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Planning a pantry
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Every kitchen needs a pantry and the bigger the better. But what happens when you're limited in space?
Pantries might come in all shapes and sizes, but talk to the experts and they'll tell you that, ideally speaking, a pantry should be at least 900mm wide and around 650mm deep. Nice in theory, but try squeezing that into a lot of small kitchens and you'll wind up giving up precious bench space or storage for other kitchen goodies.
So does that mean that if your kitchen's on the small side, you should ditch the idea of a pantry altogether? Not likely - you just have to box clever.
One way of getting around this space issue is to use a combination of 'unconventional' cupboards, rather than traditional tall pantry-style cabinetry, to store your foodstuff in. But probably the best solution is to opt for the largest pantry your kitchen can realistically house and kit it out with a mix of drawers and baskets, instead of shelving.
This works well because, while drawers won't miraculously provide real, tangible extra space, by being able to extend a drawer all the way out when it's full of, say, herb jars or cans, you'll actually create more useable space than plain old shelving is capable of delivering.
Most kitchen companies - yes, even the flat-pack variety - have pantry systems that incorporate drawers these days, so you won't be short on choice. But remember that it is important to get the best system that your budget will allow.
Some of your drawers will be expected to take quite a bit of weight and, depending on how much action your kitchen sees, will also be given a regular workout, so they need to be both sturdy and durable.
Also make sure that the drawers are fitted with a quality sliding mechanism - and this is where it's worth paying a little extra. There's nothing worse than opting for a system that either doesn't extend far enough out or jars every time you open or shut it, so that everything it holds falls over.
The configuration of drawers is also important - there's no point having a handful of drawers that are all close together when you want to be able to store large cereal boxes in one of them. The best systems are those where you can choose which drawer goes where; so be sure to do your homework.
