Author: Kristina Ferrigan

Who hasn’t struggled trying to get a food processor or air fryer out of a jammed cabinet? Or dug deep to see if you have any taco spice packets, just to find a box of crackers that are now stale? Forget about walk-in closets, it’s time for a walk-in pantry. If you have the space, they can be a big advantage in your kitchen storage and meal prep game.

“Walk-in pantries can be a better way to see, organize and more easily access food items when you’re preparing a meal or getting ready to go grocery shopping,” Normandy Designer Jeremy Paris says. “And a trend that we’re seeing is that people like the idea of getting countertop appliances out of the kitchen and into the pantry, which can provide more room.”

You can use a walk-in pantry for whatever you want but it’s important to decide its main purpose. “Does it need cabinetry for a prep sink and drink station, or do you want it strictly for storage and just have shelving?” Jeremy says. “Some people prefer matching storage systems and containers, while others prefer open shelving.” You can install fixed brackets, which are planned out ahead of time to a degree, according to Jeremy, but if you want the flexibility of changing heights of shelves – like if you get a new appliance, or another cookbook – then you might opt for adjustable shelves.

Depending on its purpose, your walk-in pantry’s location will be impacted. “You generally don’t want it to be too far away from your cooking area,” Jeremy says. “But are you going to use it for everyday storage or bulk storage? If it’s something you don’t need access to every day, it’s okay if it’s further removed.”

From a design point of view, a walk-in pantry can also be an opportunity to play around with aesthetic elements that you might have shied away from using in your kitchen. “If you want to experiment with a pattern or color, but on a smaller scale, a walk-in pantry can be a canvas for that,” Jeremy says. “It can be a little surprise.”

To this point, walk-in pantries can be a chance to add more creativity to your kitchen remodel with the type of door you choose. For one of his projects, Jeremy’s clients repurposed a door from another part of the house. Or you could try out a sliding barn door, or an obscured-glass element.

“One of my recent projects featured a pantry with an exterior window. We installed a clear glass door, which brings more light into the adjacent spaces and makes the pantry design more visible,” Jeremy says. “Frosted doors are also popular – so if you’re not the type to be meticulously organized, you can keep the door shut while still setting it apart from a closet or bathroom door.”

If you’d like to talk with Jeremy about your kitchen, addition or whole home remodel, you can make an appointment to start the conversation. For more kitchen design inspiration, follow Normandy Remodeling on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, or check out our photo galleries to see more of our projects.