He Built a Walk-In Pantry From Scratch After Tearing Out Old Built-Ins
Renovating a kitchen can expose space that the old layout never put to good use. During work on a 1920s house, Reddit user u/big_blue_house removed a group of built-ins beside the kitchen and found enough room to create a walk-in pantry from scratch.
The pantry was framed during the kitchen renovation, then left unfinished while work continued elsewhere in the house. When the project resumed, the empty enclosure gained beadboard walls, wraparound shelving, a wood counter for small appliances, open lower cubbies, glass-pane doors, and a transom that kept the new room connected to the kitchen. The owner said the counter idea came from large professional pantry designs and saw no reason an average-size pantry could not use the same feature.
Old Built-Ins Occupied the Space Beside the Kitchen
The first image shows the area during demolition, with three narrow built-in sections occupying a deep section beside the kitchen. Blue shelves filled two sections, while another tall opening sat between the storage and the kitchen beyond.
Instead of preserving these separate compartments, the renovation treated the whole area as potential floor space. Removing them created the footprint needed for a pantry large enough to enter rather than another bank of shallow storage.
Demolition Exposed More Room Behind the Shelves
Once the built-ins came apart, their construction became visible. Open studs, old wall surfaces, insulation, and sections of the blue shelving remained while the original enclosure was stripped back.
The Imgur project describes this stage as uncovering “quite a bit of space.” Rather than rebuild the storage along its former lines, the owners used the deeper footprint for a room with storage on several sides.
New Framing Defined the Pantry as Its Own Room
Fresh wall framing enclosed the new pantry beside the kitchen. Studs formed the front wall and entrance while the former built-in area remained visible inside.
This stage changed the project from removing old storage to adding a room. The new walls established enough depth for a person to step inside, turn, use the counter, and reach shelves without placing pantry contents in the kitchen itself.
Glass Doors and a Transom Gave the Entrance More Presence
A pair of multi-pane doors was fitted beneath a rectangular transom. Rather than use a standard solid pantry door, the entrance spans most of the new opening and brings the proportions of an interior French-door opening to a storage room.
The transom matters because the pantry extends above the door height. It fills that upper section without closing it with drywall and leaves a view toward the pantry light. Reddit commenters singled out both the glass doors and transom as key parts of the finished build.
Pantry Entrance Was Trimmed to Match the House
With the wall closed and trim installed, the pantry begins to look like part of the existing interior rather than an enclosure added during renovation. Wide white casing frames the doors and transom, while the pantry sits between the adjoining cabinetry and living space.
The glass creates one tradeoff: food storage remains visible from outside. One Reddit commenter pointed out that glass doors require more attention to pantry order, while another suggested frosting the panes if concealment became a concern.
Built-In Bases Created Storage Below Counter Height
Inside, the first construction stage focused on the lower storage. MDF panels form open boxes around two walls, leaving broad compartments beneath a continuous work surface.
Instead of filling the pantry with identical shelves from floor to ceiling, the design reserves the lower section for large cookware, appliances, and containers. A counter runs above it, creating a separate level for items that need room to operate rather than sit on a shelf.
Hardwood Boards Became the Pantry Counter
The counter was built from narrow hardwood boards joined into wider panels. Visible shifts in grain and tone give the surface the look of a wood worktop rather than a sheet material covered by paint.
That choice becomes important later in the project because almost every other built-in surface receives a light painted finish. Keeping the counter as exposed stained wood gives the center of the pantry a clear visual break.
Counter Wrapped Around the Corner
Once installed, the wood surface runs across the back wall before turning down the right side. The corner connects the two sections without giving up the work surface to a vertical bank of shelving.
The outlet above the counter also makes the location useful for powered appliances. Reddit users noticed this feature, with one commenter praising the counter for small appliances and another mentioning the benefit of having an outlet inside a pantry.
Upper Shelves Used the Walls Above the Counter
Vertical supports and horizontal shelves extend toward the ceiling while keeping the counter open below. Shelving wraps around the back and right walls, creating several long storage runs within the compact footprint.
The owner said the counter was inspired by images of much larger professional pantries. For this room, it also breaks up the shelving and provides a wider surface than a standard pantry shelf could offer.
Open Lower Cubbies Were Sized for Larger Items
Below the counter, the storage is divided into broad rectangular openings rather than rows of short shelves. The arrangement leaves room for stockpots, baking pans, serving pieces, and appliances that can become awkward in shallow pantry shelving.
A narrow run continues around the right side, using the corner below the counter without blocking the center floor. The project also left a slim area near the entrance for a broom and mop, a detail the owner confirmed in the Reddit discussion.
Stain Turned the Counter Into the Main Contrast
A close view of the finishing process shows stain being applied across the hardwood. The difference between bare and stained wood is pronounced, with the finish bringing out the grain and creating the deep brown tone seen in the completed pantry.
The Reddit discussion notes that the stain was color matched. The owner said the same service had been used for oak-trimmed windows, helping the new pantry counter relate to wood finishes elsewhere in the house.
White Paint Unified the Shelving and Supports
After construction, the shelf faces, supports, lower cubbies, and beadboard walls received a light painted finish. Blue painter’s tape protects the stained counter while the surrounding built-ins are coated.
Painting the framework as one system reduces the visual weight of the many supports. The shelving reads as a built-in installation, while the dark counter remains separate between the upper shelves and lower storage.
Finished Pantry Kept the Counter Open for Daily Use
With the paint complete, the stained counter becomes the strongest horizontal line in the room. White shelves rise above it, open cubbies sit below, and the pale green upper wall and ceiling add color above the storage.
The counter is not another shelf. Its greater depth gives appliances a permanent place without taking over the kitchen counter, while the outlet behind it supports use inside the pantry. The ceiling fixture also lights the room from above, visible through the transom when the doors are closed.
Pantry Shelves Hold Food While the Counter Holds Appliances
Once stocked, the reason for dividing the room into storage zones becomes clear. Cans, pasta, sauces, baking supplies, cereal, and containers occupy the upper shelves. A coffee grinder, brewer, and toaster oven sit on the dark counter, while pots and baking pieces fill the larger openings below.
The owner said the counter provides a larger place to put things and breaks up continuous shelving. That approach keeps small appliances at working height instead of forcing them onto the kitchen counter or into deep lower cabinets.
Glass Doors Keep the Pantry Connected to the Kitchen
With the doors closed, the pantry remains visible from the kitchen through the glass panes. The transom extends the opening above the doors, while the stained trim matches the surrounding woodwork.
Inside, the white shelving and dark counter can still be seen from the adjoining room, making the pantry entrance read more like an interior doorway than a storage closet.
Info and credits from Reddit user u/big_blue_house removed and imgur.
The post He Built a Walk-In Pantry From Scratch After Tearing Out Old Built-Ins appeared first on Homedit.
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