Pantry Layout Advice

6 years ago

L-shaped pantry in the home my wife and I are renovating. Basically an empty rectangle aside from a small HVAC chase. Need to decide how we want to do the shelving layout.

Attached our current design. Would like to get some critiques.

Going to put a countertop microwave on the counter. Also want to be able to store and maybe use a Vitamix blender that will be on the counter. No other prep done in pantry.

On the bottom shelves want to store large items like dog food bags, paper towels, TP (if we can ever find it again), sodas and some cooking equipment like stand mixer, large bowls, crock pots, etc.

Shelves above counter will store cereal boxes, cans, flour, sugar, pasta, rice, etc.

Should we consider making the counters on one or both side deeper? 24"?

Should we do more upper shelves with less spacing in between?

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PRO

BERNHILL HOMES LLC

6 years ago

Assuming your pantry door is a 2-6 or a 2-4 you have room to have 24” deep shelving. The be wall is 100% capable of having a 24” deep shelf. It will be nice to have the extra 6” for your microwave to sit on.Based on appearance and functionality I would stay way from having so many depths of shelving. Working from bottom up maybe do 24”, 24”, 16” or 12”, 16” or 12”, 16” or 12”, 16” or 12”, 16” or 12”. That would mimic your upper and lower kitchen cabinets layout.

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Comments (6)

mackus
Original Author
6 years ago
We do have room between the wall and door for 24" depth counters on the long side. Definitely giving consideration to a deeper countertop. Being able to fit a larger/deeper microwave would be a big plus.

Rationale for going with 12" depth on most of the shelves is so that the shelf will die cleanly into the framing of the HVAC chase, which is also 12 deep. If we went deeper the shelf would need to wrap the chase like countertop will or just end there with some overhang. Very top shelves reduced to 10" so we don't lose things at the back of the shelves way up high.
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chiflipper
6 years ago
TP & paper towels on the topmost shelves because they weigh less and if the package falls, no harm done. Best to eliminate the usual "header" above the door. Making it open all the way to the ceiling allows for more accessibility to top shelves.
Buehl
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Be careful about different depths of shelving. Shelving that's deeper lower down will make it more difficult to reach the top shelves plus deeper shelves down low means more bending and craning your neck to get to the things in the back. Stick with one depth...12".

12" is the "sweet spot" of pantry shelving. Just about anything you can think of will fit on shelves 12" deep -- cereal boxes, cans 2 or 3 deep, small appliances (mixers, blenders, toasters, waffle irons, breadmakers, smaller toaster ovens, crock pots/slow cookers, etc.) Anything deeper, and things get lost in the depths, even on lower shelves.

Remember that you have floor space for storage as well -- store your pet food bags on the floor if they're big bags (e.g,. 15 pounds of dog food); if the bags are smaller, then they will fit on 12" deep shelves.

The real thing to pay attention to is height -- how far apart the shelves are. I suggest using adjustable shelving, if possible. If not possible, then measure your items (e.g., cereal boxes and small appliances, cans, etc.) and decide where you want to store things and arrange the shelves accordingly.

If you plan to use a small appliance in the pantry, then you might want one space more "open"...i.e., no shelves above. You will, unfortunately, have to have deeper counters -- I recommend going with drawer base cabinets so the storage isn't wasted due to the need for more depth. (The drawers will allow you full access so things are less likely to get lost and less bending to get to things.)

Another consideration...food storage should be cool, dry, and dark. Cooking in a pantry will defeat that -- a MW will introduce moisture and heat. Be sure you have very, very good ventilation in the pantry and leave it open while using the MW and for a while after to allow the moisture and heat to dissipate.

Your pictures didn't post, so I don't know your design.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/pantry-photos-pics-of-pantries-dsvw-vd~2401919

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5500787/faq-how-do-i-plan-for-storage
Buehl
6 years ago
Picture is showing now...
mackus
Original Author
6 years ago
Now that you can see the design, do you think I should change anything to meet any of the general suggestions you gave?

Regarding storing on the floor, my wife didn't want the floor to go under the shelves because that would make that area tough to clean. So that's why everything is on that 4" platform. Also saves us a few bucks by not needing to tile that square footage.

Microwave is really the only appliance we'll use in there and that doesn't get a ton of use. We do have an air supply in the pantry, though not a return, and could leave the door open after any long use periods of the microwave like defrosting something.

Sadly cabinets in the pantry are gonna be out of budget, especially drawer cabs. Possible sometime down the road we could convert.