Up your storage game: the long awaited return of the kitchen pantry

Gone are the days when the pantry evokes images of a dusty, neglected cupboard, stashed with forgotten relics of days gone by…or food gone by it’s best-before date.

The word “pantry” is originally derived from the French term “paneterie”, which in turn comes from the French word for ‘bread’, which is ‘pain’. Historically, pantries were rooms adjoining kitchens, where breads, meat, fresh and dried food could be stored and kept cool. They were often built in the north-facing side of the house or in the basement, so that perishables could be kept as cool as possible. In simpler days gone by, the humble pantry was an essential element of a good kitchen. For a time, however, the acceleration in technology and modernity meant that the once revered larder fell into obscurity within the public imaginary. 

Today, we’re finally seeing a resurgence – and reimagining –  of the long-forgotten and much overlooked pantry. Social platforms such as Instagram have been injected with a surge of viral hashtags such as #pantrygoals and #pantryinspo. The criteria for success is simple: keep it clean, keep it orderly and make it chic. Bonus points are, of course, awarded for a heavy use of Kilner jars. 

Suffice to say, as far as trends go, we’re pretty excited about it. 

Far more than a glorified cupboard, a modern pantry gives you the opportunity for you to blend aesthetic statements with the potential for practicality. So, in the spirit of beautifying your storage solutions, today we want to give you our three top tips for creating the perfect pantry. 

 1. Consider your basic design

Pantries come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes, and you don’t need to have a generous amount of spare square-footage in order to accommodate one. When we think of a traditional pantry, the quintessential walk-in variation tends to spring to mind, offering the luxury of copious space for all of your dried, tinned, fresh and baked provisions. However, this isn’t necessarily feasible for a great deal of us.

For those working with a smaller space or perhaps a smaller budget, there are some wonderful alternatives.

The freestanding pantry – which is essentially a large kitchen cabinet – is a popular choice for those looking to squeeze a statement into a smaller kitchen. They offer plenty of storage space whilst not being too intrusive into your kitchen’s design. Similarly, the slide-out pantry is an excellent option for those who idolise compact, nifty storage solutions that make use of tight spaces. Their sliding mechanisms allow you to store food in the entirety of the space whilst still offering ease of access to everything it houses.

Finally, for those looking for something a little subtler, a wall pantry can be a tremendously chic choice. Set into the wall of your kitchen, these pantries can allow for a large amount of storage to be freed up and can even be conveniently hidden behind a set of cabinet doors that sit flush with the wall, if you so desire.

2. Functionality is key

For those lacking the bountiful space necessary to create a walk-in pantry, it’s essential to consider where exactly makes the most sense to install your pantry and just how exactly to make the best use of it.

Making use of a blank wall space or perhaps an ingle nook is a great choice which allows you to transform an otherwise disused space into an interesting, unique detail in your kitchen.

A clever use of shelving, drawers and cupboard space will revolutionise your storage efforts and allow your pantry to fulfil it’s maximum potential. By introducing a specialist into the project you’ll be best positioned to work with them in order to come up with the most practical and ingenious design for your needs. Here at Premier Crafts, bespoke kitchens are our speciality and we have the know-how and technical skills necessary to help you achieve the modern pantry of your dreams.

3. Take storage seriously

By carefully considering your pantries storage solutions, you make life in the kitchen more efficient and more pleasurable.

A beautifully designed and built pantry is only one half of the story. What brings a pantry to life is it’s contents, after all. So it’s essential that you do your pantry justice and consider how best to make use of it’s storage potential.

When decking out your shelves, drawers and cupboards with all of your provisions, it’s good to get a bit creative. Decant your grains and pulses into large, air tight storage jars and mix and match other repurposed jars and glass bottles to create an eclectic, visually dynamic display. You could even consider using hooks to suspend dried produce such as strings of garlic or chillies and bunches of herbs.

What’s more, making use of jars in order to store your dried goods also encourages you towards better, more sustainable buying habits. With all of those beautiful Kilner jars lining your pantry shelves, perhaps it could be time to consider using the refill station in your local wholefoods shop?

Fancy a modern pantry? Learn more about our bespoke, handmade luxury kitchens here. If you’re interested in making your kitchen the heart of your home, get in touch with our skilled team today.