Kitchen with pantry design: storage system options

Kitchen design with pantry

The kitchen often has a special space designed for storing dishes or food. It allows you to maintain perfect cleanliness in the room. The pantry in the kitchen should be properly designed so that it is convenient to use, and it should not detract from the appearance of the room. The exact size and shape depend on what will be stored in a separate room, closet or niche. If you plan to use attractive containers, then you don’t have to install a door, but if the pantry is used to store animal food or unattractive pans, then it is advisable to close its internal contents.

Kitchen pantry: how to plan storage space

A separate food storage area makes it easier to keep your kitchen tidy, but it must be properly designed to serve its purpose well. It's worth setting your expectations. You dream of sausage loops hanging from the ceiling, or you're primarily concerned with storing large, unsightly bottles of water and pet food in the pantry. In the first case, you are dealing with a real pantry, and you will have to take care of a specific microclimate that will allow you to store meat, vegetables, fruits and canned goods without worrying about their spoilage. The second is simply a place in the kitchen or near the kitchen to store dry food.

Space Planning Basics

If you are planning a kitchen with a pantry , then it is first recommended to create a special project that contains basic information about all the elements in the room. When designing, the following rules are taken into account:

a suitable place is selected to organize space for storing food or utensils, and it should be dry and cool, as well as dark and well ventilated;
only by protecting the pantry in the kitchen from high humidity, temperature changes and other exposure factors will ideal conditions for food be ensured;

organizing such a space is considered more affordable compared to purchasing specialized kitchen furniture;
thanks to this layout, ideal order is maintained, and the pantry cabinet in the kitchen can be used not only for food, but also for various household appliances or accessories;
in large apartments or houses, you can use a small room to store various utensils and food, and it should not contain elements of the heating system, and it should also be located on the north side of the house;

there should be no window in the pantry, but if one is already made, then it will have to be completely closed with thick curtains or blinds;
It is important to organize storage space directly next to the door in order to transfer purchases to the cooler immediately after entering the house;
In apartments, the pantry is often represented by cabinets or a system of pull-out shelves.

The storage room is represented by a technical room or a fenced-off small space. Therefore, you will have to spend money on finishing materials, and they must be strong, durable and easy to maintain. The ideal choice for these purposes is ceramic or stone tiles, as well as plastic or washable paint.

How not to do it

When first faced with the problem of organizing functional areas in the kitchen pantry, no one is immune from possible mistakes. Common sense and little tips will help you avoid them. First of all, the kitchen is a place for preparing food, so only those items that are needed for daily use and are related thematically are related to it. For example, allocating space for a vacuum cleaner in a small kitchen is absolutely irrational, just like placing boxes of shoes there.

Designers warn about the danger of focusing on ready-made options: there are no universal solutions; sometimes you can get your own by combining 2-3 of the ones you like. The classic is open shelves that run the entire height of the wall, on which, in order of necessity, jars of seasonings, dishes and bottles of water (drinks) are placed.

The pantry must be dry, well ventilated and provide quick access to all items stored in it.

Arrangement rules

For proper planning of a kitchen with a pantry, some rules are taken into account that allow you to get multifunctional and easy-to-use housing. These rules include:

the area of a separate room should not be less than 2.5 meters;
it is advisable to choose a room that has the correct shape, which will allow you to install shelves or other storage systems;
the width should vary from 40 to 60 cm;

if you plan to install a freezer or other large equipment, then you need to leave at least 60 cm of free space near the wall;
instead of ordinary shelves, you can use cargo cabinets with metal baskets;
deeper shelves are attached at the bottom, and narrow and small elements are fixed at the top;

the number and location of shelves and other items depend on the preferences of the users, therefore, the more supplies the family stores, the more space needs to be allocated for the pantry;
If there are niches in the room, then they are ideal for installing special shelving equipped with spacious containers.

Attention! The pantry in the kitchen can be used to store wine bottles or collectible glassware.

