Today we're talking about the Pantry. How sad is it that the pantry has lost its place in the home! I know that this is primarily due to the challenge of insufficient space however, when new homes are designed favour is no longer granted to our long lost friend. I am noticing however that there is a renewed interest in this practical room from the foodies and I'm currently working on one for one such food lover, I have to say that I'm enjoying putting the design to work. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Let's get stuck in and see exactly what a good pantry should offer. Primarily it needs to be a space that allows you to store mostly non-perishable food items in a dedicated area in or near the kitchen. If space allows, making room for your vegetable basket in the pantry really stream lines the food solution, by having all your food in one place also gives you a better idea of the produce you have in hand and what needs to be replenished. And let's face it, it really makes the kitchen just so much easier and more enjoyable to work in. Its like having a garage with a work bench and a few shelves with all your supplies neatly stacked to one side!
The ideal pantry is one that is able to hold a good variety of stock, is neatly packed and looks uncluttered. Having shelves of various depths ensures that you are able to SEE what you have by grouping items of similar sizes together. Too many deep shelves wastes space and too many shallow shelves creates a bitty room that doesn't allow for easy browsing. Combining shelves with drawers, glass paneled cupboards and baskets makes sense if you want to use your pantry to store everything from flour to wine to olive oil and onions!
So what's the solution you may ask if you currently live in a house that has no pantry, has no space for a pantry and building another room on to shuffle the house around to allow for a pantry, is just not an option. Well, its actually quite simple! Having a pantry could be as uncomplicated as reconfiguring your kitchen with a little bit of creativity and then the magic called re-designing. I have my ways and means and love for design, throw this all together and we make it happen! The options may be limited but the initiative is endless...
What I have found looking at lots of pantries, is the lack of a counter top to work from for example when having to pack new items into the pantry or having to select a few items to take out - where do you put them while you're trying to pack everything in its dedicated space and why would you want to train for Comrades running back and forth to collect and pack?. I do understand though that this would essentially be a huge luxury and possibly only be an option if a whole room was to be available, it would just be a "nice touch" and isn't an actual necessity.
Did you notice that nifty little idea above? I think having a chalk board in the pantry to keep a reminder of what it used up and needs to be added to the shopping list is very handy - great idea!
Well, this post is either going to cause a whole lot of trouble for me or allow me to start a new project and have a huge amount of fun!
Take care, ciao Alain
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