Walk-in pantry ideas: Perfect for your kitchen storage

Home Designs
Design Inspiration

1 September 2023

Kitchens! We love them but, when they get too cluttered, the love lessens just a little. We’ve been given good reason to stock up our kitchens in recent years. Pandemic-induced empty supermarket shelves meant it made perfect sense to keep on hand multiple bags of pasta and cartons of long-life milk rather than just one. And, with the rise of crazes like sourdough and great new cooking options like air-fryers, adding to the appliance collection has kept us going strong. But all this can mean that our kitchen cupboards are heaving. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a separate space to store all this stuff? Enter (literally!) the walk-in pantry.

What is a walk-in pantry?

A pantry you can walk into! Ok, that’s perhaps a cheeky answer but it’s correct. A pantry is a small room or a cupboard that you use to store food as well as maybe kitchen appliances, utensils or crockery and cutlery. So, a walk-in version is one big enough that there’s some floor area for your to stand and swivel-around in as you reach for what you need.

Think of a walk-in pantry as a supersized kitchen cupboard.

OK, so what’s a butler’s pantry vs a walk-in pantry?

If a walk-in pantry is a supersized kitchen cupboard, then a butler’s pantry is the next step up again - a supersized walk-in pantry. You see, in a butler’s pantry you can not only store stuff but do stuff.

A butler’s pantry is a room off the kitchen with cupboard tops so you can do food prep or stash your dirty dishes until the guests leave. It might even have a sink or a dishwasher so those dirty dishes never have to grace your regular kitchen.

(If you're keen to find out more, read our article on butler's pantries here).

Benham butler's pantry

The walk-in pantry in our Benham home design on display at HomeWorld Leppington.

What are the advantages of a walk-in pantry?

In a word: storage. Actually, let’s make that three words: storage, storage and storage.

Whether that’s just food or also appliances or whether your walk-in pantry also has space for crockery and even cutlery, it’s all about storage.

A walk-in pantry means you have easy access to all these items. And then, when they’re not in use, you can shut the doors and close them off from visitors and as you go about the rest of your life.

The secondary benefit is that you have less clutter on your benchtops and your other kitchen cupboards can be less full and better organised.

Are there any downsides to having a walk-in pantry?

If there’s space in your home for a walk-in pantry, you’re unlikely to regret a decision to include one. The only downside we can think of is that, especially if your walk-in pantry has deep shelves, it can be easy to forget what’s stored in there.

If you store multiple items of the same product (for example, tinned goods), ensure you always place the newly bought items behind older ones, do regular use-by date checks a once-a-year clean out.

Capital home design pantry

The walk-in pantry in our Capital home design on display at Denman Prospect.

What design and layout aspects should I consider for a walk-in pantry?

Walk-in pantries can take up an end-wall space or a corner of your kitchen. Ideally, they’re located close to some bench space (to facilitate you retrieving items you need) and not too far from the fridge, as that’s your other source of ingredients for a meal.

It’s ideal to have a door on your walk-in pantry as even the best-organised one is best admired only when you’re ready rather than on display for all to see. Plus, a door is a great way to deter pets from entering, or younger kids from raiding the cupboard (sorry, it won’t work for teenagers).

Options include a single door, a double door or potentially a sliding door. Some ventilation is ideal to keep goods stored safely, so a door with a gap at the bottom or between the two doors is worth considering. Doors should swing outwards so that they don’t block stored items once open.

It’s rare for a walk-in pantry to have a window (and it’s not a great idea anyway as food is best stored in a dark area) so you need to consider lighting.

Leona walk-in pantry

The walk-in pantry in our Leona home design on display at HomeWorld Leppington.

Lighting from your kitchen might be sufficient for a smaller walk-in pantry but it’s a good idea to consider specific lighting, perhaps a system where the light automatically comes on when you open the door.

Shelves should be deep enough that you are maximising available storage space but not so deep that items will be out-of-sight and therefore out-of-mind. A range of shelf heights is ideal so that taller items have a place but you’re not wasting storage space in sections where you have tiny items, like spice jars, stored.

Once you’ve got the basics of a walk-in pantry, its organisation is up to you! Some people just love the idea of matching and creatively labelled pantry cannisters to decant goods into. Others are happy with the original packaging either arranged by type or simply stored wherever there is space!

Either way, a walk-in pantry is a great feature of any home that will help you love the time you spend in your kitchen.

If you’re looking to build a new home that includes all the function and benefits of a walk-in pantry, check out our Benham, Capital, Grace, Leona and Oxley designs today! Or, if personalisation is prime for you, consider a Rawson Tailored Home.

FAQs

What is a walk-in pantry?

A walk-in pantry is a space that opens onto your kitchen allowing you space to store food and other cooking-related items. By definition, a walk-in pantry is big enough to allow you to walk in to it!

What is the difference between a walk-in pantry and a butler's pantry?

Walk-in pantries are all about storage, whether food items or cooking appliances. A butler’s pantry allow storage but is also big enough and designed to allow you to do food preparation and cleaning tasks.

Is a walk-in pantry a good idea?

Walk-in pantries are perfect for ensuring your foodstuffs and cooking-related equipment are safely stored away out of sight. They are therefore a great idea for any kitchen that allows sufficient space.

What are the benefits of a walk-in pantry?

The main benefit of a walk-in pantry is storing foodstuffs and kitchen equipment in the one area. This means you have easy access to these items as well as them being able to be closed off from the general area when the walk-in pantry isn’t in use. This reduces clutter both on your benchtops and in other kitchen cupboards.

What are some good walk-in pantry design tips?

Ideally a walk-in pantry is individually designed for your needs. It should be located in an easy-access part of the kitchen, have shelves of a suitable height that means no wasted space. A door is perfect for hiding away stored items and consider lighting, especially for larger or deeper walk-in pantries.

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What is a walk-in pantry?

OK, so what’s a butler’s pantry vs a walk-in pantry?

(If you're keen to find out more, read our article on butler's pantries here).

Benham butler's pantry

The walk-in pantry in our Benham home design on display at HomeWorld Leppington.

What are the advantages of a walk-in pantry?

Are there any downsides to having a walk-in pantry?

Capital home design pantry

The walk-in pantry in our Capital home design on display at Denman Prospect.

What design and layout aspects should I consider for a walk-in pantry?

Leona walk-in pantry

The walk-in pantry in our Leona home design on display at HomeWorld Leppington.

FAQs

What is a walk-in pantry?

A walk-in pantry is a space that opens onto your kitchen allowing you space to store food and other cooking-related items. By definition, a walk-in pantry is big enough to allow you to walk in to it!