I would have preferred shallower shelves so that items didn't get lost behind other items. Also whomever designed ours didn't take standard measurements into consideration. For example, the shallowest shelves were meant for cans, but they were not high enough to stack two cans and they were really too high for a single can. I would also like it if the first shelf was about baseboard height (4-6" above the finished floor) so when the inevitable spill occurs it can be easily mopped up. I know in ours I was always having to remove everything from the bottom "shelf" (i.e. the floor) so that I could chase down all the stray cheerios.

Thanks Jennifer, these are the things I'm looking for! I forgot to mention, pictures would be a great help also!

I would love to show you photos, but that was three house ago! Our current base house has an absolutely horrible pantry. It is an exercise in what NOT to do.

I like the shallow basket rack inside the door. They hold and keep visible small things that could get lost even on shallow shelves, like Jello, little box mixes, skinny bottles of vinegars and oils.

this is in our current 26"x12" closet that came with the house. It used to be a broom closet, because the outline of the hooks from the last paint job is still on the back wall. But I installed something similar in our last house with a slightly deeper closet, and it made it much more functional.

Mine isn't a walk-in, but I am happy I had an electrician install an outlet in my pantry - which I learned about on this forum. I keep the microwave in the pantry since it's not used much, and I wanted it out of the way. Also, I recommend a mix of deep and shallow shelf depths. I have the MW about waist height (perfect IMHO), and of course it needs a deep shelf. You might also end up keeping a mixer or a mini oven like the Breville Smart Oven in the pantry, and just take them out when needed. You'd need deeper shelves for that kind of storage.

It's a small thing, but my light switch is on the wrong side. It's on the same side as the door hinges. When i walk in, I then have to reach across my body to turn on the light.

I'm at the point where I am going to redo my large 8'x8' pantry. It has a pocket door so no door storage. In my wisdom I put in regular Ikea kitchen cabinets which I got for a steal. They are too deep and I lose/forget things. I have our old fridge in the pantry which is great for bulk shopping and party storage. I don't mind the base cabinets as I store small appliances and lesser used items in them. I want to bring shelving down to the countertop and make it no more than 2-3 items deep. There is a full-depth pull out pantry in the room for larger and bulky food items. I also second having a plug in the pantry.

There are a number of threads about pantries on this Forum if you do a search. Here is one: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2401919/pantry-photos-pics-of-pantries?n=64

I don't have a walk in pantry any more and I miss it so much. In my last house, the pantry was about 12x8 and even had a window. It was wonderful. I had a wall of shallow shelves (just deep enough to fit a cereal box). They were solid wood so they could support lots of weight. (My mom, on the other hand, loves wire shelves because she likes the air circulation and being able to see through from below what is on the top shelves up high.) On the other long wall, I had a counter and a large deep sink. This was very handy but, while my house looks neat as a pin on the surface, I'm actually a messy person who will pile stuff out of sight and leave it there for months. The counter and sink were chronically covered in junk. It's better that I am without extra surfaces. If you are better at cleaning up promptly, then a stretch of countertop is very useful in a pantry, even if it can't be full depth.

Ours is a U shaped walk in with pocket doors - fairly new and small footprint, highly functional and wouldn't change a thing. DIY with lots of help from the forum; details linked here. Dimensions are 69" x 50" x 94". The back wall of shelves is 13" deep and the sides are 9" deep.

We have adjustable, L-Shaped corner shelves of varying depths and have designated storage for key appliances.

It's lovely to know at a glance what needs to be re-ordered.

Pocket doors - solve ventilation issue. (Ours stay open). This is a major concern.

I second DIYMuch2Do's motion sensing light - we have the Haiku and love it.

I was going to suggest the same that DIY did, a motion detector light. I had my husband install one in my walkin pantry and it's great. I also have one in my laundry/ utility room. The door to our garage is there and when coming in from the garage it's great to have the light turn on as soon as you open the door. My laundry/utility room has no window so it's great to have the light come on when I am carrying a basket of laundry. The shelves in my pantry are adjustable so I can space them as I need. I did adjust a couple when we moved in. One thing I did was have a wide shelf a little lower than waist high. I have my Kitchen Aid mixer on it and it is easy to just grab it and slide it out instead of having to lift it up or down to carry it to the counter. Those things are pretty heavy! I left enough room under the bottom shelves for storing large packs of paper towels, cases of water, a gallon jug of vinegar etc .things that can sit on the floor but would take a lot of space on a shelf.

@oldbat. I don't have a walk in pantry but I have a serious case of envy looking at your pantry. Oooh perfectly organized for each item. My OCD heart is pitter pattering. I didn't see the finished pantry til now.

Hubby was just asking today where I would put his mom's crockpot (first one I ever owned - 30 yrs old recycled from his mom.) I know where!!! Olbat's pantry.

I have motion sensors in most in-and-out quickly rooms. In my pantry I'm doing pressure switches, because I have pocket doors. Open the door? Light on. Close it? Off.

I also measured my shelves to stack different kinds of cans and boxes.
I have room for broom and mop hooks.
I also have a double outlet in there. Might want to charge my power tools.

I have refinished French doors in my pocket. I was thinking about taking one of the lower glass panes out to make more kitty-accessible litter boxes.

I have crap everywhere and very little in my closets or cabinets. Gotta get on that.

