Kitchen pantries are extremely practical and maximize storage in a really great way especially if you can find an organizing system that works for you

But today we’re not going to talk about what goes on inside the pantry.

What we’re interested in right now is the way in which the pantry doors hide everything and give the kitchen a clean and cohesive look. There are numerous different types of doors to choose from and even more ways in which you can customize them.


Tips on how to take full advantage of your kitchen pantry
A pantry is a very practical and very desirable addition to a kitchen. It’s a space with a lot of potential which can be designed and structured in lots of different ways. It’s important to take the time to come up with a good design for your pantry if you want to make the most of it. Here’s a few tips that might help:
Make a list of the items that you store in the pantry
This is useful both if you’re planning to build a new pantry or if you want to redesign your existing one. It helps you decide what type of storage you should prioritize and what elements you need to include in the design based on your habits and needs.
Find a good spot for your pantry
If you already have a pantry, take a closer look at it and see whether that’s the best placement for it. You might come to realize that your current pantry is positioned in an inconvenient spot or in an area with too much moisture.

If you’re in the early stages of building a new pantry, try to find a good place for it, a spot that’s dry, with plenty of space for storage shelves, close to the kitchen and so on. Make a decision based on your needs and your habits.
Figure out the best size for it
A walk-in pantry doesn’t need to be very big in order to be practical. There are however some minimal requirements. There should be enough clear space between shelves and storage areas so you can move around freely without bumping into anything. If there’s enough space for it, include a walkway between 42’’-48’’ wide so two people can use the space at the same time. This is desirable if you have a kitchen big enough for two cooks to use it simultaneously.

The shelves of the pantry shouldn’t be too deep, otherwise you’ll have a difficult time reaching the items that are stored all the way in the back. A depth of 14’’ is more than enough but you can extend it to 16’’ if needed. This would be the maximum depth of a pantry shelf.

Pay attention to the spacing between the shelves of the pantry. Leaving too much open space between them is often wasteful, especially if you’ll mostly be filling them with cans and jars. Keeping the spacing between shelves small maximizes storage space. Of course, you should leave some space for large items as well. Usually 16’’-18’’ of space is enough and you can have have the rest of the shelves placed 12’’-14’’ apart.
Decide on materials
There’s a variety of materials to choose from for pantry shelves. Plywood is one of the most commonly used one. It’s considered very practical, versatile and affordable. Other options can include metal, plastic or solid wood.
Add some lighting
A poorly-lit kitchen pantry offers a bad user experience. It’s important to be able to clearly see inside the pantry so you can easily find the item that you’re looking for. Also, a well-lit pantry is most likely to be kept clean and organized because it’s more enjoyable to use.
Pay special attention to the door
The door is a very important element for a pantry. There’s plenty of decision to make regarding this like what type of door you should choose, which way it should swing, what it should look like or whether or not your pantry should have a door in the first place.
Beautiful Kitchen Pantry Door Ideas Create cohesion with a frosted glass door


If you want to separate the pantry from the rest of the kitchen but still maintain visual connection, one idea can be to choose a pantry door with frosted glass panels which lets you see the outlines of what’s behind but blurs out the details, hiding the mess (more or less). It’s a cute idea which can work out well is you have a small kitchen or if you want to maintain an airy and transparent look throughout your home. Check out thriftydecorchick for more inspiration.
Make a statement with wooden barn doors


Barn doors and kitchen pantries go hand in hand and it’s not just the sliding doors that look cool but also these double doors that create a farmhouse vintage vibe yet maintain the decor simple and familiar. The idea comes from designingvibes so that’s where you can also find more details regarding how you can build such lovely pantry doors yourself.
Keep it traditional with a screen door


Another option is a screen door. You can build one from scratch using lumber or you can repurpose and redesign an existing old door. The screen section in this version of the project featured on domesticimperfection only makes up around half of the door because a door that’s all screen in this size wouldn’t really be sturdy enough. Still, it looks great and gives the pantry a charming traditional look.
Add details that stand out


Since pantry doors are usually small,their designs need to be special in order to stand out. That’s why this antique door actually looks pretty amazing here. You can even add something like this to a modern or a contemporary kitchen and it would still look great. Check out all the details related to this particular project on slightlycoastal.
Save space with a sliding door


Sliding barn doors are gorgeous and perfectly suited for kitchen pantries. They’re space-saving and they look very charming plus they’re easy to build from scratch, sliding mechanism included. For the door itself you need a large piece of plywood and nine wooden boards and for the mechanism, you can use a barn door hardware kit. Paint the door to give it character.
Maximize storage with shelves


As practical as the space inside the kitchen pantry is, it’s always good to maximize it even more and a great way to do that is by attaching shelves to the inside of the pantry door. You can built a small unit with several shallow shelves just deep enough to hold your spices. It wouldn’t weigh a lot and it would let you organize your spices in a very nice manner and without worrying you’re wasting space. Check out the details of this project on shanty-2-chic.
Try a makeover


You don’t necessarily have to get a new door or to craft one from scratch if you want to change the look of your kitchen pantry. A possibility is to use your existing door (or to get a very basic one from a local store) and to give it a makeover. A cool idea could be to end up with a beautiful wood-planked pantry door like the one featured on thewoodgraincottage.
Add flexibility with Dutch doors


