I was not planning drawers for the pantry, which is part of why I can't see going deeper than 18". No doors, either, just opens shelves. My goal is to make it as easy as possible. While there's no door, this area is entirely hidden from the main kitchen (the cooktop is on the other side of Wall A. When I say lowers and uppers for Wall A, I just mean that there will be a "counter" type space between lowers and uppers.

Glad to hear another vote for sticking with the bins. They've made it look so neat and tidy in my pantry, but I didn't know if I should reconsider. They're also nice for snacks for my daughter, as I can decant the bags of goldfish, crackers, etc. into mixed bins, and when I'm in a hurry just grab something. And I'm never surprised that we're nearly out of, say, soda, because I can glance in the bin, rather than being surprised to find one can left in a case.

My pantry shelves are all at least 15” deep, so I have a hard time imagining only having 12”. Why not make that wall have 24” lowers (standard counter depth) with 15” or 18” uppers above? And then do the rest of the shelves 12”? That gives you three options for depth, instead of just two. Do you plan to store anything like serving ware or dishes in there, because, if you are, I definitely think the extra depth will come in handy.

I actually have outlets in my pantry, so I can also use small appliances on the counter in there. It has worked out really well when I have large family gatherings where certain things need to be kept warm until later... like when my mom brings carrot pudding in a crock pot for Thanksgiving dessert, for example. It’s also nice to just have the deeper counter, in general.

I would make the wall A lower shelves the same depth as the niche (1’10”?) instead of just 18”. And bump wall C to 18”.

I was not planning drawers for the pantry, which is part of why I can't see going deeper than 18". No doors, either, just opens shelves.

Gotcha. :-)

Okay, so if it were me, I'd only make the shelves as deep as you actually need them, for whatever you're putting there, so that things didn't get lost behind other stuff. Or so that critters aren't tempted to hang out in empty cavities.

*Unless* you have a need to hide things (I mention that because I *do* have a need to hide things from autistic children, lol, and having a little extra dead space behind my crates and bins is advantageous).

I can see having extra space (6"-12") of wall available, where the shelves don't completely fill the niche, for hooks to hang things like aprons, dog leashes, decor, etc. Yes, decor, lol. I'm in and out of my pantry all the time, so having some pretties in there isn't a bad thing. :-D

I usually install some 18-24" deep shelves for larger appliances and/or platters & pans, depending on the client & pantry. Sometimes add high rows for longer term storage. Pantries can sometimes store more than the kitchen cabinets.

You have a great layout.

I just redid my pantry which has almost your exact dimensions. California Closets did the layout and they came up with some good suggestions.

They made most of the shelves to fit my large Anchor Hocking glass storage jars or my large plastic snap on containers from Costco. One addition was vertical storage for my seldom used cookie sheets and trays. That was installed fairly high since we rarely use them. Most of the shelves are adjustable. We put in wire pull outs to keep onions and potatoes fresh and off the kitchen counters.

We also installed an outlet front and center in case we wanted to use small appliances in there. Our contractor also placed an LED light on the wall right above the door(instead of on the ceiling) so that light would shine directly on the shelving. He also put tape lighting hidden along the doorway for more light down low. The lights go on automatically when the door opens.

We are also installing a 2x6‘ rack (I think from rev-a-shelf) on the inside of the door to hold spices and bottles in plain sight. We have spice racks and tray storage in the kitchen itself too. Like you, we put hooks left of the door for a step stool and a apron. As for depth of shelves—I am a totally dysfunctional organizer so I find narrower shelves are easier for me to see what I have and where I put stuff.

For a sort of small food pantry we can fit a lot of stuff in there and it stays organized (for the most part). I can‘t believe your floor plan is almost identical to ours—I bet yours is built under the stairs too? Good luck!

I'm thinking I'll bump Wall A up to 20-22" deep lower and 15" deep uppers. I can see the value in being able to have a section that could fit serving dishes, stock pots, etc. that might not fit on shallower shelves.

Debating whether to bump Wall C up to 14" or 15".

My parents have a vacation house with a very similarly sized pantry that is nicely laid out. I'm kicking myself for not measuring the shelves the last time I was there. Unfortunately, no one is there there at the moment, and it's not worth the three hours of driving each way just to measure pantry shelves.

I've been measuring bins. It looks like I need 13", not 12", for them to fit comfortably. I'll probably increase Wall C to 15", just to allow a bit of breathing room. Then the question becomes whether to make Wall B 15" too, for consistency, or leave it at 13"? I can see an advantage to different sizes in different locations...

@One Devoted Dame - no hiding needed. My daughter is pretty good about not taking things she's not supposed to take, or at least as good about it as a seven year old can be. And when she does get something she's not supposed to, she immediately confesses. :-)

@Hillside House - Do you find things get lost on your shelves, or no?

@J Inhof - That's amazing! Ours isn't under the stairs - it's behind the kitchen. The space behind the kitchen is split, with the powder bath on one side, accessed from the main hall, and then the pantry on the other, accessed from the back of the kitchen. The little notch out is because we added a tea station in the kitchen, also tucked around the corner with the pantry entrance, and it took a little piece of the pantry. It gives us a place in the kitchen, out of sight, to contain our electric teapot, teas, infusers, milk frother, mugs, etc., and will also have water and a drain. (We're avid tea drinkers).

No, because my deeper shelves are used for things like serving ware and small appliances, and for bulk things like large bags of flour and bulk buys of paper goods. All of my foodstuffs is on 15” shelves, which I find perfect.