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cindyinct

Thoughts on Pantry Pull-Out Cabinets

cindyinct
11 years ago

For those of you who have a narrow pantry pullout cabinet, how do you like it? I'm considering one (12") because I don't have enough room for a wider traditional pantry cabinet. I could eliminate the pantry altogether, but am undecided. Any pictures you can post would be great. Thanks!

Comments (33)

  • mrspete
    11 years ago

    No thank you. I had a narrow, pull-out pantry once in a rental apartment (it was probably 18-24", but it was forever ago), and although it was adequate at that point for my needs as a single girl, I wouldn't want one now.

    I'd keep refiguring 'til I could have a real pantry -- it would be a huge priority for me.

  • raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
    11 years ago

    Mrs. Pete, what did you not like about it? Was too much space wasted by the hardware?
    and reconfigure how to be a real pantry? I have a narrow space too, and could only go for an 18" pantry so I thought that the pullout might be the most practical.

  • cindyinct
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I'd love to have a big pantry, but I'd have to give up valuable counter space. I may just eliminate it.

    MrePete - I'd also like to know what it was that you didn't like about the pullout.

  • numbersjunkie
    11 years ago

    I had one with the wood drawers. It was hard to find things - cans for example, you had to pick them up to see what they were. They are also very expensive. Not worth it IMHO..

  • quiltgirl
    11 years ago

    If you eliminated it, how would you use the 12 inch wide space? Is this a counter height pull out or room height pull out?

  • cookncarpenter
    11 years ago

    We too had very limited space for a pantry, 16" wide x 27" deep to be exact. Originally, I built the pull out type with 6 shelves. But pulling out all six shelves full of goods just to get to one can or box of something, felt awkward, so I changed the design to six individual pull out shelves/drawers. It has sufficed a family of four for 26 years, and since we still have no more room for a pantry, I'm keeping the same set up on our upcoming re do.

    This post was edited by ctycdm on Thu, Jan 3, 13 at 22:14

  • Gracie
    11 years ago

    We gave up 12" of counter space on the refrigerator side of our small U for the pull-out. We didn't prep on that side of the kitchen anyway. We didn't think our kitchen would look custom without enclosing the fridge with cabinetry, and that's all we had room for. The pull-out is 2/3 of the floor-to-ceiling cabinet height. We have a cabinet over it with one shelf. It holds cutting boards, cookie sheets, etc.

    I am able to store most food items in it. We're not Costco-type stocker-uppers, so it works for us. The top shelf currently holds 6 boxes of cereal. I keep cans, pasta, boxed foods, and paper towels in the lower shelves. No problem finding things because the shelves aren't very wide in a 12" pull-out. I have one 30" upper cabinet on the other side of the fridge for baking supplies, and that's it for food storage.

    It glides out easy and is soft close. Our cabmaker made it to replace the Rev-a-Shelf version that does not have all the kinks worked out.

  • marcolo
    11 years ago

    Are you talking about a tall cabinet, or an undercabinet pullout?

    If a tall cabinet, this thread is quite an outlier on the forum. Most people here love their tall pullouts. Do a search for old threads.

  • mrspete
    11 years ago

    Let me be clear: I question the SIZE more than the concept. Back when I lived in that apartment, the pantry pull-out that I had was adequate -- it wouldn't come near being "enough" now that I have a family, and mine was LARGER than the one that's being discussed. 12" is barely wider than a piece of paper. One really big shopping trip would fill that up.

    In my mind, it's kind of like asking if you could "get by with" a little prep sink instead of a full-fledged sink. Yeah, a prep sink may be nice . . . but it's still a small item, and you can't expect it to be anything except what it is.

    I would rework whatever I could. I would give up a whole lot of other things before I'd give up a real pantry. I'd cut into another room, I'd choose smaller appliances, I'd take in a porch.

