My New Walk-in Pantry!

by Carolyn Kelso-Bell

How to get from a too-deep lousy pantry to a walk-in version!

This is the before..( I know my kitchen is crying out for a makeover..it is coming :) My pantry was a very deep cupboard to the right of the fridge. It was so deep that I never really knew what was in there...very hard to keep track of stuff. I used to joke that it was like the wardrobe in the Narnia books...lol! But there was lots of space on the right...so I designed a new walk in version!

My new walk-in version!

Here it is...just big enough to walk inside..with shelves on three sides going up to the ceiling. I love it. I hired a local handyman who worked with a contractor and they tore out the old cupboard, put up the studs, drywall and got one other guy to do the mudding. I sanded and painted and my husband repaired the floor with Quik Crete concrete. It cost about $2500 for the construction, plus the cost of the shelves and paint.

What it looks like inside!

It took some figuring out how to do the shelves, we had originally planned on using the wire shelving found at most home improvement stores. But it doesn't come in 6 inch widths...and the side shelves had to be less deep. So I checked around on Pinterest and found some inspiration from other pantries. We ended up getting white painted boards at Home Depot cut in the sizes we wanted and we used braces underneath each onto secure the different boards to each other.

Now I have room for my bread machine and bigger things on the floor and room for all the food! Only my spices and our liquor stayed in the cupboards...and I was able to clear off my counters..yay!

I may add some more baskets...but it is working for now. It is SO great to see everything in one spot! there is even room for the dog food on the floor!

UPDATE: Just painted the door white and the insert with chalkboard paint.

Really pleased! :)

My newly cleared counters!!! Now on to planning painted white cupboards, new counters, backsplash and floor!! I also want to do a robin's egg blue on the walls. Thanks for visiting!

Enjoyed the project?

You can do it! Saved to your projects

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this project?

Ask a Question

3 of 8 questions

Tena on Apr 14, 2017

What did you do about the soffit (empty space) above the original pantry?

1
Patty on Apr 14, 2017

It's difficult to determine from the pictures. What is the depth of the pantry?

3
Eroque022810 on Aug 02, 2017

I love what you did and that you had the space. None of my business but I love the cabinets as they are not white. And it would be super cheery with the paint. So would white but I guess to me these look so elegant. Back to pantry, I have a question it had outlets before so did they add a light up above? My goodness you could have a shelf just for charging phones and such. Beautiful!

1

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 123 comments

Yolanda Reygaert on Jul 19, 2017

Love it! We have a tiny broom closet that we turned into a pantry. We're using wire baskets (no shelves) and it's awful! Lol love your braces idea! Thank you!

Like Reply
Carolyn Kelso-Bell on Jul 19, 2017

thanks! 😁

Like Reply