Our walk in pantry is in the corner of our kitchen, with the door on a diagonal. We have 18" deep cabinets x 42" on the 2 straight walls, each of which are 5' long. We then have a countertop with 12" deep x 42" cabinets to the ceiling. It is great and there is lots of room. Larger items such as my electric fry pan, crock pots etc our on the lower shelves. The shallower ones hold food stuffs, some lesser used mixing bowls etc. In the corner we have an outlet and our microwave sits on the counter there. I do not have doors on any of my cabinets.

Christine - no, please no to the kitty litter box(es) in the pantry, though removing a pane would solve the ventilation issue...

Ours is not huge, but I have a spot built in for my stand mixer- that way nothing is ever shoved over/put away by another person where it goes! I'd hate to be holding that heavy thing to see my 6 yr old had decided to put the bread where I wanted it, and having a spot with sides in which it goes helps immensely.

We also keep our trash in the pantry, so have shelves cut around it's spot.

I also added doorjam lights, so you never need to turn it on/off- if the door is open, the light is on.

I don't have a walk-in but I love having a spot on the wall in my pantry (a plug) to hang my little dyson stick vac. The rest of my cleaning items (steamer, vacuum, brooms etc) are in a place a little more remote but it's handy having the vac hanging on the charger since that's the one I use at least every day. I would also keep a convenient spot for my step ladder, even though I'm not exactly short, it's still handy to have near the kitchen. My current house is an old farm house [it completely lacks storage] so the few little closets I do have end up storing lots of random stuff so I have drawer for batteries, flashlights, extension cords, tape, random household tools/nails (so I don't have to go out to the detached garage to hang a picture or change the batteries in a kid's toy.) Not saying that is ideal persay, but depending on your situation and floorplan just something to consider.

Oldbat's pantry is gorgeous, but I think I'd go insane when nothing was ever put back in it's proper spot! LOL perhaps it's just easier on my anxiety to just have it a free for all to begin with!

I love oldbats pantry! Wondering about the shelf dividers - were they purchased or DIY. If DIY would love details!

Obviously this wouldn't work for everyone but the best thing I did was wait, look at pantries on here, wait some more, use temporary shelving, wait some more, etc.

When I finally did build my shelves and counter in my pantry, it turned out great!

Think about all the things you will store. You need space for small items, space for cans and jars, space for boxes (cereal, pasta, crackers, etc) and space for larger bulky items.

Think about how much and what kind of items you store and try to plan space for all of it.

It's exactly what I wanted and it's working wonderfully for me. I don't think I would change anything.

Pantry door closed. Above picture open pantry.

stephja007 and numbersjunkie - thanks! It was DIY and a 3-4 month project but doable with the right skill set. Admittedly, a few spaces were designed for certain objects but - really - I'm the one who cooks and puts these back. LOVELY to be able to walk in and grab the rice cooker, cuisinart, panini or crockpot and then easily put them back without opening a cabinet door. (A pat on the the back EVERY time!)

For the other shelves - these can all be adjusted - If you want to stack your cans two high, you adjust the shelving. The ability to organize is wondeful - I have my canned tomato shelf, rice shelf, dried bean shelf, canned bean shelf, tea and hot choc shelf, salad dressing shelf, baking shelves (they overflowed), rice shelf, soup, multiple snacks, dog, etc. - in short, it really is a fairly small space but it is immensely practical. Around 30 distinct areas for storage, not counting the appliances shown in the front.

The U shaped, adjustable shelves are SO important IMO.

Linking here (long thread!) Scroll down to the bottom.

agree shelves must be adjustable!

Also really happy with these wire basket/drawers (for total visibility) we used for our pantry "drawers"

I love my pantry, more than I expected. It was a perk, but not something that sold me on this house. Since moving in, I find it one of the house's best features!

What I like: It has outlets. I find it most valuable for keeping ugly appliances. The toaster oven lives in there. I'd love to get rid of my over the range microwave and put that in the pantry as well.

It is a good size. I can walk in there and shut the door and not feel cramped.

I like the solid wood shelves. They feel neat.

What I wish it had: I would like to have a countertop in there, turning it into more of a butler's pantry. My spouse makes toast in there and I find butter on my wooden shelves and it makes me angry.

I also wish I had some wire drawers. I think it would be handy for potatoes or onions.

Wow! Thanks so much for all the comments I think I've read just about everything online about pantries, but a lot of the posts were older and I wanted to hear from people more current. The pantry will be 6 ' x 6.5'. Not huge, but never having one before, it sounds pretty big to me. It will probably be used more for pots and things we don't use on a daily basis rather than all food. We are definitely having plugs. DH only drinks 1 cup of coffee per day and I don't drink it at all, so I thought the pantry would be a good place for the coffee pot and maybe the air fryer. I also love the idea of lights that turn on an when the door is opened. I would also like to have adjustable shelves. I just hope I can keep it as orderly as oldbat's. One thing that has caught my attention is the venting. Any suggestions on how to do that? Should we put in an exhaust fan? (Sorry this post ended up in italics. Not really sure how I did that.)

My old pantry was great, but one thing I did have to fix. The only shelf tall items would fit on was the highest shelf. OK for young kids, but not so good for storing all the breakables or heavy cans of olive oil, etc. over my head. Plan for where you will store such items.