Another very cool design idea comes from littleslifeandlaughter. This farmhouse-style pantry door definitely looks very beautiful form the outside, especially with that finish and that hardware. But there’s more to it than just that. It’s actually a sort of Dutch door which means you can open up the top half or the bottom half independently. Further more, there’s a spice rack on the inside of the top door section.
Include a blackboard


Another cool way to make a kitchen pantry stand out is to decorate the door in an eye-catching and also practical way. A really great idea is to paint a blackboard on it. That way you can write the menu on the door, write down notes or recipes or grocery lists or even just draw something cute or inspiring. On craft-o-maniac you can find details about how to customize such a door.
Add attachments and accessories


If you want to maximize the storage capacity of your kitchen pantry you can install shelves on the interior of the door. You can add these at any time and use them to store and to organize small things such as spices, small jars or certain utensils. you can opt for individual shelves or for multi-shelf storage systems. Either way, there are numerous different designs and options to choose from, each with their own particular set of advantages. Check out the details on robbygurlscreations.
Apply a fresh coat of paint


An easy way of adding a fresh vibe to your existing pantry is just by repainting the door. Consider using a less common type of paint, perhaps a matte finish or an interesting color, in order to give the pantry door a cool aesthetic. Chalkboard paint is a particularly interesting option. Check out brightgreendoor to see how you can use it effectively.
Decorate the glass panels


If your pantry door has glass panels this would give you an opportunity to add a few decorations like crystals and tape. It’s not exactly a common practice so you should first check out this post from redheadcandecorate to see what this is all about. It’s quite simple really. You just use the stickers to make a simple X-shaped pattern on each glass panel and you add a crystal at the center of each one.
Try a reclaimed door


Another really cool idea is to use an old reclaimed door for the pantry. You can clean up a bit and do some repairs if needed but mainly try to preserve its original look and especially the weathered aesthetic. This is what gives it character and makes it authentic. Check out rafterhouse to see how something like this would look like.
Consider double sliding barn doors


Since pantry shelves don’t need to be very deep, it might work to set up the pantry along one of the empty walls in your kitchen. In this scenario a pair of sliding barn doors could look really cool. You could even introduce dividers or separate the pantry into sections. You can find more inspiration on oldsaltfarm if you enjoy this idea.
Introduce a pattern


This is something to keep in mind regardless of what type of door you decide to install on your kitchen pantry or whether it’s an old door or a new one. Adding a decorative pattern can totally change its aesthetic and this is something that can be done at any stage of the project. We really like the geometric pattern featured on prettyinthepines so head over there for more details.
Check out solid wood doors


Solid wood has a unique charm of its own. It’s an elegant choice in addition to being very strong and durable. There’s several varieties of wood to choose from for a pantry door as well as numerous styles when it comes to design. Check out this selection offered by rivervalleywoodworks to see what some of the options are.
Make a farmhouse door with glass


This door style is actually really well-suited for pantries, particularly if you’re going for a more traditional or farmhouse vibe for the interior design in general. Building a door like this from scratch is not as difficult as you might think and this video tutorial by Pahjo Designs guides you through the entire process.
Upgrade an existing door


Another wonderful idea is upgrade your existing pantry door rather than getting a new one and ending up spending more than you have to. A basic flat door can be totally transformed using only some plywood and a bit of paint. Check out this video by EvanAndKatelyn to get a few tips.
Add decorative visuals


It could look quite nice to mark the pantry through some sort of visual indicator. Applying a decal or a stencil to the pantry door is a rather easy and also beautiful way to do so. Check out this lovely design idea shared by HomeSteadHow for a bit of inspiration. This works best with a glass door.
Hang a fabric curtain


Sometimes it’s just more practical to hang a curtain rather than put up a door. This makes sense for a kitchen pantry, especially when you’re short on space and a regular would only get in the way or a sliding door would not fit. Curtains are also cheaper and you can make them and hang them yourself. You can find all the details on jennasuedesign if you’re interested.
Add an organizational board


There’s usually not a lot of free space in a kitchen so it’s practical to take advantage of anything that can be multi-functional. The pantry door is one of those things. A particularly nice idea when it comes to that is to hang an organizational board or a memo board on the pantry door. This can be a spot where you keep your favorite recipes, make grocery lists and so on. Check out thehouseofsmiths to see how it’s done.
Consider arched doors


There’s also the option of arched door which have a really elegant and refined door. They’re not the first thing that comes to mind for a kitchen pantry but this could potentially be a really cool way to add a bit of extra flair to the kitchen without compromising on functionality. This remodel project by studio Matthew Thomas Architecture is very inspiring in that sense.
Paint sliding barn doors


If you find sliding barn doors practical and particularly well-suited for your pantry but you don’t really want them to become the center of attention, an option is to paint them so they blend in more easily. You can paint them in a color similar to that of the adjacent walls for such an effect. Photo by Sunburst Shutters & Window Fashions Charlotte
Disguise the pantry


What if you could have a pantry in your kitchen without it actually looking like a pantry? It’s not actually difficult to disguise it. You could make it look like a cabinet or seamlessly integrate it into your furniture design. The doors can match the rest of the cupboard doors like in this beautiful kitchen by studio Turan Designs.
Go for cohesiveness


Here’s another case where the pantry was seamlessly integrated into the kitchen design and disguised as part of the cabinetry. This is a nice way of giving the kitchen a cohesive look and of simplifying its design and layout. This particular kitchen design was done by studio Curt Hofer & Associates.

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