Beautiful Pantry Inspiration We’re Bookmarking From AD PRO Directory Designers (2024)

Craving some pantry inspiration? Nothing mars a gorgeous kitchen more than unsightly storage. Some of it can be concealed in drawers and cabinets, but for clunky, counter-littering appliances and stockpiles of dry goods and supplies, it’s the sizable pantry that comes to the rescue. Whether a home is large enough to accommodate a full-fledged room for excess dishware or a built-in cabinet teeming with shelves is the answer, these nine designers from the AD PRO Directory know how to make the scullery space a meticulously organized centerpiece—and provide mega pantry inspiration.

Michele Plachter Design

Within the 1929 stone Colonial she was renovating in Haverford, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia-based interior designer Michele Plachter “set out to design a pantry that's like a hidden gem, connecting the kitchen and dining room with both charm and usefulness.” She paints the scene: “Sunlight streaming through glass and steel doors, casting a shimmering glow on practical storage shelves. It's not just about stashing stuff; it's about adding a touch of sparkle.” Collaborating with local company Bluebell Fine Cabinetry & Design, Plachter selected a natural, gray-toned oil finish on rift white oak for the cabinetry and complemented it with a Namibian white quartzite countertop. The showstoppers for her, however, are the antique mirror subway tiles and those steel grid doors that are “light yet sturdy and invite you in, making you curious about what lies beyond,” she says. “And when the sunlight hits those tiles, it’s like the whole room comes alive with this radiant energy.”

Angeline Guido Design

Angeline Guido Hall designed and built her family’s Heath, Texas, residence from the ground up in 2020, and several years later she is pleased that everything in the pantry—courtesy of Organizing Spaces by Kim in neighboring Rockwall—remains in place. Guido Hall, principal designer and owner of her eponymous Dallas practice, often includes luxurious walk-in pantries in her plans for clients, but when it came to her own kitchen pantry inspiration, she was drawn to a more space-saving solution that doesn't skimp on storage: two 32-inch wide cabinets with pull-outs behind each door. “Utilizing clear bins with labels has been a huge help in keeping things organized.Bags can easily become lost in the mix if they are just hanging out on a shelf,” she warns.

Identical in size and color to the refrigeration units to the left, the cabinets feature V-groove-style doors (the motif that also appears in the kitchen in white oak form) painted black. “I wanted that whole wall of cabinets to be sleek and just blend seamlessly together,” says Guido Hall. Another perk? Above the pantry doors, she incorporated two more rows of storage to contain a surplus of provisions and seldomly used appliances accessed by a rolling ladder that also “adds some architectural interest.”

Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design

For an all-season vacation home situated on the Jersey Shore, Philadelphia studio Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design strategically placed the versatile pantry to visually separate the dining nook from the kitchen’s prep areas. “This pantry allows someone to grab their coffee, mug, and cereal bowl and use the table or counter stools without cutting through the work area,” says principal and design director Marco Angelucci.

The hutch, from Christopher Peaco*ck Cabinetry, was enlivened by layers of a cheerful rust orange hue from Fine Paints of Europe that “introduces a pop in the mostly neutral palette of the room. The warm woods and the honed stone counters allow the gloss painted finish to shine and the juxtaposition and richness of the materials carries through the entire kitchen,” adds Angelucci. Complete with a small bar sink, the pantry essentially serves as “a mini kitchen.”

Lindsay Gerber Interiors

In stark contrast to the understated kitchen that she designed for the Napa Valley farmhouse, LindsayGerberNorthart, founder and principal designer of San Francisco–based Lindsay Gerber Interiors, conceived the adjacent walk-in pantry as “a little jewel box of a room that needed to be functional and beautiful, which is always a fun challenge,” she says. Black Moon soapstone covers the sink and counters, and on the floor, white and gray checkerboard antiqued marble tile nods to “old European farmhouse kitchens, but with a more elegant, elevated feeling. It pairs so well with the Kelly-Moore Yacht Club paint that we drenched the room in,” says Gerber Northart. “The simple combination creates a dramatic effect.”

Functionally speaking, the designer has her go-to pantry feature: “We advocate for appliance garages for the myriad kitchen devices we all collect. They help keep the countertop clutter to a minimum and the area looking finished and tidy.”

