I don't think you will want to prep in your pantry. It's not big enough, you'd need a bigger sink, a big (open) counter, and a trash in there. Along with a garbage disposal.

My kitchen is basically the same size as yours. The space goes quickly, believe me.

My island is this (the 114" is not correct - it's 120"):

That 3 drawer stack is wonderful, but it's filled with prep tools. My back wall is cooking (pots/pans wok etc.) and storage containers.

Baking stuff under the ovens & microwave.

I don't have room in my kitchen proper for food storage. And I don't even have that much stuff - we moved across country and limited ourselves to the bare minimum.

Sorry, I meant a bigger aisle between the main fridge & island. We have 4'-6" per the plan, but I wish we had 5'. (the other fridge on our range wall is a beverage fridge).

We have 4' aisles between the range & sink which is fine. Another 6" would have been good as well.

I'll take some pics of how my kitchen ended up.

I know, I'm leaving a kitchen with 3 full walls and a 6 x 4 island that I use endlessly for prep/buffet serving/eating - and it has no sink. But I have to put the sink in the island in the new house and I'm worried but it is what it is. As an empty nester who shops almost daily, we use a lot of fresh food and don't need much can space. Also, we'll have a full basement bar/kitchen and another eating area with a full vintage hutch where I currently store extra dishes and such. I will just have to run up/downstairs to get them. Especially after reading your posts that we have the same space.

3 drawer prep stack

under my range top. Heavy cast iron and large pots.

Adjacent to range. Cutting boards, sheet pans, pots and pans.

Other side of range. Food storage containers, colanders, rice cooker. Extra spices (some of this could be in a pantry if ours were bigger).

Oven and fridge wall.

I also cook daily, mostly from scratch - just can't shop daily (not an empty nester and am a few years from retirement!).

I was worried about the sink in the island, too - but as long as you keep up with dishes it's actually really great. It's so easy to prep and cook in this kitchen - it's really laid out well, with a compact (but spacious) prep & cooking zone. I often have the dishwasher open while I'm prepping and it's easy to clean up as I go. We run the DW at night and DH is SUPPOSED to empty it in the morning but I would say he's averaging about 0.500 on that.

I'd say the only thing I dislike about my layout is the double oven. I really think I'd prefer a range, as I don't bake a lot but do a bit of roasting and range to oven cooking, so the distance is kind of a pain. Your ovens are in a bit better spot than mine - as long as you don't have a lot of traffic coming through that doorway.

@anj_p - THANK YOU! Your kitchen is so well organized - I love that use of space! There is no way to move the aisle between the island and fridge, as it would increase the whole depth of the house, including the deck space. I'll look into the container store for pantry shelving but I was hoping to keep it behind closed cabinets. I hate seeing canned goods, etc. Also, our pantry door will be an antique door with glass and I will probably never close it.

My pantry is 6 x 9 and has a 18" deep cabinet one the long wall with shelving above and 24" deep cabinet one the short wall with shelving above. No sink wasn't willing to give up counter space for it.

This functions so well for our needs. I planned out what I wanted to store and then designed things to fit.

@cubby14 - WOW! These pics will be so helpful! You've utilized the space to the MAX!

@Angie Schuster thank you - the organization is mostly because I have kept my kitchen to the bare essentials! If you have a lot of cooking equipment, especially baking, you will need shelving like cubby has to store it.

And, you'll close your pantry door when you have company :)

@anj_p - I worried about the double oven scenario as well. I currently have a Wolf range that I adore, and then an extra oven in the basement bar and that works GREAT for appetizers/pizza downstairs. I just may rethink that entire layout, and like you said, especially since I have a doorway there into the laundry/mudroom and to our extra bathroom! I never thought of that traffice pattern. And like you, I go from stovetop searing to oven roasting!

@cubby14 - do you have to go into the pantry to get spices? I was hoping to put pullouts on the lower sides of the cooktop (which may now become a full range, thanks to @anj_p) for spices and vinegar/oils. Obviously there will be travel back and forth into the pantry, and it's not like its First World Problems, but I just want to plan the best possible use of limited space.

