What about two, narrow, hinged doors that swing in?

The shelving would prevent the doors from swinging in.

oh, it's not a walk-in pantry... I assumed. Well, they could swing out just as easily.

My grandkids leave our pantry door wide open all the time. I tell them to close it and they go and close it. If they have fled to parts unknown, I close it. No new doors or hardware required.

Set their snacks on the table in a basket and put a lock on the pantry door.

My kids always leave the pantry door open too... I am forever closing it whenever I walk by. Is there a way to put a self closing mechanism on the door? I am off to look for something like that for mine.

Wow. I agree with happyasaclam. Do you have rules in your house? If they don't close the door, whatever snack they just took from the pantry is returned. They will learn very quickly.

You could also use deco's idea. You can tell them, when they learn to close the door, they can have access to the pantry.

A sign, "Please close this door". If teenage boys, get a lock.

How old are the the kids? Is that a wine refrigerator I see there?

cdrdesign- that is a wine fridge- I took out the original desk drawers so we could slip that in- there was a hole in the wall already to run the cord through.
The boys are 4 and 7- we have rules, but I didn't think this was a forum for parenting advice. I was looking for design ideas. The door is 36" and barely clears the chairs when it is open. The table can't be moved because there is an exterior set of doors with the same clearance on the other side. I am really looking to improve flow between the kitchen and family room. If the door is open, you can not pass through. While it is not the end of the world, I would like to improve the flow. I like the self closing hinge idea but it doesn't change the space issue.

A hinged door is, in theory, a great idea. But I have to tell you that we installed it on several doors in our home for the obvious reason of wanting the doors to remain closed at all times.

Well, within a few weeks, I had had enough of the automatic hinges and had my husband switch them out.

I couldn't take constantly being banged as I was still walking in and out, especially with stuff in my hands.

I like your idea of a sliding barn door (you'll have to pick the style carefully), but you'll need to make sure that there is enough room on the right side of the pantry so that when the door is open or being opened no unsuspecting family member gets whacked with a door that they didn't see coming at them.

It's funny about parenting lessons, sometimes they come at us when we're least expecting them. And many times, that's when they often make the most sense. :) :)

Good luck.

ipm, thanks for the additional information. It seems from your original post that the only problem was kids leaving the door open. I always try to find the most economic solution to an issue.

I see there are additional issues with the door. Thanks for explaining them.

I don't think there is enough room for a barn door. It would extend beyond the edge of the wall in the adjacent room (when opened).

What do you think of a double door? Like in this picture. Obviously not this style, but the idea. You should easily be able to obtain 6-panel double doors. If you cannot find the exact size, a carpenter should be able to cut down the doors or add trim to make the doors fit.

Looks like you have a beautiful home!

[houzz=]

You could convert the current door to a bifold with proper hardware.

http://houzz.com/photos/296338

It sounds like you would benefit from converting it to a double door.

The barn doors are a great idea. The wainscoting shouldn't be a problem visually or functionally. The only thing is to make sure there is enough space on the sides of the opening to make sure that when the barn doors are open the pantry has full access.

What about curtains? Hang a rod past the length of the door and use tiebacks or not. That way they can get in and will think it's cool pulling back the drapes and it will look good and you can always close it off when needed! Space issue solved!

oops, just looked at picture again. It will have to be hung within the door frame.

Hi lpm05, Bi Parting barn doors might work in this space. The concern would the wall space needed for the doors to slide over. It looks like you have one side of the wall shorter than the other. One barn door would need to be shorter if this is the case. If you like call us for advice on this we will be happy to help. http://rusticahardware.com/bi-parting-barn-door-hardware-system/

That is the plan! I will need a 6ft bar and two 20" custom doors that I plan to make myself . I think it's going to look great now that I've seen photos of others.

I think that is one solution, but have you thought about others? Here's another potential solution in case you are open to it. take the door off, remove some of the drywall and trim to expose the shelves, and build new trim around it to look like a built-in cabinet. here's a link to some inspiration:
http://www.thediyvillage.com/2013/04/custom-kitchen-pantry-reveal.html

wonder if there would be room for 2 smallish pocket doors (the size of bifold doors) -- rigged up so they operate together (when one is pushed in, the other automatically recedes into the wall as well) ... then at least they wouldn't be in the way when left open, and it would look like a regular door (or bifolds) when closed. it would be a fair amount of construction probably, and I suspect the light switch would need to be moved ...

pretty kitchen by the way ...

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I have hardwood floors in living room and dining room which are open spaces. I have a colorful rug under dining room table. My problem is do I buy another rug with a different pattern? I feel like it is too busy since my sofa has a pattern on the fabric. What kind of rug do I use in my living room? My furniture is traditional and I have a black baby grand piano in living room too.

uhm ... judy? think you're in the wrong thread.

You can install a cool chalkboard door like this with a message to "Shut The Door"