Between the glass-roofed kitchen and dining room in a Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, home, Gotham Cabinetry & Design crafted a commodious pantry that acts as a bridge. The service area is decked out with a sink, dishwasher, double wall oven, pull-out trash, and plenty of tall storage cabinets, but natural walnut mixed with maple painted a moody blue and the addition of a petite bookshelf infuse it with warmth. A rustic green backsplash tile also “breathes some life into the room,” points out owner and chief designer Kris Devito. “What I love about this space is that it feels very much original to the house. All the shades work so well together and pay homage to the 19th-century Tudor style.”

While many Gotham clients would gravitate to open shelving for such a pantry, Devito prefers to forego the inevitable heaps of containers and bins for closed cabinetry that promises “those Lucky Charms and Oreos always stay hidden.”

Purple Cherry Architects

A china collection passed down through the homeowner’s mother sparked Purple Cherry Architects’ design of a dedicated pantry for a shingle-style coastal dwelling in Annapolis, Maryland. Reached via a pocket door in the back hall that connects the kitchen to the mudroom and laundry wing, the space was envisioned as “a beautiful display moment, but also a functional pantry that could be closed off when needed,” explains Cathy Cherry, principal and founder of the New York–based firm, who recommends always shutting off or enclosing a portion of these types of lairs to hide bulk and unattractive items.

But in this case, it's all stunning tableware in the limelight, some of it showcased on curved upper shelves, “a special touch that eliminates potential dead corners,” says Cherry points out. It’s paired with a wood countertop that “is both practical and elegant” and durable porcelain slate flooring. To forge a sense of unity between the pantry and the kitchen, the former was done up in the same paint color as the latter (Benjamin Moore’s White Dove), buoyed by vertical beadboard that Cherry says “adds a Nantucket feel.”

To ensure that the kitchen of a single-family Chicago abode could transition into a relaxing gathering space, EmilyFrank, principal and creative director of the Delafield, Wisconsin–based studio Frank & Co., worked within the original footprint to create “an elevated yet livable” dining nook, as she puts it, that doubles as the hub of the clients’ home. “This cozy spot provides fuel and comfort for their day.”

The tambour reeded accent wall brings texture, the oval Arhaus table, planted underneath a Visual Comfort & Co. pendant, maximizes space, and the custom banquette adorned with leather straps handmade by a Montana craftsman “allows you to feel like you’ve been transported to your own kid-friendly restaurant the moment you slide in,” adds Frank. It’s conveniently flanked on both sides by pantries that are “part of the flow of the beautiful kitchen. Storage can be accessed easily, yet it’s hidden behind stylish cabinet doors.”

Christina Richardson Interiors

Eliciting an aura of serenity was Elko, Nevada–based interior designer Christina Richardson’s main goal when reviving a neglected 1950s bungalow in Toronto. With its expanse of Zellige tiles, extra deep Caesarstone countertops, open shelves, and a chrome range hood, the kitchen certainly exudes such a vibe, but not at the expense of pragmatism.

“The cabinets are from IKEA, and we put an enormous effort into making them look custom made with a panel-ready fridge and dishwasher,” says Richardson, who cleverly extended the multifunctional unit to full ceiling height for additional storage. Even if the high cabinets can’t be reached without a step stool, she believes it’s the perfect hideaway for “things you tend to use once a year like the Thanksgiving turkey roasting tray, the Christmas china, and extra plates and glasses for big parties.”

Studio W Interiors

The kitchen was the first room that Diana Wagenbachtackled when she was asked to revamp the ground floor of a home dating from the early 1900s in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Wagenbach, founder and principal designer of Studio W Interiors in Hinsdale, Illinois, removed the dark and dated cabinets, hung pendants over the island, and added a vertically stacked backsplash. But her most pivotal move was transforming an old, impractical hallway into a generously sized pantry.

Eager to give her clients, who love to cook, the maximum amount of storage possible, “as soon as I walked in, I knew closing off the hallway and repurposing it was the way to go,” says Wagenbach. “The bonus is that in closing it off, it allowed us to add a little coat closet on the other side. It also made the kitchen feel larger.” Bolstered by counter space and outlets, the efficient pantry was “kept light and bright by matching the creamy white cabinetry and stone countertops,” says Wagenbach, so it’s “like a true extension of the kitchen.”