My son who works for BM told me it takes 10 days for paint to fully cure. You pantry looks FABULOUS!

How perfect. What beautiful marble on your gorgeous cabinet. I think it's wonderful that you've treated a utilitarian space so beautifully. It will give you pleasure just to stock the pantry.
Curing times for paint can vary wildly depending on humidity, temperature and whether the paint is oil or acrylic. I'd wait as long as I could.

Beautiful! Love the marble topped cabinet.

LOVE your new pantry! Can you tell us what paint colors you used? I'd like something like this in mine (we're planning a new build this Spring). Be sure & take pics when it's filled - anxious to hear how you like the can-depth shelving. What a great use of space you have - congrats!

My painter did say 2 weeks when he was here, it's just not worth moving in too fast!

I was loving your shelves, and then I saw that other picture--you have a counter..with marble too! Oh mannnnnn I love that.

Congrats.

I think I just died and went to pantry heaven! Constructing my pantry is probably the biggest "to do" item left on my list. And, although there are many reasons for my foot dragging, one of them has been lack of inspiration. For one, thing my pantry (an old closet) is lilliputian in size and my brain seems to numb over what to do with it. However, while your small pantry is considerably bigger than mine, your photos are getting me all excited about what may be possible with my own. Do you mind sharing, offline if you prefer, what you paid just for the carpentry costs?

Gee, Arlosmom, with an already over-the-top fabulous kitchen, you must be squealing with delight over your pantry. Congratulations and happy stocking!

Fabulous! Looks like the perfect space! I wish I had been able to come up with a spot for a pantry, but it wasn't possible. Enjoy!!

Oh, I love your marble topped antique cabinet! It's perfect for your home and kitchen. Makes me wish my pantry was large enough to add such a fabulous touch.

Looks just perfect. I'm envious! It's amazing how wonderful even a utilitarian space can be when it is carefully and thoughtfully designed.

You have been a busy gal ! I hope the others see what you have done in the bedroom on the Decorating forum ! That pantry is just gorgeous. I had a huge walk in pantry at our old " builder grade" house and had lots of shelves but never ever thought to do what you have done. Now I don't have the space. I will just save your pics !

My painter said 30 days...to cure and I am glad I waited...it is now scrubbable and after 5 years on the walls still looks perfect...wait. c

It's going to be so fun for you to stock that pantry! It looks so nice. My pantry is a storage room in my basement, so it itn't pretty, but it's functional and big (it's my little store). Are you going to put something on the shelves, like shelf paper, or leave it alone? I'll tell you a little story about shelf paper: five years ago, my in-laws were selling their house. I thought I'd help them get ready to move, so my mil asked me to clean out their pantry. I packed everything up, and then started to rip out the shelf paper that I assumed was old (it looked outdated and unattractive to me). I had the top shelf mostly ripped out when my mil shot me a horrified look. She said she had recently put the shelf paper in to make the pantry look nice. I felt pretty bad about that.

wow a pantry with a window! awesome

Thanks for all your happy comments. I'm giddy with excitement over this little room. Thanks for all the info on curing time for paint. It's been a week since the second coat went on. I can make myself wait till next weekend to stock the shelves, but then all bets are off. Costco is calling me!

melaska, the paint is BM Sandy Hook Gray (HC-108). I used it recently in my tv room and fell in love with it. It looks grayer in the tv room which gets more light, and more gray/green in the pantry. Trim is Soft Chamois which is a very creamy white. I am so excited about the can shelves. I keep only one or two cans of lots of different things like artichoke hearts, evaporated milk and coconut milk and I was forever losing track of what I had on the deeper shelves. Now I have 40 linear feet of one-item-deep shelving (and I can stack two cans high). My idea of heaven.

marthavila, I paid the carpenter $2,800 (DC metro area prices) which included the cost of all wood for the shelves and trim. For that price, he fixed the ceiling drywall from a previous leak, did a mechanical restoration of the window (loosened both sashes, replaced the sash cord with chain, replaced cracked glass pane, installed weatherstripping), trimmed out and painted the window, door and baseboards, installed quarter round shoe molding, built and painted the shelves, and installed the light fixture. I painted the walls myself before he started, but he did any touch up that was needed afterward. He said he gave me lower "winter rates" because he needs the work in winter. I know he had fun with the project and his workmanship is just beautiful. Took him the better part of 4 weeks to complete. (And now, in exchange for that information, I want to see pictures of your kitchen!!!!!!!)

lisa_a, my original plan was to have shelves on the window wall as well, but I couldn't figure out where or how to store my step stool that I use all the time. The little buffet leaves me about 3" on the side which is perfect. Plus, it was a way to get a little bit of marble somewhere. I wanted some marble so badly.

