The kitchen is almost finished and minus a few finishing touches like trim and some painting, we are ready to move on to Phase 2 of our renovation project.
We’ve been back and forth quite a bit on what to do with the space off the kitchen that used to be our tiny pantry / laundry room. It will become the main traffic area from the back door into the house so we want it to feel as open as possible but we also need it to function as a pantry.
Pantries in my world are often storage closets meant to be kept behind closed doors but because this will be open to the kitchen, it’s been our priority to plan it in a way that will be functional but beautiful as well.
Initially we agreed that we’d add cabinets and close off the larger opening under the back stairs to be a closet / storage room for larger items like our picnic basket, small appliances that we don’t use regularly and other pantry items. I was also envisioning this as the perfect spot to store my vacuum and carpet washer along with mops and buckets.
About half way through the kitchen project B decided he wanted to add stairs to the basement under the back stairs and at the bottom of the steps close in a small room that would become our pantry.
While I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of going to the basement every time I needed a can of chicken broth, I did like the idea of having a decent sized storage area. I also saw the benefit of finally having stairs inside the house to access the basement. There would still be a small area off the kitchen to put in small cabinets with our microwave so I let B have this design decision.
After returning from vacation and taking a fresh look at things B changed his mind again on the whole pantry idea. I guess after giving it fresh eyes, and talking through it with me, we have agreed to go back to the original plan. With this decision out of the way, I can now get serious about the actual look of the space.
To get started I looked for some inspiration and ideas and I’ve rounded up a few of my favorites.
Source Faiella Design Via Houzz
This photo most closely represents what vision in my head. Our space will be quite small and I’d love to have a built-in style shelf for the microwave that looks like it was meant to be, not just a generic shelf. We’ll continue the white, shaker style cabinets from the kitchen into this space and use the same black hardware. I am leaning toward maybe doing a butcher block style countertops because of the darker tile floors I’m leaning toward but I’ll share more of that later.
Another great option that is similar to the size of our space is the one above. I also really love the subway tile back-splash in this option and again, the built-in microwave is the way we want to go in our own space.
I love the dark cabinets but it’s not right for our space. I do love the butcher block counter tops though. I also really love the stacked look of the upper cabinets. Now sure if our ceiling height would allow for this but it’s a great look!
Demo is nearly done in what will be the future laundry / mudroom and eventually dining room. Then there is a little demo in what will become the butler’s pantry. The project is moving along quickly and I can’t wait to share with you more inspiration and the actual design plan for these spaces.
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