There are two very important options that need to be considered in every large kitchen pantry cabinet design. Although these options may initially cost a bit more, they will be worth having and will add a particular amount of resale value to your home. I have been making custom cabinets for many years. Without a doubt, these two designs have been the most popular choices of our customers.
pull out shelves only
Without all the tall and complicated tiers that swing out, just adding pull-out shelves to your pantry design is an inexpensive way to enhance the functionality of this cabinet design. Units are generally installed from the ground up to about sixty inches high. The number of pull-out drawers will depend on your particular needs and budget.
Ideally, it’s good to mix up the heights of where the sliders are placed. This allows grocery items of various sizes, such as small cans, tall cans, potato chip bags, cooking oils and sugar, to be stored in the pantry drawer that best fits the size of the item.
One of the most important questions to ask your cabinet maker is; “Will the doors open FULLY so the drawers don’t get close to them?” Sometimes manufacturers don’t allow enough clearance for drawers to bypass doors. What happens is that people rush and don’t realize that the door isn’t open wide enough when they’re pulling out the drawer. Over time, small nicks form in pantry cabinet doors where drawers hit them. It is best to request that 120 degree hinges be installed on the doors. This will ensure that they are completely out of the way when the drawers are pulled out.
Sliding High Top Sneaker Units
These types of accessories usually come with adjustable slippers. There are several different basket heights to choose from. You want to get a full height slider unit. The main component extends from forty-eight inches (48″) to about sixty inches (60″) in height. Upgrades are usually available in several different finishes, including chrome and white. Cabinet accessory company Hafele is one of the main providers of these pull-out pantry units.
You can also order prefabricated pull-out tall units or have them custom built in wood. These designs will not have fancy baskets, but instead will be designed with fixed or adjustable shelves.
What really makes a kitchen pantry design standout is when pull-out drawers are paired with a tall pull-out basket or shelving. Slide-out baskets go to the left or right of the cabinet and slide-out drawers go to the other side. This is ideal for a pantry area over thirty-eight inches wide.
- Bonus tip: Two tall pantry doors that are designed on top of each other can be tied together at the back of the doors. This makes the operation of opening the doors much more pleasant since both will open at the same time. The only drawback here is that there must be enough space for the brackets to overlook any fixed shelves that may be located in the same area.
The remaining height of the pantry design, above the sixty-inch mark, usually has a fixed shelf. Most standard tall cabinets are only seventy-eight inches tall. This makes a nice storage area for tall vases or drinking jugs.
If you’re in the process of designing a new kitchen, consider including as many drawers and pantries as possible. One of the best cabinet designs I’ve ever done was an entire wall of pantry cabinets that stretched about ten feet long. That was years ago and the client, who is a friend of mine, is still raving to this day about how much he loves having all that storage space in the kitchen.