Designing the right storage solution and getting a custom pantry that fits your needs is tricky stuff best left to closet designers and storage experts. Here are a few smart pantry design tips and storage ideas to help you as you work with a designer to build your custom pantry.
SHELVES FOR FOOD STORAGE
For better efficiency and visibility, shelves should be customized and separated based on need. For pots, pans, and appliances, shelves should be between 14 and 16 inches deep. Never any deeper! For food storage, shelves should be 6, 9, and 12 inches deep. It’s also never a good idea to stack food or cans in tall shelves. Instead, opt for shallower, shorter-height shelves. You end up saving space while getting better accessibility. Whether you have a custom reach-in closet or custom walk-in closet, the rules above apply.
OPEN SHELVING
Open shelving in a pantry can maximize storage potential. It makes unloading groceries a breeze, and finding what you need and seeing what needs restocking extra easy. You can also help prevent visual chaos by eliminating messy-looking open boxes and instead decanting bulk food like cereal and sugar into uniform jars or bins. This provides a sense of cohesion while also keeping food fresh and providing visual cues about when to restock items.
PANTRY PULL-OUT SHELVES ARE FUNCTIONAL
Pull-out shelves can make life easier, allowing you to find and take inventory of food quickly; but, it comes at a price as this pantry storage solution tends to be a more expensive option.
HOOKS ARE HELPFUL.
For bonus storage space, add hooks on the back of your pantry door. These hooks can hang aprons, oven mitts, reusable shopping bags, and even pizza peels for quick access. In a pantry, taking advantage of vertical storage is essential and in the end, saves on space.
CORNER SHELVES ARE A WASTE OF SPACE.
They’re especially a nightmare in pantries, creating problems rather than solving them. Corner shelves in pantries eliminate visibility and make it really tough to access what you need. Essentially half of your stored items are blocked!
HIDE GARBAGE AND RECYCLING IN PANTRIES.
Don’t forget about your garbage and recycling! If you don’t like their garbage cans out in the open, but don’t have the pull-out garbage cans and recycling bins built into your cabinetry, you can customize shelving around these unsightly objects to accommodate them in any pantry space.
Now that you know what it takes to design a modern, well-organized pantry, you can make intelligent decisions about the storage solution best for you.
It’s time to make the most of your kitchen layout with a Custom Pantry and say, “goodbye, clutter hello, organization.”