Adrienne, I've gone back and forth about lining the shelves. I'm leaning toward not because I think it looks better without. I may change my mind if I see that the paint is getting worn at all.

Trailrunner, I couldn't possibly hold out for a full month. I just don't have that kind of willpower!

Thanks, arlosmom. I'm assuming the shelves is painted in the trim color?

Found this on http://www.wereyouwondering.com/how-long-does-it-take-for-paint-to-dry/

"How Long Does it Take For Paint to Dry?

by admin on July 10, 2008

I will provide figures for oil and latex, but drying times will depend upon a number of factors including the temperature outside (warm temperature means the paint will dry faster in a well ventilated room), the humidity level (humid air has more water in it and won�t allow the liquid to evaporate out of the paint), ventilation (circulating air through a room will allow paint to dry faster.

Latex paints dries to touch in about one hour. This isn�t the same as it being cured. Latex paint can be painted with a second coat after about 6 hours. It takes about 30 days for the paint to fully cure; meaning that you can wash spots off your wall without damaging your paint finish. Paint cures by reacting with oxygen in the air to form a skin over deeper, still wet layers. Eventually, oxygen reaches the deeper layers as well, drying them; thus the 30 day cure time.

Oil paints take longer to dry, to recoat and to cure. The first coat will take 12 to 24 hours to dry enough to apply a second coat. Oil paint also cures by binding with oxygen. I have read if you thin your oil paint, you can paint 2 thin layers instead of 1 or 2 thick layers. The thinned paint dries in less time."

Maybe you can use a fan to move air inside the pantry?

The pantry is perfect! It's classy and utilitarian, but the cabinet and marble make me swoon. I have a closet 26'' x 48'' that needs pantry shelves. I have been pondering an adjustable system. Not how, honey...I love yours. Fixed it is.

Oh good lord - that is glorious! I'm so envious - enjoy!

Beautiful and oh so functional, just like your kitchen! Love absolutely everything. Your pantry would be a joy to stock, clean, and maintain; in fact, I think I'd take a book, a glass of wine, and little stool in there, close the door, and hide out for an afternoon (later I'd explain my absence by saying I was taking inventory)!

Well, I haven't had a tantrum for a while, so I guess I am due.

I WANT A PANTRY!

*sigh*

It looks beautiful and functional. I LOVE your marble top and that walnut cabinet. Perfection.

WOW - that's beautiful and so perfect for a pantry. I often wish I had a place for narrow shelving like that. So useful. LOVE the marble! Great job.

Beautiful pantry! I was planning on painting ours all white inside, shelves and walls alike, but now you have me thinking about color. I have some bright turquoise paint left over from the bathroom door (my favorite color!) so maybe the shelves can be turquoise against white walls. Or vice versa. Hmmmm!

I'd love to know how you get one with the can shelves, especially stacking things 2 high. I am planning the same size shallow shelves on the side wall of our pantry but I was thinking of putting strips of wood across the faces of the shelves to stop cans and bottles getting brushed off: our space inside the pantry is less than yours so we will be close to that wall all the time. And my SO is a big bear :)

I love the can shelves!

That manages to be pretty and functional! I know it is hard to wait, but you would regret messing up such a pretty space...

it's beautiful! and big. it looks like he did a marvelous job on it all.
I wouldn't be able to wait 30 days either! I'd have my shopping list all made up and ready to go.

btw, I have to tell you that the light fixture in there should NOT be in there. It should be here with me! I loooove it! Did you have it or recently buy it? If you bought it, where, where, where?????

Beautiful pantry - I'd love to have a walk-in, but no room.

I use paste wax on the painted shelves of my pantry cabinet; it keeps down the marks caused by the cans, etc.

oooooh!!!! i could live in that pantry! such a great use of space and a beautiful cabinet to boot! congratulations and enjoy your new space. really nice job!

