When it comes to kitchen pantry cupboards, we’ve seen lots, but few so stylish as this cupboard designed for her own home by Meera Pendred at First Sense Interiors. For our feature Been There Done That, Meera explains how she created her pantry.
“Most of what is the pantry now was once an understairs WC on the other side of the old kitchen. The house was in need of a full update. The ground floor spaces were small and dark, and too divided to work well for our family. So we undertook a gut renovation of the whole house. We added a side extension and knocked through between the kitchen and dining rooms to create an open plan family space.”
“The side extension is 1.8m x 8.9m externally and has a utility, WC and boot room. As an interior designer, I love the creative problem solving that comes with the challenges of smaller spaces. The kitchen was going to be modestly sized, and in addition, I wanted to avoid wall units in order to create a bright and breezy feeling in the kitchen. Therefore, a pantry was a must to fulfil our kitchen storage requirements.
“We moved the downstairs WC into the side extension, so it made sense to incorporate the understairs space into the kitchen. I love adding an element of surprise into kitchen designs, so disguised the walk-in pantry as a standard tall cupboard. I planned it all out before the building drawings were finalised, so the space was built to my design, ensuring everything came together perfectly.”
More about this stunning kitchen pantry
“We lived through the renovation with young kids so it was chaotic and challenging, to say the least. As with most renovations of old houses, there were some unforeseen issues to deal with, but the kitchen pantry work went relatively smoothly. We knew the renovation was going to make a huge difference to our lives, so we kept the end goal in mind to stay positive through it. Planning it all out in advance helped a lot, as it could have otherwise felt overwhelming when faced with hundreds of decisions to make whilst in the midst of building chaos.
“The walk-in kitchen pantry has top to bottom open storage using base units and shelves, which makes the most of the space and keeps everything readily accessible.”
“The kitchen pantry stores all the non-refrigerated food and drinks, pretty glassware and a couple of small appliances. Everything has its own place so it’s easy to keep the space tidy and organised. This makes it a pleasure to use!
“The kitchen cabinetry is from DIY Kitchens. I sourced the kitchen pantry internals (open base units and shelves) from Lark & Larks in custom sizes to fit the available space perfectly.”
Advice for readers
“It really helps to work out the layout before finalising building plans. By doing this, you’ll get an understanding of how to make the available space work for you. As a result, if necessary, you can tweak how the space will be built.”
“Research and planning are essential when it comes to kitchens. Kitchens are generally the most expensive space to renovate in a home. So it pays to think about how to make them work for you practically as well as aesthetically. And not just for the present, but also 10-15 years down the line. A bit of creativity can also help you achieve a high-end and personal style on a budget. Use standard-sized cabinetry cleverly and incorporate a few bespoke elements.”
We hope that this has given you lots of great kitchen pantry inspo. To read more in this series, why not find out how one Instagram influencer created a beautiful outdoor kitchen?
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