Well my name's Angie, too, so we have a lot in common :)

Our mudroom and powder room are also through that door, but so are our stairs to the basement. And it isn't uncommon for us to have kids running up and down stairs, so carrying hot pots/pans to/from the ovens gets a bit precarious in my house. Ours is a production build, so we could make some changes, but when I asked to move the ovens to the range wall I got a definitive "no".

In your case, it may not be as critical, but it still is a walkway (and not a super large one) so it's something to consider.

Oh do not do pullouts for spices!!!!

This is the best way to store spices. This is in my prep zone.

You can do a lower pullout for oils etc. if you want, you just want to be able to see everything from the top (with the spice pullouts you can only see the top row of stuff, so then you're bending over/squatting down to see stuff on the lower shelves). A friend of mine added those pullouts to her kitchen. I cooked in there once and it definitely made my blood pressure rise.

I have vinegars etc. in the upper cabinet adjacent to my range, and I keep my big jugs of oil (I buy in bulk) in my lower cabinet next to the one with the food storage containers.

I do keep my baking stuff in a drawer in my kitchen and oils I use often in the upper cabinet next to my stove top. So no dragging them out from the pantry. Personally I would rather store canned goods etc in the pantry along with appliances etc and most used stuff in kitchen. Good luck its fun figuring it all out. I got rid of a poorly placed powder room and combined that with my small pantry to get this pantry space and I love it.

@anj_p (Angie's think alike!) here's how I currently have my spices, and I designed the paper towel thing myself - it swings out in both directions to change it (Amazon!). I can't stand seeing paper towels on the counter!

Oh, oops, well I guess not everyone hates them :D

I like being able to see them all when I open a drawer but that's just me. I like the paper towel roll holder!

This is my spice drawer.

I like what you did for the paper towels.

@cubby14 and @anj_p - I love that idea for spices. I just have to get used to labelling the lids! It is hard bending down to see what I've got in there. Where do you both put your paper towels?

My paper towels are under my sink on the cabinet door. My spices are in alphabetical order in the drawer and labeled. The two side areas are for baking spices.

My paper towels are on the counter - but we use them a lot and they don't bother me out :)

My spices are also in alphabetical order. The jars are 4 oz ball mason jars, and they fit perfectly in a drawer. I got the labels from Etsy. It took me aa couple hours one afternoon to get my drawer set up. Once you set it up it's easy to keep it that way - I only need to refill a spice once a month or so. I keep the refills in a cabinet (but I'd keep them in my pantry if my pantry was bigger). Originally I had the jars in loose but they kept moving when I opened & closed the drawer so I got those dividers from amazon. I'm amazed @cubby14 at how many spices you have!!!

@anj_p I know, it is a sickness. I love trying new spices and foods.

@cubby14 I wouldn't go that far! But I thought I had a lot - I subscribe to a meal planning service and the recipes are very diverse and are mostly make-your-own sauces, spice mixes & marinades, so I use a ton. Yours are next level :)

Somehow combining a cleaning area and a storage area in a small space does not seem like a good idea.

(anj_p, i subscribed to a menu service for several years. with make-your-own spice blends sometimes in the menu, and it changed my life!)

Our paper towels are on the counter, too, always handy especially when hands are wet etc.

Is this your (theoretical) forever home since you say you're empty nesters? If so, I'd stick with the rangetop and wall ovens b/c there will be a point in your life when you don't want to squat down and pull hot food out from just above floor level. You might not be at that point, though.

I'm with others saying remove the sink from the pantry. Mine is 5x5 and just has adjustable shelves, which store food, cookbooks, slow cooker (not shown), extra coffee maker and my Le Creuset collection. :-)

I have a pullout (12" I think) next to my range top that has the most-used spices in it (the rest are in the pantry), oils, vinegars, etc.

Angie, I didn't read all the replies in detail, but I don't think I saw anyone express my thoughts.

First off, I agree with those who feel the sink probably would not get used the way you envision.

