Everything I’m Including in my Dream Pantry
As you may recall, we are in the process of planning a renovation on our own house. As an interior designer, this is very exciting, yet also kind of stressful I’m finding! I am so used to making quick, impactful decisions for clients, that I am a tiny bit suffering from decision fatigue for my own project. There are just so many beautiful designs out there, and I’m having a hard time committing to just one.
Tiffany Leigh Design
One thing I know for sure is that our pantry will be getting a major facelift. Right now we have a decent pantry. It’s a reach in, and consists of mostly open shelving. Something I have discovered as a parent is that I do not like open storage. My kids are messy AF, and I don’t have a lick of time to keep my storage looking pretty. That's why, when we redo the pantry (and also the mudroom!) I will be incorporating mostly closed storage. My goal is to hide the mess, and not have any pressure whatsoever to make it look pretty. That’s what the doors and drawers are for!
So, what am I including in my dream pantry? These are my must-haves:
A Sink and dishwasher. Having a place to stash and wash dishes away from the main part of the kitchen is essential. Also essential? Not sharing the kitchen sink with my taller-than-me husband when it comes time to do dishes and wash down the counters. IYKYK
An appliance garage. Despite having designed my kitchen with 30” deep countertops specifically so I could store appliances on them without sacrificing space, I hate having appliances on my kitchen counters. I like them neat and clean at all times, so I will definitely be incorporating an appliance garage to store things like the toaster and the blender.
Built-in coffee maker. This is a tricky one, because everyone we know that has a built-in coffee maker hates it. Which is why you won’t find the standard Miele version, but rather a regular coffee maker that we have plumbed, so that we don’t have to fill it with water everytime we use it.
A mix of open and closed storage. As I said above, I want to have everything organized (don’t worry, Stacy!), but JIC it doesn’t look PRETTY, it needs to be behind a door or in a drawer. With that being said, some open shelving for things that don’t quite fit in a cabinet or drawer will be necessary too.
Carefully thought out storage solutions. With that in mind, any open storage needs to be carefully thought out and planned. If it’s supposed to be able to hold a cereal box, it should be sized appropriately. Likewise, if it needs to hold tall boxes or wine bottles, that needs to be contemplated ahead of time.
As a designer, I have the ability to plan these things out “on paper”, and the foresight to know which accommodations need to be made. I think to the extent possible, for a non-designer, living with your current pantry situation and really thinking about how you're going to use the new space is essential in designing and executing your dream pantry. No time for that? You’re not alone, and that’s why so many people hire interior designers (we’re more than just a pretty sofa ;)).
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