What do you want to store in your pantry?

How much do you want to store in your pantry?

How wide is the person(s) that will be getting things from your pantry? ('normal' or "above normal" will suffice)

I was hoping to fit a counter in there for appliances along with narrow shelving for canned goods, cereal, etc. Not sure what else. This downsizing is new to me. My husband did all the shopping and cooking but he passed away recently. I am “normal” sized.

Can you do an L?

I’d rather have a 3’ long reach-in than a 3’ wide walk-in. Everything is right in view when you open the door, and you waste less space on room just to stand.

3’ x what dimension? Are you asking if you can do a walk in thats only 3’ wide? You need 3’ for a walking aisle

I am so sorry for your loss. Building something new on top of all the other adjustments you are facing must be daunting. When I planned my pantry, I used blue painter’s tape laid out on the floor. I used graph paper to decide the height spacing for the items I wanted. I actually dragged out my appliances-waffle iron, crock pots, mixer, iced tea maker, etc. I could see how many shelves I needed.

Mine is 62" wide with shelving on both side and that is the narrowest I would do. The door opening is 36". ELFA System from The Container Store.

Thank you for the advice. I think I will see if the blueprints can be reconfigured to accommodate a wider pantry.

@terri23

You're under downsize stress coupled with grief! How awful!

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Can you show the whole kitchen? Even if you take a picture of the plan and zoom the kitchen?

file it to photos and upload as a jpeg?

You can get help right here, when you have the dimensions of everything around that pantry!

A 3’ wide, step in pantry holds a HUGE amount. way more than a single person ever needs.

As someone who works with a lot of widows professionally, this is a lot to do right now for you. Do you not have any other options other than to downsize? We usually recommend that people wait at least a year to make major decisions.

We don't know anything, so I'm not going to make any assumptions.

The op could be a serious baker, might have kids, and multiple grand kids living nearby.

She could need... something we have no idea IS a need!

Information in, gets information/help back: )

The walkway in my little pantry is 33” and I don’t think I’d want to go much smaller. I’m normal to small size.

Ours under way is 68.5" wide by 10' deep and will include a freezer. Tight for a packrat. (Tenants of mine in Toronto used to sublet out an attic room that size for an inflation adjusted $450 a month in 1984.)

I assume the 3’ wide figure is for the WHOLE pantry, including the walkway? If so, there would be little room for shelves on the sides. Well, maybe 6” deep shelves on each side, or 12” deep on one side. For me, anyway. I don’t like bumping my hips and bonking my elbows.

If you only have 3’ in width, don’t make it walk-in. You’ll have to waste so much space just for your walkway.

"Counter in there for appliances" 18 inches. Narrow walkway for normal person 30 inches, that makes for a 48 inch wide walk-in pantry. What else do you want to know?

A pantry with shelves on one side is not as efficient as shelves on both sides, but has to be sized accordingly.