One way to deal with the corner issue is to eliminate it - put drawers and a counter on the "sink" wall (probably without the sink), and adjustable shelves on the opposite wall - no corners to deal with. These shelves can be deep enough for your appliances, but not visible from the dining room. The wall that is visible can have drawers for your linens, candles, etc, and cabinets above for china, holiday dishes, etc. The doors/drawers will be tidy if the pantry door is left open. If necessary, you can add 12" adjustable shelves to the wall opposite the window, if you do want to keep canned goods in there.

The thing that jumped right out at me was your comment "jarred/canned goods will go in the kitchen - I think?"

I believe the most important part of a kitchen design is the storage plan. It will help you decide what kind of storage you need, how much, and where. Inventory EVERYTHING in your kitchen, and assign each thing a home in the new house. Make sure to put things near their point of use, and use "prime real estate" for things you use every day. Knives, cutting boards, colanders, trash belong near the sink; pots and pans, cooking utensils, spices, oils, and potholders near the stove; dish storage near the DW. Now find a place for towels, bags and wraps, leftover containers, baking supplies, and food. Decide where to put cookie sheets and cake pans. There are numerous good places for both - I store cake and pie pans in a drawer on their sides (but I had to plan for a deep enough drawer).

We keep canned goods in the pantry, but dry goods, bread, snacks, and baking supplies live in the kitchen.

You do have the advantage of a nice, convenient pantry for your small appliances, though if you use a toaster or coffee maker every day, they should either be in the main kitchen or even left out.

Once you have developed a detailed storage plan for the kitchen (the prime real estate), you can focus on your needs for the pantry.

I really like Cubby's pantry, and wonder if you could take some inspiration from it. Perhaps a counter and sink on the window side, where you can't have uppers (slant the counter near the door to allow entry), and then open shelves on the facing wall? You could even put drawers into the sink-side base cabs, and there's probably room for some higher storage in that corner.

Also, (1) you don't keep staples like flour and sugar in the pantry -- you keep extra flour, and 4 kinds of crackers, and things that come in packs of six, and all the stuff that turns a kitchen to chaos. (2) spices in drawers seem like an amateur move -- who has spices in matching jars? I have boxes and tins and jars of several sizes, and some pesky things in bags... What works for me is to use an upper lazy susan in a corner -- you can arrange your spices by type, or by name, or whatever, and you can see most of them and maybe reach back a row if you need something more obscure. Plus, we also fit the agave and honey business, and cooking oils, etc.

You do not need to decant spices into individual tins in order to store spices in a drawer. Here is what we did. We also have taller spices and BBQ rubs in an upper cabinet next to the range. Oils/vinegars are in upper cabinet on other side of range.

My pantry is very utilitarian so it may not be what you are looking for but I'll include pictures to give you ideas. We do not use appliances in our pantry just store them. We keep a vacuum in there as well as an electric leaf blower to blow our deck off. We made use of all the space in there.

A thought: do you need that size/layout of laundry room? I suspect its door opens to the garage entrance hall? So…

can you either combine the laundry and pantry, letting a sink do double-duty, or shrink the laundry and expand the pantry?

@vinmarks, true you don't have to decant spices. I used to lay mine down like that. However I couldn't fit as many in the drawer that I had/wanted to use. By standing them up and decanting them I was able to fit so many more (all of them, actually!).

If it were my chicken . . .

Or,

Easy for bringing the groceries in, too.

@Mark Bischak, Architect and @bpath - not sure what we'd gain by removing the wall and combining the pantry/laundry. The laundry opens into a mudroom area, another full bath behind the fridge wall, and then the garage opposite the laundry entrance. Although carrying groceries in and going all the way around to the pantry is something I never thought of before. That makes me want to remove the wall ovens and make that the food storage area!

Or:

Lots of great insight on this thread! - agree with @anj - I would prep in the main kitchen with all the glorious windows and use the pantry for storage only

If you have a Container Store in your area, definitely worth a visit. Take your complete room dimensions with you for each wall space, door and window. You will be amazed at what they can do to design layouts to consider using both shelving and drawers, etc. Their Elfa system is very flexible and easy to install yourself. They regularly offer 20-30% off. We did both our master closet and the kitchen pantry using Elfa. For any needed bin storage, visit your local Dollar stores and you'll find great bins to hold stuff as needed on the shelving.

