I had this dilemma also, but we had less room to work with than you. I was talked out of the walk-in but DH and GC because they thought it would close the space in too tight. They were right. Instead I opted for a very large "pantry cabinet" that looks like a piece of furniture. It has 24" deep upper cabinets and deep drawers on the bottom. It was built by the Amish cabinet makers who made all my kitchen cabinets. It has a counter for pulling out the small appliances I store in there, too. It was the right choice. I love it! I used to have a walk in pantry that became a powder room. But I always piled stuff up and it became very disorganized.

I am just now reading all these amazing comments. We were going to sell our 5 bedroom house and build a “smaller” 2B2B barndominium, but plans changed due to my dad getting sick and not wanting us to move away from me. So we have decided to renovate what we have and incorporate the things I wanted into this house but I have no clue where to start. This house had NO storage. We have extra rooms I want to make one a butlers pantry that connects to my kitchen and the other I want to make a master closet. Any ideas would be appreciated

The pantry in our last home was about the size of your, minus the entrance area. I had our trim carpenter build a table on the left wall, similar to a garden work bench. Had microwave, blender and toaster on counter, and room to place a plate or grocery bags/unload. Underneath was kept open (with a lower/full shelf) for baskets (water, drinks). Shelves above this and on back wall were only as deep as a cereal box. Right wall was deeper (and built around HVAC return) than it appears in photos. If the next person needed more room, they can easily add more shelves to back wall and below counter. These photos are from when we first moved in that house, 13yrs ago. I added more baskets. Since I couldn't reach, and didn't need top shelves, I displayed my birdhouses there. While the glass jars were pretty, they were not practical, so they were replaced later.

Pantry is inexpensive, easy-access storage for lots of stuff. As soon as you start installing closed cabinetry in it, you reduce the ease of access, the amount of stuff that can be stored and you increase the price (because doors and hinges, etc are a lot more expensive than open shelves. Totally agree -- this is not a pantry that would flourish with built-ins. I should have mentioned that I plan to use this countertop for appliances that I'd like to keep somewhat hidden (blender, coffee maker, toaster oven, mixer)... not so much as a true work space. I would love a small countertop in my pantry, but -- yeah -- I wouldn't use it as a true work space. I would use it to unload my grocery bags. I would keep measuring cups nearby, and I would use the countertop to measure out 2 cups of beans (rather than bringing the bean container out into the kitchen). I would let a pan of cinnamon rolls "rise" on that shelf (or a crock pot simmer out of the way). In contrast, I would never go into the pantry to slice up a bell pepper. Two notes: Such a countertop should have an electrical outlet and a magnetic knife strip (for holding one knife and one pair of scissors, reserved for in-pantry use). I'm still resisting 100% open shelves because I do believe some appliances will live/run in there So why can't these appliances sit on open shelves? You have enough space for a great pantry -- but not enough space for closed shelving. 24” may be a bit tight if more than one person is in there. Why would two people be in the pantry? Regardless, 24" is too tight. Vinmarks -- love that you're using the space above your pantry door for pots and pans! In my old house, we had a little "clothesline thing" in that position -- we suspect the previous residents grew herbs /dried them in that out-of-the-way spot. FWIW the step stool I use (to get up to 9' ceilings) barely fits opened up in our pantry. For someone my height, a step stool is an absolute necessity. I have a library stool -- the kind you "kick" into place, and once you step on it, the top part "settles down" over the wheels. I have a built-in place for it. In my bedroom I have an Ikea Bekvam, which I take into the closet when I need to reach the upper shelves. All sorts of "step stool" methods exist, but -- yes -- if you know you need one, plan now and allot the space. I keep my "real" step stool next to the washing machine, and although it's not something that comes out often, I do value it. My husband bought it for me the first year we were married, and it's now covered in so many colors of paint! because I have baskets that pull out on those shelves. Baskets (or tubs) are a fantastic organizational tool in a pantry. Use them to "gather up" things that you'd always use together; for example, I have a tub full of cheese-making supplies, and I have a tub that holds my cooking cutters, rolling pin and sprinkles. When I want those items, I always want them together, so it makes sense to corral them up in a basket ... it looks neat on the shelf, and when I bring it down, I have everything I want. If they're things you don't use too often, keeping them on an upper shelf makes sense. obscured glass panel ... regretting this design choice a bit lol. Nah, with OBSCURED glass, unless a person stops and really looks through, they're not going to see specific items on your shelves. While I want to store as much as I can in here, I also have a large basement storage space right down those stairs that are in the kitchen where I can store appliances and extra food items. So efficient storage is a priority but it's not necessarily a make-or-break. Things that are conveniently located get used. The basement, while possible, probably isn't all that convenient. You keep coming back to small appliances. Just how many do you have? Do they honestly all get used on a regular basis? Are they all "earning their space"? I wonder if you'd be wise to start by reducing your stock of appliances? Last thought. Here's what I'd do in that space: - Have you taken the time to list everything you want to store in that pantry? For example, I bake wedding cakes, so I have well over 100 cake pans (plus cake stands and other supplies) ... probably not something you need to store. Do you have cookbooks? Do you need to store large platters? You get the point ... what do you personally need to store? - No to a true "U". You just don't have the space to do it well, but you can totally rock an L + pegboard. - On the right, use shallow Elfa drawers-on-wheels on the bottom ... they come in varying widths, but you could probably have 3 sets on the floor. Then install 10-12" shelves allll the way to the ceiling. Make them adjustable. This side would be for most of your pantry goods. - In the back, go with an 18" countertop ... not as deep as the kitchen counters, but also not skimpy. This is your spot for unloading groceries, laying out what you need to bring out for dinner, or measuring out ingredients. - Underneath this countertop, place a trash can and a recycling bin ... not to take the place of your kitchen trash, but so that when you open up the box of pasta to dump it into the clear glass container, you have a trash can for the empty box. - This creates a not-so-convenient corner ... use it for paper products that you don't need to access every day, but aren't so heavy. You could put in a plastic bin (or even a clean trash can) so these things'd be easy to pull out. Since your drawers on the right would be on wheels, it'd be an easy two-step process to reach these things. - Finally, go with a floor-to-ceiling pegboard on the left side. When you have it "loaded up", it'll probably be about 6" deep, which will leave you more space to walk in the pantry. I have a medium-sized pegboard, and I wish-wish it were a large one. We keep so much stuff on that pegboard: BBQ tools, kitchen gadgets that don't get all that much use, etc. Go to Lowes and take a look at all the accessories they have for pegboards: small shelves, etc. Amazon has metal pegboards that come in an array of colors. - You could have 1-2 shelves above the pegboard; they could work for cake stands, cookbooks, etc. - Don't neglect your lighting. You don't want one piddly little light /that'd make your head throw shadows on everything in the pantry.