Adjustable shelves is a must for my pantry.

nice spot, very under-utilized! you have plenty of room for more. some ideas you could try?

add another shelf or two and a few dividers.

you could also go custom

I like the pull out drawers in the bottom photo--I could see incorporating those so nothing gets lost in the back.

If I had it to do over again, I’d put the microwave in the walk in pantry. Also, have plenty of room for the crockpot, the blender and the waffle maker. At counter height so I don’t have to wrestle them out from under the kitchen counter.

@auntthelma I'm planning on relocating the MW to the pantry--totally agree! Right now it's above a wall oven and when one of them dies, I'm going to replace them both with 2 wall ovens and put that MW in the pantry. I'm also planning on keeping my Kitchenaid mixer, blender, and food processor in the pantry on a countertop. I'm thinking that I'll put the base cabinets along the wall in the picture and have more open shelving that wraps around the shorter walls to the left. Thanks for the affirmation I'm on the right track!

In my current house, I have a microwave and hanging can opener in mine. Love. I wish my some shelves weren't so deep so that would be only advice. And something to organize the stuff on the floor [drawers etc.].

Also we have 3 bins for all our water bottles so plan for that if you're like us.

I'd like a pantry like Khloe Kardasian & help to keep it looking that way

Beverly, what do you suppose Khloe keeps in those — two! — bins labeled “Things”.

Depends on the layout and the door setup.

Mine's not as deep and a little wider. I have storage on 3 sides - open shelf uppers, lower cabinets with doors on 2 walls (one of which has a prep sink I use for espresso machine cleanup), and the shallow wall has open shelving for my LeCreuset cast iron. We made sure our builder gave us normal counter height clearance for appliances under the upper shelves - we have a large espresso machine and grinder that reside on the counter in the pantry (along with our toaster and hot water kettle). We do have outlets above the counters as well.

Those photo shoot images should be labeled as "for inspiration only" and "do not attempt to do this at home". How impractical they appear to be!

Why would any normal family store so much fresh fruit in the pantry in such a manner?

Who would want to pull out a wooden box full of "Herbs" to find the oregano?

And, just what would one store in a metal tub labeled "THINGS"?

What need of a cutesy sign in the pantry?

Who would keep the bread in a box high up on the shelf in the pantry, even it does have "BREAD" printed on it?

Of course the pull outs and such could be quite handy, but I agree with those who would like to put the MW in there and store the Kitchen Aid. Most of us don't have things like in those photo shoots to store. Most have a bunch of Costco packages and opened bags of cookies and chips and a plastic gallon jar of pretzels, a half used bag of dried egg noodles with a clothespin holding it from spilling and a jar of jelly with sticky sides. Many. have a bag of dog food on the floor of the pantry and a plastic jug of doggy treats along with the remaining two disposable foil baking pans with part of the plastic wrap clinging to them. Most pantries are not as picturesque.

These photo shoots remind me of run way fashions. No one could, or would, wear most of that stuff and no-one is ever going to have such a perfect pantry or the perfect life that it promises. If you are one to obsess over carefully lining up the boxes of pasta just so that they look pretty, you probably need to check your priorities and goals for your life.

I like best the last one with a real person and a real pantry.

You have to keep it real. Nice, but real.

I put my microwave in our pantry. It’s under mounted to the shelf above to maximize counter space. We have an upright freezer in there as well which is very convenient. I have 6 drawers as well 2 shallow and 4 deeper ones. I keep plastic wrap, ziploc bag boxes, etc in one of the shallow ones and a cutlery tray that is used mostly for entertaining in the other shallow drawer (cheese knives, appetizer spoons, etc). In my deeper drawers, I have put all the kitchen appliance manuals and guides, aprons, tablecloths, bags of chips, etc.

wow! Carladr, it sounds like you have an entire little room! That sounds immensely wonderful!

My own strategy for my kitchen is to eliminate anything and everything that is not essential. I have a tiny area. I actually enjoy not having much. And, I don't shop for large bulk things at Costco. So, I manage quite well with the small space.

If I were to ever have a choice I would have a nice pantry.

The very best thing about a walk-in pantry: Its existence. Seriously, just having a walk-in pantry, even if it's not ideally designed, is glorious. Mine is far from perfect, but I'm still glad to have it.

I agree with above posters that some of these pictures are unrealistic. Yeah, who has that many apples or potatoes at any one time? Who has containers labeled "things"?

Features I consider ideal:

- Conveniently located to the kitchen. IN the kitchen is best, close to the kitchen is second best.

- No window. Light is the enemy of food storage.

- Consider a swinging door, so you can open it hands-free. On that same topic, consider a motion-triggered light.

- When you walk in with groceries, where will you set your bags to sort /put away? If the table or a cabinet isn't convenient, consider a shelf for this purpose.

