The closet pantry. Love it or loathe it, it’s a staple feature of many homes built in the last 30 years. There are pros and cons to a closet pantry. The most obvious benefit is lots of storage space, but often the boxy shape of a closet pantry means it takes up precious square footage and can make smaller kitchens feel even smaller. In addition, things seem to disappear into them, never to see the light of day again. One client recently admitted to us she found a 25 year old spice in her closet pantry (no, that doesn’t make it an antique!). She knew it was time for a kitchen remodel to make better and, even more importantly, more functional use of space.
Don’t get us wrong, we love a beautiful pantry and if you’ve got plenty of room a separate pantry might be on your ‘must-have’ list. But if your kitchen space is smaller or you just don’t like your closet pantry, a great solution is a cabinetry pantry with lots of pull out shelves that allow you to see exactly what’s in there but with a space-saving design.
Before you make a decision on what’s right for your kitchen remodel, let’s take a look at a few case studies so you can see the difference removing a closet pantry makes. In all of these case studies, the key to the kitchen remodel was removing the closet pantry but without sacrificing storage.
Case Study 1: Contemporary Kitchen Remodel
In this Reston kitchen remodel, the closet pantry on the left hand side of the first ‘before’ photo took up a lot of space in the original kitchen. We removed it and reconfigured the layout of the space including removing a load-bearing wall. This allowed the kitchen to be expanded into the dining room. The double oven is now in the previous pantry location, but lots of cabinetry provides ample storage space for pantry items.
Case Study 2: Transitional Kitchen Remodel
Looking towards the entrance of the home, the back of the large pantry closet can be seen in the center of the first ‘before’ photo of this Reston kitchen remodel. It took up a lot of space and made the Kitchen (on the left) feel cramped and, more problematically, blocked views to the beautiful lakefront at the rear. In the second ‘before’ photo, you can see the stand-alone pantry closet, with the coat closet door opposite. The pantry door and the coat closet door could not be open at the same time, and both closets took up a lot of room in the space. By removing the boxy closet pantry and changing the shape and door location of the coat closet, the whole floor plan of this Reston townhome was completely opened up, as well as providing a clear and better view of the lake from all areas of the main level.
Case Study 3: Transitional Kitchen Remodel
In this Reston kitchen remodel, the double doors on the left of the first ‘before’ photo show the location of a large closet pantry. We removed this and added cabinetry to this wall as well as a large refrigerator. This home also had a second closet pantry in the breakfast nook area of the kitchen. We also removed that closet pantry and replaced it with a cabinetry pantry instead. As you can see from the second ‘after’ photo, the look is cleaner but there is even more storage space in addition to a beverage center and microwave drawer in the remodeled space.
Dreaming of a more open concept kitchen but your closet pantry got you down? Love the storage space of a pantry and can’t live without it but ready to streamline the size or move the location? We’re all about creating your perfect space so if you’re ready for a design thoughtful kitchen or home remodel that maximizes both storage AND space, you’ve met your partner. As a home renovation company in Reston, we’re right on your doorstep and have worked in this area for over a decade!
