4 Enticing Ways With Pantry Doors
Whether invisible or attention-seeking, this utilitarian kitchen element offers a design opportunity
Becky Harris
September 17, 2018
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
Pantries are trending on Houzz, and these spaces present a delicious design opportunity through their doors. Some of these doors conceal a large walk-in pantry, while others announce the presence of a much smaller pantry cabinet. Custom cabinetry doors, sliding barn doors, pocket doors and a range of eclectic choices are good options that will add personality and a style statement to the kitchen.
1. Camouflaged pantry doors. The latest trend in pantry doors is to line them up flush within a run of matching cabinetry, making the pantries behind them a hidden bonus space. This was the first example of this strategy I remember seeing and it hit big with Houzz users — more than 18,000 people have saved this photo to their ideabooks.
Cabinet paint: Stratton Blue, Benjamin Moore
Cabinet paint: Stratton Blue, Benjamin Moore
This pantry entrance fits seamlessly into a row of tall cabinet doors. Notice how the cabinetmaker created a false toe kick look on the pantry doors to blend them in with the adjacent doors.
Find a cabinetmaker in your area
Find a cabinetmaker in your area
In this kitchen, things aren’t quite so concealed; the homeowner wanted to be able to see into her pantry from the main kitchen when making up her shopping list. Glass on the door, a glass transom and a window inside the pantry keep it well-lit naturally, while ash paneling, baskets and attractive shelves provide a nice view. But the way the door is lined up with the other cabinets still adds a bit of mystery at first.
Cabinet color: Waynesboro Taupe enamel, Benjamin Moore; hardware: Emtek
Search heavy-duty cabinet door pulls
Cabinet color: Waynesboro Taupe enamel, Benjamin Moore; hardware: Emtek
Search heavy-duty cabinet door pulls
2. Sliding barn pantry doors. The mega-popularity of doors hanging from a sliding barn door track shows no sign of waning. Barn doors can bring in a big dose of modern farmhouse style, and the heavy-duty barn track hardware can handle a heavier-than-standard door, making it good for showcasing a custom or unconventional door. For example, the door seen in this photo closely resembles a traditional bungalow exterior door.
A disadvantage to note is that the space next to the door opening must remain clear so the door can slide in front of it. This means no art there and, depending on how far out from the wall the door slides, no light switches.
Wall paint: Colonnade Gray, Sherwin-Williams
A disadvantage to note is that the space next to the door opening must remain clear so the door can slide in front of it. This means no art there and, depending on how far out from the wall the door slides, no light switches.
Wall paint: Colonnade Gray, Sherwin-Williams
The disadvantage I just mentioned does not exist in this New Hampshire kitchen. There’s a pretty coffee bar next to the pantry, and when the homeowners want to access either side, they simply slide the door to the other side. On the door itself, a diamond-shaped antique glass window is a fresh twist on a swinging commercial kitchen door’s porthole, and a pull fashioned from cast-iron plumbing pieces provides a spot to hang dish towels.
Another fun element of barn doors is that they can accommodate heavy-duty door pulls. Check out this handle — it is Paul Bunyan-size. And it looks like its texture would feel great in your hand.
Barn tracks also can accommodate double doors that slide in from either side of the door opening. Here slimmer-than-standard custom doors are rustic in style but sophisticated in their scale and paint finish.
Note that despite the name, doors on barn door tracks need not look like they were reclaimed from a barn. These contemporary doors bear no resemblance to anything in a place where hay is stored, and their frosted glass allows light to pass through while concealing any pantry mess.
3. Pocket doors. Pocket doors are a good option for small spaces like pantries because they don’t have a door swing that impedes on the space. The flip side is that a pocket door requires a place to pocket — so it requires an ample wall to house it, and the pocketing area must be clear of things like wires, plumbing and nails from picture hooks.
Door: TruStile Doors; door paint: Pure White, Sherwin-Williams
Door: TruStile Doors; door paint: Pure White, Sherwin-Williams
Pocket doors can be customized with interesting designs. On the previous example, the top panel of the door was chalkboard, and here the doors have seeded glass panes. This shot provides a good look at the type of door pulls required by pocket doors, as a typical door knob cannot fit within a pocket.
This door is a great example of transitional style on a pocket door. The five-paneled door style is traditional, but filling in each panel with reeded glass gives it a contemporary look.
4. Eclectic doors. This category will be a mix of door types, with the common thread being a sense of personality and playfulness.
Even if the pantry is simply a large cabinet and not a walk-in or closet style, there’s still a good design opportunity for the door. In this creative Atlanta kitchen, the large sliding cabinet door conceals an intentionally shallow pantry, designed so all items are easy to find. The door has a chalkboard surface for leaving notes or writing recipes, menus and grocery lists. The door covers only half of the pantry; a lovely peony wallpaper and shelves full of clear glass, a small TV and meaningful objects remain on display.
Learn more about this kitchen
Cabinet paint: Ocean Floor, Benjamin Moore; wallpaper: House of Hackney
Even if the pantry is simply a large cabinet and not a walk-in or closet style, there’s still a good design opportunity for the door. In this creative Atlanta kitchen, the large sliding cabinet door conceals an intentionally shallow pantry, designed so all items are easy to find. The door has a chalkboard surface for leaving notes or writing recipes, menus and grocery lists. The door covers only half of the pantry; a lovely peony wallpaper and shelves full of clear glass, a small TV and meaningful objects remain on display.
Learn more about this kitchen
Cabinet paint: Ocean Floor, Benjamin Moore; wallpaper: House of Hackney
A whimsical exterior screen door turns the entry to the pantry into a colorful conversation-starter in this cheerful farmhouse-style home in Los Angeles.
Door paint: Ocean Green, ICI (discontinued)
Browse screen doors
Door paint: Ocean Green, ICI (discontinued)
Browse screen doors
Something as easy and inexpensive as a decal can add personality to a pantry door. Homeowner Michele Cannon found this “PANTRY” detail on Etsy for $13. And now we’ve come full circle from camouflaged pantry doors concealing a hidden space to one that announces “There is a pantry behind here!”
Learn more about this DIY kitchen renovation
Learn more about this DIY kitchen renovation
Share: Have you added a clever touch to your pantry door? Please share with us in the Comments and include a photo if possible.
Customizable door: San Soucie Art Glass
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Customizable door: San Soucie Art Glass
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These are all fabulous. Just another thing on my list. I want to change the laundry room into a large pantry. It has a window and plenty of room for shelves. Then I'll put an old painted screen door on it since I won't need one that has to hide the pantry contents. The laundry can go where the pantry is. We'll see.
Oh that sounds cool, please share with us when you're done mancsmamadee! The most popular laundry room photos from the last quarter should be popping up in the next few weeks in a Houzz story and I definitely saw some very inspirational (and aspirational) photos in there. Keep an eye out, there may be some fun ideas in it for your project.