The heart of culinary convenience at Handmade Kitchen Company
If you have the space, additional storage can be welcomed with a custom-built pantry in a room of its own that mirrors the main kitchen cabinets. A walk-in pantry takes the pressure off the main kitchen, freeing up space and storage for other essentials. It can be designed with multiple shelves, drawers and cupboards to store ingredients, cookbooks, snacks, pots, pans and appliances, and can even be wired for power for small appliances.
The pantry was originally a small room dedicated to storing bread and bakery items, but by the mid-nineteenth century it had become a place to store dry goods, and that remains the case to this day. It has re-emerged as a staple in modern homes, offering organisation, efficiency and style.
Not every house can accommodate one, but where there is room a walk-in pantry is a genuine upgrade. They are cleverly concealed behind doors, opening to reveal well-stocked shelves and drawers where everything is visible at a glance. Additional crockery and utensils can be stored away too, keeping worktops clear and suiting the pared-back kitchen design of today.
Walk-in Pantry Ideas at a Glance
The eight projects below show the range of what a walk-in pantry can be. Common features include artisan open shelving for jars and everyday ingredients, pull-out drawers below, worktop space for prepping and for keeping small appliances off the main kitchen surfaces, and illuminated shelves to make the room feel larger. Access varies: a pocket door, a push-to-open Mapesbury front, or a sliding panel door. Some include a sink, and some a wine rack. At Handmade Kitchen Company each is designed to mirror the main kitchen.
Nazeing Project
Filled with artisan shelves, wicker baskets and ingredients decanted into glass jars, this walk-in pantry shows how the room can be both beautiful and genuinely practical.
Cuffley Project
We went beyond storage solutions in this home and built a room dedicated to pantry dreams. Separated only by a pocket door, this walk-in pantry elevates the kitchen essentials and changes the cooking experience. We even added a sink area to carry a seamless routine through each of the rooms.
Orsett Project
Neatly tucked into the corner of this open-plan kitchen is an additional room we built with full-height cabinetry to create a walk-in pantry. The doors are made from our Mapesbury design with a push-to-open mechanism. Artisan shelves make the perfect layout, with a tongue and groove backdrop and walnut pull-out drawers below.
Margaretting Project
Tapping into the property’s heritage is the traditional walk-in pantry we created for our client in Ingatestone. Filled with features such as artisan shelves and open drawers, this space recalls a traditional nineteenth century pantry, but with a modern twist.
HMK Showroom
Our showroom includes a walk-in pantry, curated by the team to show what the room can be. It features a combination of shelving, drawers and pull-outs in a U-shaped layout. Each shelf is illuminated to create an ambience and an illusion of more space, and the cabinetry is hand-painted in an alluring green.
Book a showroom tour today.
Woldingham Project
Mirroring the main kitchen, this walk-in pantry delivers a functional and luxurious space. Base and wall cabinets combine with bespoke artisan shelving, giving somewhere to display glass jars full of ingredients, with a quartzite worktop below.
Matching Green Project
This property already had an existing walk-in larder. We fitted a sliding panel door, bespoke drawers and shelving, plus additional quartz surfaces for prepping.
Hutton Project
Classic artisan shelves fill this pantry in Hutton, Brentwood, maximising the storage and displaying jars and spices. We designed this dedicated room so our client could store dry goods without rooting through cupboards and drawers for an elusive ingredient. The toaster and microwave are kept here, out of view of the main kitchen, and there is generous worktop space. A bespoke wine rack completes the entertaining side of the room and holds 25 bottles.
Walk-in Pantry Design FAQs
What is the history of the pantry?
The pantry began as a small room dedicated to storing bread and bakery items, and the word itself derives from the French for bread. By the middle of the nineteenth century it had become the room for dry goods generally, which is broadly how it is used today.
How should a walk-in pantry be laid out?
A U-shaped layout uses the walls efficiently and keeps everything within reach. Open artisan shelving at eye level suits jars and everyday ingredients, deeper pull-out drawers work below, and a run of worktop gives you somewhere to prep and to keep small appliances out of the main kitchen.
Should a walk-in pantry have lighting?
Yes. Pantries are often windowless, so illuminated shelves make a real difference, both for seeing what you have and for making a small room feel larger. Our showroom pantry has lighting built into each shelf for exactly that reason.
Can you put a sink in a walk-in pantry?
You can, and it works well where the pantry doubles as a prep space, as at our Cuffley project. It keeps preparation and washing out of the main kitchen entirely, which is particularly useful when entertaining.
What door works best for a walk-in pantry?
It depends on the space available. A pocket door or sliding panel door takes up no swing room, which suits a tight corner. A push-to-open cabinetry front, as at our Orsett project, lets the pantry disappear entirely into the run of kitchen furniture.
Where does Handmade Kitchen Company build walk-in pantries?
We design, hand-build and hand-paint bespoke walk-in pantries from our workshop in Essex, for clients across Essex, Hertfordshire and North London.
For more on the appeal of the room itself, read why the walk-in pantry is so on trend, or see walk-in or cupboard if you are deciding between formats.
At Handmade Kitchen Company, we love creating truly bespoke kitchens that fit you and your family’s needs. Contact us today to create a walk-in pantry that only your vision could produce. We look forward to hearing from you.
