The kitchen is the heart of every home, but when we talk about the core part of the kitchen, nothing comes to mind other than a walk-in pantry. This article will traverse around the considerations of walk-in pantry depth, and other factors that homeowners must know before building a pantry.
The walk-in pantries make it easy to store food staples and organize your kitchen in a well-mannered way. The majority of kitchen people consider it “essential” to have a pantry, as a pantry makes one drive the kitchen in a better way.
Apart from groceries and eatables, pantries also hold your kitchen appliances that take up a big space of your kitchen if one doesn’t have a pantry.
Heading up to our core part, let’s discuss the walk-in pantry size, its shelving, dimensions, and other important things. So, let’s start!
Walk-In Pantry Depth – Some Basic Principles
When talking about the depth of the walk-in pantry, many factors come into play. The first thing to look at is, if only one person at a time uses the kitchen or whether there can be others too.
Another thing is the easy access to the pantry for handicapped people (people with wheelchairs), and the third one is the pantry’s shelf’s depth.
Keeping all such things in view, take the dimensions of your place and build your side-past and walk-past clearances.
Here are the key points to account for the depth of the walk-in pantry.
- Opt for open shelving. It enhances visibility, accessibility, and overall aesthetics. It also allows you to easily identify your items, ensuring nothing gets lost in the pantry depth.
- Make an organization system for your kitchen items based on the frequency of use. The items that are frequently used should be in easily reachable areas, while the less frequent items can be placed in higher areas or less accessible areas.
- Plan for adequate lighting in the pantry that makes it illuminated and helps you grab your required items easily.
- Plan for proper ventilation in the area. Ventilation in the pantry will prevent the development of stale odors.
- Install a countertop in the pantry, serving as a convenient workspace for preparation, cutting, appliance storage, etc.
Do You Know?
The term “pantry” originated from the Old French word “paneterie”, which refers to a room storing bread. During the medieval era, the pantries were responsible for storing and safeguarding valuable bread supplies, which highlights their significant role in medieval households.
Standard Walk-In Pantry Size
Homeowners can build a pantry of their choice according to their preferences of any size. However, here we will let you know about the standard walk-in pantry size.
- Depth
The standard depth for the pantry typically ranges from 4-6 feet. Such space allows an ample amount of storage space and won’t make your pantry look cluttered.
- Width and Length
The width and length of the kitchen pantry depend upon the available space. If you have a spacious area, you may choose to increase the width and depth of the pantry according to your choice.
However, the standard recommendation for width and length is 5×5 feet for a comfortable and functional pantry.
- Height of Pantry
When it comes to the height of the pantry, you must aim for the ceiling height. Build floor-to-ceiling shelves that maximize your storage capacity and are a long-term investment.
- Pantry Door
Opt for a pantry door that not only plays its part on the functional side but elevates the aesthetics too. Sliding barn doors are trending choices for pantries as they fulfill both duties efficiently and effectively.
Narrow Walk-In Pantry Dimensions
People with less space in their kitchen shouldn’t be sad as narrow walk-in pantries are for them. It is an ideal choice for people with less space. Whereas the dimensions for your narrow pantry must not be less than 3 feet wide and 5-6 feet in length.
A pantry of such dimensions will fully fulfill the purpose of keeping all kitchen necessities inside.
Corner Walk-In Pantry Dimensions
Designing a corner walk-in pantry needs serious consideration of space utilization and accessibility. Here are the recommended dimensions.
- Width and Depth
The corner walk-in pantry should have a minimum width of 4 feet at least to allow for comfortable access. As far as the depth is concerned, it should range from 4 to 6 feet on each side, allowing the kitchen people to have ample storage.
- Height
Opt for the standard height of at least 7 feet to incorporate floor-to-ceiling shelving. Implementing the floor-to-ceiling shelvings makes you utilize the space to its maximum.
- Shelving Dimensions
The shelving dimensions for corner shelves should be 16 to 24 inches that accommodate small to large items easily. Moreover, you can opt for adjustable shelving, beneficial for customizing your space according to your preferences.
A few further things to consider are the accessibility options, door placement, and lighting. For accessibility, go for the pull-out shelves, lay susans, or rotating carousels.
Similarly, you have to choose a door style that occupies less space and gives maximum output. For this, you may go for folding or sliding doors that will look elegant and serve the purpose.
Furthermore, lighting in all the corners of the pantry is very essential. Go for the motion-activated lights or multiple light sources to illuminate the dark corners and functionality.
How Deep Should Walk-In Pantry Shelves Be?
The depth of the walk-in pantry shelves is a crucial aspect to determine. The shelves of the pantry play a vital role in optimizing the storage space and ensuring practicality. The ideal depth for walk-in pantry shelves typically ranges from 12-24 inches.
12-16 inches deep shelves work perfectly well for canned goods, spice containers, and smaller items, while the deeper shelves up to 24 inches are suitable for large items.
How Big Your Pantry Should Be?
There is no definitive answer to this question. People often ask such questions when they have abundant space or very short space. The size of the kitchen doesn’t matter as long as you store only the necessary items in your kitchen.
The best way to understand the size of your pantry is to know about the items you will store in it. Following this approach will guarantee you to have a pantry size in your mind fulfilling the storage requirements.
A narrow walk-in pantry can be the top choice if you only want to store necessary items like canned goods, cereal boxes, spices jars, etc. On the other hand, if you are willing to store bulky items and kitchen appliances in your pantry, you will be required to build a wider walk-in pantry with extra storage space, adjustable shelves, and handsome shelf depth.
Does a Walk-In Pantry Add Value To Your Place?
After all the above information, one can’t say that the pantry has nothing to do with the value of the place. Absolutely the walk-in pantry elevates the value of your kitchen and is tremendously beneficial in the long run.
It offers convenience, an abundance of storage options, better organization, and much more. Other than these aspects, if you plan to resale your property, a pantry in your kitchen can help you earn extra dollars.
Summary
A walk-in pantry is one of the best ideas to opt for when remodeling, or building your kitchen. It keeps all your kitchen supplies in a dedicated place with no clutter. Moreover, it gives you the ease of access to all the stored items and saves you a lot of time while cooking and grocery shopping.