There are many different shelves on the market that are ideal for organizing your pantry. You can use not only expensive and stylish furniture made of natural wood, but also stands made of metal or plastic. Some people prefer to equip this room with various accessories and original products to create a cozy space. For decoration, you can use bunches of dried herbs or original lids.

Benefits of a pantry

If you carefully think through the design of a kitchen with a pantry , and also effectively organize the space for storing food, then such a layout will allow you to take advantage of many undeniable advantages. These include:

the process of planning purchases is simplified, since all products, preparations and even dishes are in one place;
the space is kept up-to-date, reducing the likelihood that any perishable food will have to be thrown away;

For many people, preparing food for different seasons is a real art, since you can not only enjoy delicious dishes even in winter, but also competently sort products on shelves depending on expiration date or other characteristics;
You can even store food here that is packaged in sealed containers;

Since the pantry is always cool and dark, it is an ideal place for flour and other bulk products, as well as dried vegetables and fruits.

Attention! It is advisable to store quickly perishable products such as milk, kefir, meat or fish in the refrigerator.

Bonus: kitchen in the bathhouse

An interesting option is to equip a kitchen in the bathhouse. If you decide to implement such a project, it is worth considering three options and determining which one suits you best:

Kitchen with minimal functionality. It is designed to allow you to drink tea or coffee and heat up simple food, for example, ordered pizza. In this case, a kitchen corner with a table, as well as an electric kettle and a simple microwave is enough.

Kitchen with expanded functionality. Here you can wash dishes, heat up food or prepare not too complicated dishes. In such a kitchen, in addition to a table and chairs (or a kitchen corner), you cannot do without a sink, a microwave oven, a kettle, and a stove (hob).

And finally, you can equip the bathhouse with a full kitchen. This is a good solution for those who like to steam in warm company. In general, such a kitchen is not too different from the kitchen in a house or apartment.

You can make a kitchen with access to the terrace, next to which there will be a grill for kebabs and a barbecue.

Ways to arrange space

Even if you buy a small pantry cabinet for the kitchen , you need to make effective use of the available space. To do this, it is important to follow the following tips:

You can not only buy shelves, but also make them yourself from plywood or other available materials, which allows you to get products that are ideal in size;

if there is no desire to look at different objects located on the shelves, then open products can be replaced with closed cabinets;
if you plan to store small items here, then it is important to buy small organizers or baskets for them, and multi-level inserts that are installed directly on the shelves also look interesting;

to increase the space on the floor, it is important to use a sliding structure instead of a regular door;
To avoid having to spend a lot of time searching for the right products, you can use products made of glass or transparent plastic, as well as make special inscriptions or stick stickers.

Attention! To create a warm and functional environment, you can install free-standing products, represented by chests of drawers or sideboards.

It is not always possible to allocate a separate storage room in a small apartment. Therefore, you have to buy kitchen furniture that is specifically used for storing utensils or food. It is represented by a wardrobe or a large chest of drawers, but it should fit well into the space and be combined with other interior items.

Wardrobe pantry in the kitchen - choosing the layout and location

Any pantry cabinet requires free space, so this solution is best suited for a large kitchen. However, there is one secret: in a medium-sized room, you can use space that usually remains underutilized. For example, a corner storage closet would be an excellent solution - it will not make the room feel cramped. An example of such a layout is demonstrated by the Anna kitchen (GiuliaNovars), where the entire corner is occupied by a tall cabinet.

There may be other solutions:

place a not too wide, but long closet along one of the walls;
divide the narrow room into a kitchen (closer to the entrance) and a pantry;
Make the most of the space under the ceiling for storing food supplies and things that are not needed every day.

In short, the layout can be anything. In square kitchens it is convenient to use a corner, and in long and narrow kitchens you can use the far part by hiding the passage into it behind the cabinet door. In this case, one room is actually divided into two parts, and the pantry turns into a separate room, which is especially convenient for people who like to store homemade preparations, dried berries, mushrooms and herbs.