Very Nice!

I'm planning on shallow shelves for my pantry goods for the same reason you expressed. I'm tired of 'the great deep void'. Both my canned goods and my spices will be in single depth spaces.

As far as lining your painted shelves, if they were mine, I'd probably put parchment paper down at a minimum. It would be less of an eyesore than some of the cushions. Even though your paint will be scrubable, it will be so much easier to take up the paper and replace as needed.

Enjoy!

Pepper

Having Pantry envy!

Beautiful! How nice that you took the time to make something that could be a boring into an elegant space.

How did you decide the shelf spacing? I've been wondering what kind of shelves to put in my upcoming pantry--fixed vs. adjustable, wood vs. wire, etc.

AMAZING!!!! Oh wow! What a super use of space. We all have 4.5 inches of space somewhere in our house for the can shelf idea - I am sitting here thinking of where I can do this! Being a "Vintage Lover" your walnut piece is amazing and adds so much warmth and character to the space. I am clipping this post for sure!
ps.. I put items on my freshly painted (2 weeks) mantel and should have waited... I would have to have door locked to keep me from loading that room! ;-) good luck and have fun - please post a photo when it is loaded!
Cindy

Everything looks GORGEOUS! Can I nap on your marble? Looks so soft and inviting! Meow!!

As smashing as a "utilitarian" space could be, which of course it would have to be to share a house with your lovely evocative kitchen.

Also, it looks to me as though your pantry may be doorless and that the gorgeous marble-topped cabinet is in the sight line from said kitchen.

Well worth the three-year planning. Congratulations.

I love it, especially that walnut cupboard and the window. I'm soooo jealous. Where did you get the light fixture?

I love it! Congrats on your new pantry!

I can't wait until mine is ready but that will be a long time coming. I'm going to turn the laundry room into the pantry and the porch into the laundry room....way too much construction to even think about it now, so I will simply drool over yours to get my pantry fix! It's very nifty.

Last night I was chomping at the bit to put stuff on the shelves. DH suggested "how about just the light stuff?" So I moved in the cereal boxes. I had second thoughts this morning and took them back out. I've decided to wait until next weekend (which is just over 2 weeks since the second coat). It will be a hard week for me. I'm not good at delayed gratification.

Cotehele, you couldn't possibly put an adjustable shelf pantry in that amazing kitchen of yours. It just wouldn't be right!

Kevinw1, I seriously thought about painting my pantry a very pale gray or white and doing the shelves and trim in the blue/green color of Julia Child's cabinets. I was just worried that it might be too busy or that I might get tired of it. I certainly don't want to have to repaint any time soon. All that cutting in would drive me insane. I do like the idea though.

Desertsteph and warmfridge, the light is vintage and I found it on the internet from a lighting place near Ontario. Fixture by fixture, we've put vintage lighting back into all of the rooms in our house. I've found most of it on ebay...lots of good fixtures out there if you're willing to put in the elbow grease polishing (me) and know how to rewire (DH).

antiquesilver, thanks for the suggestion to wax the shelves. I have a can of butchers wax and will give it a try once I'm sure the paint has cured.

breezygirl, regarding shelf spacing, there were a few items that I knew I wanted in specific places, and then my carpenter and I just figured out how to divide what was left over evenly. I wanted to put my enamel fish poacher on the very top shelf (you can see it on the top shelf in the before picture). I can't reach it easily, so I might as well store something that I like to look at that doesn't get used. The next two shelves will hold my old cooking magazines in magazine storage boxes. The shelf with the electrical outlet is for the toaster oven. I had him make this shelf a little higher than needed in case I have a different toaster oven down the road. The two shelves above the toaster oven and the two shelves below are all the same height (10 1/2") which is tall enough for any single item I buy and tall enough for two cans stacked with space to spare. Probably more detail than you wanted, LOL.

honorbiltkit, the pantry has a pocket door (salvaged), but I keep it open most of the time. I like to look at food. : )

Thanks for walking me through the shelving decisions. It was definitely not too much info! I'll have an outlet in my new pantry also as the pantry area will be in part of my old kitchen where there was one already. I know I'm not brave enough to make toast in a pantry without landing space, but I know it'll be good for something at some point in the future. Thanks again.