I tend to put the grocery bags on the island when I bring them in (and, if I'm being honest, rarely am I bringing them in from my car - I'm grabbing them from the front door. Grocery delivery has changed my life). Personally I wouldn't redesign my entire kitchen over hauling groceries a few more feet. I do think pantry entrance would be better suited where the laundry room is, but again, not a huge inconvenience where it is now. I wouldn't want to combine pantry and laundry unless there was no food at all in there.

@Angie Schuster regarding the wall ovens, I think if you put them on your rangetop wall they would be perfect. It might balance out the pantry door as well, having the double oven there. Having the ovens open into your mudroom/laundry room doorway is not ideal but as it's just two of you, there will likely only be conflicts when you have guests for dinner who use the powder room. Only you can decide what is more important for you.

And I know you said you were planning on making this change, but I want to emphasize it as you've gotten a few drawings showing your DW in the wrong spot - DW should be on the pantry end of your island, with sink adjacent, and then your 5' of prep space near the fridge.

yes, DW will be on the pantry end. This is not our final plan, but the one we worked off of to create ours. I am so torn on the placement of the wall ovens. If they go on the range wall, then doors are open in the galley/island walkway, and the dishwasher is on the opposite side in the island, so if both doors are open, it creates a puzzle piece. Sigh....

I was also thinking a pocket door between laundry and pantry. Then. too, in some countries, heck in some apartments in the US, the washing machine is in the kitchen…

Here is a picture of the house plan as built, but it's not ours (just what we're going off of). Do we need a countertop next to the ovens if we leave them there? I was thinking of doing a full pantry cabinet between the fridge and wall ovens for food storage instead. Thoughts?

@Angie Schuster ovens are only open for maybe 30 seconds, so it's not really a puzzle piece. But if you do have someone coming in from the PR while you're pulling stuff out, they will have to wait.

The plan you show has a microwave & oven combo, not a double oven. Are you planning a double oven? Where will your microwave be? Or will you not have one?

Your landing space for the ovens would be the counter across from them or the island. I doubt you will use the counter adjacent for that. If you move the ovens to the range wall, the landing space would be the island, which is better (as it's bigger).

Regarding pantry cabinet - you can do that if you like. I personally am not a huge fan of pantry cabinets as I feel like things get lost in them (they're too deep). The pullout pantries Patricia likes I think would be better. I still prefer seeing everything in one fell swoop in my walk-in pantry, but everyone is different with this.

If you move your ovens you could do a larder pantry which I absolutely love (smaller than this and more for food but you get the gist)

Magnificent Larder Kitchen · More Info

You'll want to imagine using the wall oven and decide where you will stage oven pans going into and out of the wall oven. Probably why there's the small counter between wall oven and fridge in the plan photo you show above. Is there counter space on the left side of the wall oven? Perhaps you'll be carrying oven foods over to the island......

@Patricia Colwell Consulting - I agree, the orig picture I posted of the pantry is not what I want as there's little counterspace. I love the window in there for herbs, as I won't have a "kitchen" window for them now, and I can't give up my rosemary, thyme, etc. So you think the back wall should be all cabs/counter, and then shelving on the long wall to the right?

@anj_p - yes, double ovens there instead of micro. Thinking of moving micro to a drawer in island, to the left of the garbage pullout.

I'd also explore the combo laundry pantry option because it adds the pantry door space to the left end of the range run. This gives that door space to the frig if you choose an induction range and no wall ovens. The counter between the relocated frig and range becomes a useful workzone. It won't get much use in the current design. The current frig run can be configured as a wall of 12" deep pantry storage behind doors. The alternative would be to locate wall ovens or a micro and CSO in the door space at the end of the range run. The frig could now have a counter workzone next to it.

I like Mark’s idea, too, that extends the counter. or, stop the counter where it is and add the storage unit you described. Then, think of the laundry pantry as a room, and perhaps put the laundry behind doors within it, and your storage along the sides, ending in the window. How nice to have natural light for both spaces, and maybe a nice view approaching from that service hall of the herbs merrily growing in the window.