Kitchen
Peek inside the walk-in pantry of our dreams
Photography, Drew Hadley.
Kitchen
Peek inside the walk-in pantry of our dreams
Two designers walk us through two roomy, feature-filled walk-in pantries. If you’re planning a kitchen reno, take note. We’ve got pro tips on why you want a pantry and what to include.
Glass act
Designer Jean-Sylvain Murray used steel-framed glass in his clients’ kitchen as an ode to its location in the historic Griffintown neighbourhood of Montreal. All that glass also ensures the views of downtown and Mount Royal are visible from both the kitchen and the pantry. The pantry’s fridge drawers and countertop space make it a great beverage centre for smoothie, coffee and tea prep. Tons of overflow kitchen storage in the floor-to-ceiling cabinet is supplemented by easy-to-access drawers. “It’s my favourite part of the kitchen,” admits Jean-Sylvain.
Photography, Drew Hadley. DESIGN, Jean-Sylvain Murray Designer. MILLWORK, Groupe Richtin. Quartz and black granite COUNTERTOPS, BACK- SPLASH, EuroGranite. Glass-and-steel PANTRY, Projet Acier Montreal.
The glass-and-steel room-within-a-room pantry adds functionality by creating separate task zones in the kitchen, and also visually breaks up what would have been an overwhelmingly long expanse of kitchen countertop. “My clients really liked farmhouse style, but in a penthouse context in Griffintown, I felt Modern Farmhouse was more appropriate,” says designer Jean-Sylvain Murray of the six-by-nine-foot space.
Twice as good
Photography, Drew Hadley.
“When designing a large home, the challenge is how to make it still feel cozy,” says designer Michelle Berwick. “In this case, we broke up the kitchen into different zones so that the main kitchen didn’t overwhelm.” Pocket doors lead to a walk-through pantry that functions like a second kitchen. “The zones allowed us to get in all of the appliances, function and storage that we needed.” The colour palette of both spaces is fairly muted, with a white oak perimeter enhanced by soft sage green, which beautifully picks up on the green-grey veining in the marble. Black balances and grounds all the white.
Walk right in
Keep these tips for planning a walk-in pantry at hand when designing a new kitchen.
- For avid cooks, a walk-in pantry dedicated to food storage lets you keep all your ingredients in one easily accessible place.
- Design with you in mind: a pantry should reflect how and what you cook. Maybe you are an entertainer who needs bar space, a baker who needs dry food storage, or a gardener who could benefit from cold storage for vegetables and a space to hang herbs to dry.
- Getting small appliances that are infrequently used out of the kitchen and into the pantry preserves premium kitchen storage for daily-use items. To reduce heavy lifting, make sure heavier items like stand mixers are at or close to the level at which they’ll be used.
- Design with zones in mind for increased functionality, such as creating a breakfast prep area in the pantry, with toaster, coffee maker and small fridge with freezer section stocked with fixings for smoothies.
- Install good lighting, especially in windowless pantries. Task lighting and general lighting are must-haves.
Photography, Drew Hadley.
Pantries – whether hidden, tucked away or in plain sight – have been the number 1 kitchen request we’ve received from clients over the past two years.” – Michelle Berwick
Photography, Drew Hadley.
“Pantries are a solution to maintaining a clutter-free main kitchen,” says designer Michelle Berwick. “This one hides another full-size fridge, built-in coffee machine, an oven on one side and closed lower storage on the other, as well as shelves with pretty glass jars for quick-grab items.” A large window over the sink was added to catch the morning sun.
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