I'm not Kirkhall, but I think what he means is to simply make the door an outs wing door instead of in swing. Springs are not involved anywhere. It's just a regular door.

This allows you to use the wall of the pantry--I hung pegboard there, and the floor.

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Yup. Just a regular door with a regular knob. I've never pinched my fingers, nor had my kids pinch theirs. Since in your diagrams you show a regular swinging door (it isn't a french door, or a bookcase door, or anything other than a regular swing), just swing it with the hinges on the outside of the closet, and put a real knob assembly on it to "latch" it closed.

See how, in the picture above (the pantry is the door on the far right (that took me a minute)), the hinges are visible, and they just have a regular knob. Also, the door swings such that you "enter" the door from the kitchen side (and you don't have to walk around the door to get to the opening.)

Does that help?

I'm glad this topic came up! Our new kitchen will have a corner pantry (it think it's about 5'x5') so it will have counters on both sides of the door. It's currently built for a full size out swing door. My concern is that when the kids open the pantry door it's going to slam right into the cabinets behind it. I've voiced the concern to my husband and brought up the possibility of putting in a bifold instead but he's not a fan of that idea. Any thoughts?

SMPop - have you looked into the possibility of using a hinge mounted door stop that would prevent the door from opening so far that it hits the adjacent countertop/cabinets?

Well, FWIW, here is mine. Mine is about 4x4' on the inside. And, we have placed a desk (not built in in our space, but was a built in in someone else's kitchen...) next to the pantry. Our door doesn't bang into the desk, really ever. But, a hinge stop would guarantee that.

Here it is from when it was being constructed.

My builder talked me out of putting in the pony wall next to the toilet that would have stopped the door in my boys bathroom from hitting their toilet.

So, I put 2 hinge pin door stops on that door, because my boys can be such little animals.

The hinge pin door stops are a good idea for you SMP.

Kirkhall- I like the way your desk fits into that space! It looks great...any other pictures?

Red- Your pantry door is charming! Great idea :)

Thank you so much for the responses. So these doors all swing both out and in? They look deceptively "normal." :) My husband kept referring to this as a "saloon door" so I had a very scary old western image in my head! :)

These are not saloon doors. They only swing one way--out.

Thanks kirkhall and dseng! I think you helped me find my solution. I had thought of a door stop being put on the bottom of the cabinet (thought that would be ugly) but never of a hinge mounted one.

AAAH okay I follow you now. That explains why I was so confused. :) Wish there was a way for it to swing both ways without worrying about the finger pinching, spring loading business.

Why would you want it to swing in?

Several years ago we updated all of our interior doors; I wasn't crazy about the bifold door on our small panty closet, but didn't have space for a full door. Our contractor was able to convert a set of bifolds into two narrow doors; they swing out, allowing me easier access to the whole interior of the closet, and the small doors are easier to get around when open.

We did the same for our small coat closet - looks so much nicer than bifolds!

I worry about the outswing getting in the way when left open. I always close doors when I'm done with them, but my husband does not. :S

Does he close the closet doors, especially in the hall? It would be very similar...in fact, think of the pantry as a closet for food :)

Anybody walking by will close it. It will be in their way too. Outswing will be fine.

I put in a light that comes on when you open the door and off when you close it.

That is what you see between the two hinges on the door jamb.

Your hubby (and everyone else) will learn to close the door prett quickly when the light is left on all the time ;-)