- White. White looks clean and large, and in a pantry I think it's best.

- Shallow shelves so things don't "get lost" in the back. Ideally I'd like them a bit deeper on the bottom /more shallow on the top. And the bottom shelves would be sized to hold baskets or 12-pack sodas.

- I'll argue with some of the previous posters: No to adjustable shelves. Adjustable shelves aren't as strong, and it's so easy to organize in baskets or to add shelf dividers.

- Shelves all the way to the ceiling. Use baskets on the uppermost shelves to contain rarely used items (cookie baking items, cheese making materials, holiday tableware).

- If you have a corner, use large Lazy Susans for jarred goods. I don't see any point in the built-in models; Bed Bath & Beyond sells good ones for a reasonable price.

- A pegboard. I have soooo many small things that I value, but I don't use every day -- I have a small pegboard in my current pantry, which holds BBQ tools and other items, but I could use 3Xs as much pegboard space. And if I had more space, I'd hang my cast iron pans too. You might like to hang spices on a pegboard. Pegboards

- Do you intend to store appliances in the pantry? Do you intend to use appliances in the pantry? (I'm with those who are considering putting the microwave in the pantry.) If so, consider a tall-tower type storage shelf OR a waist-high shelf-space (with outlets). A space in the pantry could be an ideal place to let a crock pot run, or to let bread rise, or to set dessert out of sight for a party.

- Consider your special needs. For example, I have well over 100 cake pans. Someone who has a lot of tablecloths or cookbooks or lots of pet food might want to plan space for those things. And the opposite: No matter how much other people may like certain features, don't include things that don't suit your family; for example, I don't like wine, so I'd never include wine storage like one of the above pantries.

- Do you intend to have a freezer (or a small beverage fridge) in your pantry? If so, you should plan a space for it -- and an outlet.

- Last thought: A phrase I heard years ago /have clung to is, "Complete the purchase". This means, when you come home from the store, put things away correctly so that they'll last. For example, when I bring home a box of granola bars, I don't leave them in their cardboard prison -- I open the box and empty them into a large glass container that holds granola bars, Lance crackers, and other grab-and-go snacks -- I can tell at a glance whether I have only one granola bar left, but (more importantly) this also keeps bugs away. Being in the South, where mealie bugs and bowevils are a problem, I like to put my cornmeal, grits and dried beans into mason jars. I've only twice had a real infestation of nasty critters, but it is awful to throw away everything-everything-everything in your pantry.

My own strategy for my kitchen is to eliminate anything and everything that is not essential. I have a tiny area.

That's my strategy too! I want a small kitchen (which will keep costs down and will be easy to keep always-clean) attached to a large-large pantry.

I think about how I use my microwave, and I think that the pantry would be the worst possible place for it, for us. We often heat or cook things taken from the refrigerator, or thaw/cook/heat things from the freezer, reheat the coffee, heat milk for cocoa or water from the tap for one cup of tea (and the cocoa and tea and coffee are all in a nearby upper cabinet since w use them so often. Hardly anything put on it comes from the pantry. Except popcorn. So why have the microwave in the pantry?

I’d like something like shady willows has but probably need double that space as I buy bulk at times.

I like an electrical outlet in my pantry.

I currently have a nice walk-in pantry, but it came with fixed shelves, which means you have to adapt your stuff to the pantry, instead of adapting the pantry to your stuff. Love the extra space, but not the fact that it isn't flexible or adjustable.

For the new house I plan to use something more flexible, most likely the Elfa system from The Container Store. Something like this, customized for my needs ...

Mrs Pete, I do much the same with groceries as you do. I empty packages such as corn meal into containers and I use a lot of canning jars. I absolutely love my canning jars for EVERYTHING!

Most of them are the wide mouth ones from pints to half gallon sizes. I use them for everything from holding things in the fridge, to storing rice and cereals, and for canning up tomatoes in the summer time. I even use them, with care, in the freezer. And, I sometimes use the jars to take prepared stews and meals to my daughters family and I will use a vacuum sealer to seal the jar. Things keep very well for much longer. It keeps things so very well. It also works well to divide chunks of cheeses and seal in a glass jar the ones that you are keeping until needed.

When it comes to food storage not much beats a nice glass container with a tight lid. And, you can see everything and it is such a clean look.

Often, I also wash vegetables and get them prepared so that they are ready to use when needed.

I don't buy bulk anything, so I don't need that storage. I figure that I will let the retail merchant store it, and I only buy what I need. For the pennies on the dollar that you save in bulk at Costco, for me it is not worth it. I guess if you have a big family or live where it is a trek to the store, it might be different. Our needs are modest and we are not remote.

I don't mind my small kitchen. It suits my needs and reflects the simplicity of life that I strive towards.

We remodeled our pantry a year or so ago, and here some of the things we did that I absolutely adore.

