15 Practical Pantry Design Ideas for Any Home, Big or Small

You can make a pantry work in any home: all it takes is a little creativity.

A well-planned pantry goes a long way in making your meal/drink prep and cooking flow a lot smoother – but before we get into that, what is a pantry?

To many of us, it could mean different things: a place to store dry food, a corner for snacks and drinks, or perhaps even a dry bar.

Here, we cover the most common pantry placements, layouts and design ideas – alongside some rather unique ones – to give you a helpful headstart!

Design ideas for a pantry cabinet in the kitchen

1. Get creative with a pantry centred in the middle of your island

Need a sleek pantry for storing essentials/items you reach for often? Try this unconventional design with a pantry right in the middle of your kitchen island, with some suspended shelves and hollowed storage.

Besides being functional, it will certainly be a conversation starter when you’ve got visitors.

2. Conceal your pantry for a seamless look

Baring the pantry – especially if it’s prone to messes – might not be your cup of tea, so here’s another great idea to conceal’ it: use pocket doors that blend seamlessly with the rest of your carpentry.

3. Maximise space with full-height pantry cabinets

When you’re in need of square footage, a fail-safe solution is to go vertical.

That’s exactly what the owners of this home did, by building their pantry cupboards all the way to the ceiling to maximise all the available space.

4. Play with inside-door storage and space-saving door designs

Inside-door storage for your pantry is another practical way to get the most out of limited square footage – which is what the owners of this resale HDB did.

And if you haven’t noticed, the pantry sits near the entrance because it's part of the kitchen stretch, which happens to be the closest space to the door.

Besides trying out a variety of storage compartments, you can opt for doors that help you save space too: not only do these double barn doors add to the contemporary look of the pantry, but they also require less clearance than traditional swinging doors!

Explore: The Ultimate Guide to Kitchen Renovation: Layouts, Materials, and More

5. Use lower cabinet space for an open pantry

This streamlined design gives you easy access to all your pantry staples while keeping your kitchen organised. With the two-tiered shelving, you get more use of the vertical space too!

Just keep in mind that this requires a fair bit of bending, which might be tough on the back and knees.

To avoid the strain for yourself or other family members, store items that you don’t need often – like the spirits here.

6. For bigger kitchens, carve out a walk-in pantry

This resale HDB flat boasts a complete walk-in pantry, carved out from the space at one end of the kitchen, and can be closed off with a sliding door.

For those of you who cook often and have a lot of cooking equipment /essentials to store, this gives you plenty of room to customise the shelving and organise it for your ideal cooking flow.

Design ideas for a pantry in the service yard

7. Use the service yard counters as a mini-pantry/bar

A service yard that works as a mini-pantry: how’s that for creativity? It’s practical and looks great, especially if you’re working with a compact kitchen that is merged with the service yard.

8. Use your pantry as a divider between the service yard and kitchen

This ingenious idea involves the pantry doubling up as a divider between the kitchen and service yard – perfect for those of you who don’t need much pantry storage, and love to see all your cooking items at one glance.

9. Create a ‘pantry door’ that leads to the service yard

Take the earlier and give it another spin with a pantry that doubles as a door leading to the service yard! It’ll make for a neat surprise when you’re showing guests around the home too.

10. Try a recessed pantry flushed with the walls

If you have a recessed corner in your service yard, you could build a flushed pantry in that space to maximise it too.

It’s also perfect for those who can’t stand the thought of carpentry ‘jutting’ out.

Design ideas for a pantry that doubles as a dry kitchen

11. Hide pantry clutter with frosted glass

We get it: you want to avoid a bulky look, but still need a way to hide pantry clutter, especially if it doubles as a dry kitchen.

Frosted glass is the perfect compromise because it obscures your pantry’s contents while allowing light to pass through, brightening the space.

And if that isn’t enough, its soft and diffused look is sure to add a modern touch to your pantry.

If you want to make your space look bigger, you could even incorporate a mirror backsplash at your pantry like so.

12. Go for a no-frills pantry with floating shelves

Visual organisers, you’ll love this fuss-free pantry which features floating shelves and a simple built-in counter with lower cabinet storage.

This way, you can see all your items at a glance, use the counter for meal prep and hide away bulkier appliances, dinnerware and other supplies in the lower cabinets/drawers.

13. Get playful with a splash of colour

Nestled in a square-shaped nook in this condo unit, this pantry is a colourful and functional addition with plenty of countertop and storage space.

To visually demarcate the space from the rest of the home, it’s even built on a slightly raised area with a striking golden edge trim.

We know we’d enjoy meal prep and the like in such a cute and cosy pantry!

Design ideas for a pantry that doubles as a coffee counter/bar

14. Try a peninsula-cum-pantry design

This unassuming peninsula – dressed in a lovely shade of deep green – actually doubles as a simple pantry, with a mix of open and closed storage to make the most of the space.

15. Do up a pantry near the main communal areas

Thus far, we’ve seen our fair share of pantries that seamlessly connect with the kitchen, or flow into the dining space.

This one’s a little different: with a full-blown pantry right in the dining area, you won’t have to keep walking back to the kitchen to pour yourself a glass of water or drinks, especially if your home is big and/or you host often.

Don’t miss out on small details like a power track, which is convenient for setting up different appliances you might want to keep around at the pantry for some light meal prep.

Find an ID for your kitchen makeover

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Get in touch with us and we can help you shortlist suitable interior firms within one working day for free when you tell us your renovation needs below.