Rethinking Pantry Cabinet Design
Most spec built homes today have the worst pantry cabinet designs in the world. They are designed only for external aesthetics and no thought what so ever is put into organization, ease of use, or space optimization. The first in first out rule applies to conventional cabinetry and a lot of items be it pots and pans or food items get lost in the back or forgotten, especially if they are stored in the back of an under counter cabinet. It’s much harder to implement new space saving storage technology after the kitchen is built. A complete rebuild of the cabinetry would be required and most people feel this is too overwhelming.
Consider repurposing other furniture items to enhance your current pantry storage situation. You can seek out a used clothing armoire and convert the inside to a completely optimized food storage unit that either sits next to your kitchen or in the adjacent breakfast nook. Drawers are more intelligent sources for storage, due to the fact that you see everything when the draw is open versus only seeing what is in front of the standard pantry cabinet and other items go unnoticed behind that front row of food.
If you are in the market for a new home right now you may want to consider asking the builder to upgrade your pantry and cabinetry so you can have the added storage and ease of access to your kitchenware and food items. Slide out brackets for cookie sheets, door hung shelving for small items such as spices and herbs. Lazy Susan type designed spinning racks and shelves to double internal storage space of your cabinetry.
The idea behind good pantry cabinet design is total ease of access to all items stored in the kitchen. Hiding items in above counter containers and crocks will only make it harder for you to remember where something is stored and most likely be forgotten. If you have a high or vaulted ceiling in your kitchen then buy a metal rack to hang your pots and pans on above your head to free up more food storage space. If you have items that you buy in bulk from Sam’s Club or Costco then consider setting up a couple of five draw filing cabinets in the laundry room or storage building to free up more room in your kitchen. You may want to keep an inventory of any out of site pantry cabinet contents listed on a your refrigerator door so you will not forget to use them before they expire.
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