pantry can allow you to cook daily and entertain just the way you want to with less stress!