Walk-in pantries were once common in old farmhouses across the country and in many vintage homes. They fell out of favor for many years as homebuilders concentrated on the kitchen cabinetry surrounding the sink, refrigerator and stove as the primary location for food storage. Many walk-in pantries were torn out of older homes in favor of a new powder room — as both of the rooms are a similar size and the nearness to the kitchen water lines made this a common kitchen renovation. Walk-in pantries have made a comeback, however, and homeowners now crave this amenity for their kitchens. Many new homes now include walk-in pantry systems with storage and large pantry cabinets in the kitchen design.
This three-sided walk-in pantry is relatively small — about the size of a typical powder room — but includes many of the coveted features today's buyers desire in their kitchens. Fourteen-inch-deep shelves run floor-to-ceiling on one side of the room, handling the bulk of the food storage. A central tower along the back wall is designed to organize all the small packaged foods on pull-out pantry shelves, ensuring that everything is easily seen, and nothing gets lost in the back of the pantry closet. A vertical tray organizer above the pull-out shelves holds all the cookie sheets, trays, cutting boards and broiler pans that are so difficult to find storage for in the typical kitchen. The remaining wall offers even more pantry organization goodies for the homeowners. Three pull-out wire baskets were included to organize root vegetables and bulky bags of chips. The storage shelves on this side of the pantry are dedicated to providing easy access to small appliances. A built-in countertop with electrical outlets offers a convenient place to use all these appliances — like the toaster, toaster oven, blender, electric fry pan, and more. A plethora of small electrical devices is a bane to modern kitchens, creating a lot of clutter on the countertops. This small, custom walk-in pantry in Chicago, however, solves that issue by offering a place to both store and use these items, ensuring the owner's home stays neat and tidy.