Regardless of its size, the key to making your walk-in pantry the most convenient and efficient is by making the best use of its space through customization.

Pantries come in all sorts of designs and dimensions. Your home may have been built with a pantry or one could’ve been installed after the home was built. Regardless of its size, the key to making your walk-in pantry layout the most convenient and efficient is by making the best use of its space through customization.

You will be amazed when you see you how much the storage space in your pantry can be optimized. Chances are your pantry stores everything that will fit. Because let’s face it, you’d rather have it and not need it (yet) than to need something and have to run to the store in the middle of cooking. At Closet America, we can work with you to customize your pantry to be the most efficient storage space. Here, we give you tips and small walk-in kitchen pantry ideas on how to optimize the space in three of the most common walk-in pantry dimensions in DC-area homes.

4.5’ x 6’: Use All the Storage Space You Have

You need a minimum of 36” of walking space for a single person to fit into a pantry, and many long, narrow pantries provide little more than the bare minimum of space. Still, you can do a lot with even a small pantry. Although it might not seem like much to work with, you’ll be impressed by the storage potential you have when you customize that narrow walk-in pantry space to be used with maximum efficiency.

You can best utilize the space available to you by designing a storage solution that reaches all the way to the ceiling. Closet America’s sturdy customized storage systems are mounted to the floor for security. The shelves are made of thermally-fused laminate, so they never warp, and their surface is easy to clean. Combined with top quality, heavy-duty hardware, our pantries are designed to last. That’s why they have a transferable double lifetime warranty. These shelves will even hold your small appliances and China, and they help you organize the contents of your pantry conveniently by keeping the things you need most close at hand. Then you can put the items that you rarely use out of the way. Heavy items can go in the corners close to the floor, while light ones can go close to the ceiling. Not only that, the shelves are adjustable, so they can change as your needs change.

6’ x 6’: Optimize Shelf Height for Maximum Capacity

A small, square walk-in pantry presents a different kind of organizational challenge. By installing shelving on two walls, you will still have over 50% more storage space than in a long, narrow pantry. With shelving on three walls, you have the capacity to store a large variety of items. For example, you may want to keep linens in the pantry too, separated into kitchen linens and table linens and stored away from cookware.

Optimizing shelf height will increase your storage capacity even more. In older pantries, shelves were often quite deep. While having deep shelves is also a way to increase storage capacity, it can often be counterproductive, as items at the back are harder to see and access, especially on high and low shelves. A better alternative is to adjust the vertical positioning of the shelves. Then you can store items of similar height on the same shelf without leaving a lot of empty space above them. By keeping shelves as close together as possible, you can fill the walls very densely.

You can even put that inaccessible corner to good use by installing one of Closet America’s super heavy-duty, floor-to-ceiling lazy Susans. Space that you could never reach into can now be a practical storage area.

Closet America can also customize drawers to keep those linens crisp and organized. Built to the same standards of quality and durability as the rest of your Closet America pantry, they feature soft-close hinges for strength and convenience. You might want to devote another drawer or two to tableware, utensils, and gadgets, too.

7’ x 8’: The Case for Baskets

If you are lucky enough to have ample space in your walk-in pantry, your storage options are numerous. You might even allow yourself the luxury of carving out an area for counter space. With that much room to maneuver, you will certainly want to have Closet America’s custom chrome pull-out baskets. The baskets allow air to flow through freely, making them ideal for fresh fruit and vegetables. You can put a week’s worth of potatoes in one of these heavy-gauge baskets and not only see the potatoes easily but also get to them with an easy pull as the basket fully extends.

The baskets are complemented by Closet America’s bottle racks and spice racks built of the same strong and stylish material. You can keep a supply of your favorite wines on hand, keep your “good” oils and vinegar out of the way and always know where your spices are with these beautiful accessories. Put all of this together, and you have the pantry of your dreams. Your friends and family will be impressed too.

Maximize Your Walk In Pantry Dimensions with Custom Storage Solutions

You are probably thinking that this all really sounds nice, and you might do it—yourself. I have only one word to say in response. That word is “expert.” If you are going to customize your walk-in pantry plans, you want it done expertly, with expert design, production, and installation. That is a level of quality that you can’t reproduce on your own. Even if you have the skills to install the pieces, you won’t find the customization or the quality you want at big-box stores. And let’s not forget that Closet America’s professional designers have years of experience with hundreds of storage spaces. They are sure to have a few tips you can use.

No matter the size or layout of your pantry, a custom design can enhance it to take full advantage of its storage potential and better meet your needs. If you need more storage space, you can explore the possibilities for your pantry by signing up for a free design consultation with Closet America, a locally owned company headquartered in Landover.

With a custom-designed pantry, the new level of organization and convenience will transform your dining experiences. See how the Closet America process can take you from frustration to optimization. Contact us today.