1: Adjustable shelving. I love being able to adjust each shelf to the height I need, so I can accommodate everything from cans to cereal boxes. I also prefer solid shelves to wire ones, but that’s mainly esthetic.

2: We have a 20” deep counter running the perimeter of the pantry, with multiple outlets. It’s deep enough to house small appliances, although the only one we use in there regularly is the Keurig. We have had instances where we plug something in for later, though... like when guests bring dishes in a crock pot.

3: The shelves above the counters are 15” deep. I find that things get lost if it’s much deeper. They go all the way to the ceiling, so we also have built-in storage space for a step stool.

4: The shelves below the counters are 18” deep. I keep toying with the idea of converting some (or all) of them to drawers for a cleaner look, but I definitely feel like 18” is deep enough to store small appliances and bulk supplies.

5: The lights are on a motion sensor, which is AWESOME.

6: My cabinetry runs along three walls, and was specifically designed around a piece of storage furniture I didn’t want to get rid of. It houses things like table clothes and fabric napkins, as well as candles and vases for centerpieces. I also collect vintage serveware, so I have lots of cubbies to display that. The fourth wall (where the door is) has hooks for my collection of aprons.

This is what it looked like before. As you can see, the shelves that were there weren‘t super functional. It also had space for two appliances (Fridge and freezer? Two freezers?) that the previous owner had in there, but we installed fridge/freezer columns in our kitchen when we remodeled it, and didn’t need the extras. I didn’t like the heat they put off, either.

Just want to reiterate the motion sensor lights that Hillside House mentioned - they are awesome!

I think about how I use my microwave, and I think that the pantry would
be the worst possible place for it, for us.

I think we don't all use our microwaves the same way. For me, the big point is that I rarely use it at all, so it doesn't deserve a prime spot right in the middle of the action.

If you have a big (and pretty) pantry, I think a coffee station (or snack station) IN the pantry, which might include the microwave could work well.

Mrs Pete, I do much the same with groceries as you do. I empty packages
such as corn meal into containers and I use a lot of canning jars. I
absolutely love my canning jars for EVERYTHING!

Yes, canning jars are cheap and functional. In addition to canning jars, I have an assortment of glass jars -- penny candy type jars, pretty cut glass jars, etc. Glass "matches" glass, and it doesn't turn yellow with age.

Its downfall, though: it admits light, which is the enemy of food storage.

I love true pullout pantries they contain more storage than any walk in and can be organized dozens of ways built into a wall of fridge pantries even wall ovens. .A true butlers pantry in another thing all together but they only work when designed between the kitchen and the DR.

Well, I don't store anything for a long enough time for light to be of any significance. They are also behind a closed door or in the fridge, so not much light there.

I have almost eliminated plastic containers entirely, with the exception of a few big boxy ones.

It really fits my simplified lifestyle where I strive for a happy coexistence of form and function and as much simplicity as possible.

I LOVE my walk in pantry. It allows me to keep my kitchen counters free and clear. I have counters with cabinets below and above all with doors. The cabinets go to the ceiling and I have an open shelf under them where all of my canisters of flour, coffee etc are stored. It also contains:

1) a second small microwave. We had an extra one after our kitchen remodel and after moving it into the pantry I find it really convenient to have 2.

2) our dog feeding station. Store large bags of dog food in a pullout under the counter. Dog bowls and water dishes also in pantry which has a tile floor for messy dog drinkers

3) electrical outlets run above counters so I can have a coffee station located in pantry.

4)hanging pot rack on open wall for convenience

5) under counter small fridge for drinks and coffee creamers.

6) Magnetic board for calendar and lots and lots of stuff one usually puts on a fridge.

7) Large appliances such as mixer and food processor sit on counter. I made covers for them so as not to collect dust- not used terrible often.

8) In the cabinets besides canned and packaged foods I store extra dishes, silverware, baking supplies.

I would be lost without it!

Your kitchen where the working elements are in a closet and the rest of the room is kept free of clutter sounds wonderful!

If I were to build a house, I would incorporate storage walls along the outside facing walls and all would be stored there so that there is nothing but the bare essentials in the living space. Also, it would add insulation to the house to have such a layer along the wall. My dream house! It would eliminate all of that extraneous furniture and it would be so easy to keep clean!

Our pantry isn't all that big, so we put narrow shelves on one wall from floor to ceiling. Eye height and below is the usual mishmosh of staples, and I put liqueurs etc that I rarely use up high. When I emptied my cupboard, I had 3 bottles of raspberry schnapps in there. Now I can see everything and I don't overbuy

Love my walk in pantry! I have a counter with upper and lower shelving. Microwave, coffee makers, toaster and blender are all set up and never need put away. All of my cookbooks are on the shelves too. I am able to keep my kitchen counters completely clear.