  • hobokenkitchen
    11 years ago

    I love, love, love our pull out pantrys. Now if we had the space for a big walk in pantry of course I'd rather do that, but we had one in our Philly row home and it was a godsend. It took so much stuff.... I have to say it would have to be a REALLY big shopping trip to fill one of those things up!!

    We liked the pantry so much that we put 2 in side by side in our new kitchen. There is so much room that they are not even nearly filled.

  • hobokenkitchen
    11 years ago

    Here's a pic of one of them. I especially love them for cereal boxes and cans, herbs, pasta, flour, etc.
    They are rated for a lot of weight so I don't worry about that aspect.

  • angie_diy
    11 years ago

    I had a wider space to work with, viz., 22". I was able to fit in two tall pantry pull-outs that were made for 12" boxes. So I have two of what you are proposing side by side. I am quite happy with them.

  • raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
    11 years ago

    Angie, how did you go about doing that? Did you buy a 22" box and get the pullouts somewhere else? I am wondering if I could do something like that with smaller pullouts.
    Please, can you post a pic?

  • marcolo
    11 years ago

    I'm thinking hoboken took that pic around 12:01 on New Year's Eve.

  • quiltgirl
    11 years ago

    May flowers: Is the Rev a Shelf brand of pull out pantry not a good choice? My cabinet maker kept referring to their catalog as we were going over my kitchen plan. I have an nine inch wide refrigerator height pull out and a 13 inch under counter pull out in my plan.

    For those of you with pull outs, what type do you have and are you happy with the mechanics and design of your pull out? Maybe I should be putting this in a separate thread?

    Hobokenkitchen: I love your pull out, but do things slip off of it when you pull it out? It does not look like it has a guard rail.

  • a2gemini
    11 years ago

    Love my 12 inch pull out - but we also have a small walk in pantry. Ours is Brookhaven but someone makes for Brookhaven. I will post a picture later or you can go to our final reveal to see it.
    A cabinet might be a better use of space but the cool factor rocks! My DH loves to show peeps of this. We have all of our sports food, snacks and some tall bottles in it.
    The pull out was a late addition when GC routes hear vents through the basement instead of going back through the kitchen the way it was before.
    Rev-a-shelf was really flimsy and lots of reports of problems on GW. I saw one at KD store and nothing like the BH version.
    Usual iPhone text errors

  • a2gemini
    11 years ago

    Here is a picture - I have since modified the shelf arrangement and put the standing gatorade on the bottom and moved some of the other items to different shelves.

  • Gracie
    11 years ago

    a2gemini, your pull-out might be Hafele.

    We put in our cab order in May, and the Rev-a-Shelf was back-ordered because they were having a problem with the gliding mechanism. I believe it was a new product, and I never read any bad GW reviews during my research. It came in early July. The shelves themselves were very nice--all maple. They use a heavy-duty center bottom glide. It was a bear to put in for our finish carpenter and it never closed evenly. He felt it needed some upper glides besides the single bottom glide.

    Our custom-built one has two Blum glides under the top and bottom drawer boxes. There are four adjustable shelves in between. It's open on both sides, unlike Hoboken's.

    The glides are one of the big expenses of drawers, so keep that in mind if you go with individual drawers behind a pantry door.

  • hobokenkitchen
    11 years ago

    We have 2 side by side also.

    Our Hoboken pull out was open on both sides too which was great, but these pull outs are up against a wall so we couldn't access them from the other side anyway.

    We do not find that things slip out at all. The small lip seems to do a fine job of keeping things in.

  • whit461
    11 years ago

    Very interesting post. Our remodel will have two pantry wall cabinets, and we are taking back part of a narrow walk in pantry. Wife loves it, I am not so sure.

  • williamsem
    11 years ago

    So I'm sure someone here already knows the answer to this...which company makes the most efficient and easy to use pull outs? I also have a 12 inch space for one now, but I don't want to have 7 inch shelves or something silly, too much wasted space! Best frameless cabinet 12 inch pull out?

  • raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
    11 years ago

    Yes, williamsem, that is what I wonder too -- is the convenience of the pullout gotten at the sacrifice of how much storage shelf space? Two inches? more? less?
    On both sides I am sure, but in the back, too?

  • a2gemini
    11 years ago

    I found the information on ours. It is a Kessebohmer.
    Space between the rails (inside to inside) is 9.5 inches.
    Depth inside rail to cabinet - 20.5 inches.

    This was one of the few items in our kitchen where fashion won over function.
    Cost per square inch of storage is higher than a cabinet but my DH loves it!

  • Gracie
    11 years ago

    In a cabinet, you'll have to dig to find what's in the back. In a pull-out, it's all right in front of you. If you don't need the extra 12" of counter space, I'd get the pull-out.

    I think any that have Blum or other quality glides would be easy to use, but Hafele is known for their quality.

    I prefer a cabinet over the top instead of having a full-height pull-out. Looks more difficult to use the upper shelves.

    This post was edited by may_flowers on Fri, Jan 4, 13 at 13:25

  • detroit_burb
    11 years ago

    I had a huge wide open space and opted for one 15" tall pullout. I keep bulk baking items under the baking area in a 36" deep drawer, and a spice drawer. Cereal is above the frige. This maximized countertop for me - what I wanted. I do not do bulk warehouse shopping so this works well. I also have about 15 cu ft storage in mudroom for bulk when our favorite cereal or coffee goes on sale because those are the most expensive items we buy - otherwise we use little to no prepared items.

    If you want all these items in you pantry, I estimate you will need at least two 15" wide units. If you buy lots of prepared items, or do warehouse shopping this may not be enough food storage - think about the way your family lives.

    I had 24" wide pullouts two houses ago and things were hard to find in the huge drawer - this may not be an issue for someone who is more organized than me.

  • lascatx
    11 years ago

    I have a 12" pullout that I love. It holds my bottles and cans while a pantry with rollout trays holds my dry goods (24"). I have my flour and sugar in a deep drawer in my baking area. This is the best organized my kitchen has been since adding DH and two boys. But I don't think a 12" pullout would be enough for a family unless you plan meticulously and shop frequently.

  • ajc71
    11 years ago

    If you are doing a piece of hardware for the pull out, Kessebohmer is the best you can buy (in my opinion)...I am a cabinetmaker and that is what we install in all of our kitchens, it is a little more money then the rev-a-shelf (Compagnucci)brand.

    I will not install anything but the Kessebohmer system, the cheaper versions are always falling out of adjustment and are not anywhere near as smooth

  • angie_diy
    11 years ago

    raee: I used a custom (from Scherr's) 22" box, and two Haefele/Kesseboehmer pullouts. Since these were made to fit in a 12" frameless box (whose opening is 10.5"), there was enough room to fit two of them in a 22" frameless box (whose opening is 20.5").

    a2gemini and mayflowers: yes, the pullout you have is a Kesseboehmer, which is a Haefele "brand partner." I think it is not inaccurate to call it by either brand. I agree with ajc71 that these are built like a tank!

    (Edited to indicate my pullout brand.)

    This post was edited by Angie_DIY on Fri, Jan 4, 13 at 17:40

  • Lorenza5064
    11 years ago

    I think I followed another thread on this topic and the idea that I found most appealing was a unit where the upper half (counter height to ceiling) was a cabinet with rollouts, drawers below. Does anyone have this setup? Opinions?

  • desertsteph
    11 years ago

    looks like hobokenkitchen took more than 1 pic that night...

    took me a few seconds on the first one to figure out it wasn't a drawer - lol!

    If I didn't have a bigger pantry now and had the space I'd probably do a couple like that - but split them in about half. top one and bottom one that pull out separately.

  • hobokenkitchen
    11 years ago

    Ugh, I've only just worked out what you guys are talking about. On my phone they all show the right way up, but I just jumped on the laptop and see the pics are sideways. Sorry!! : (

    I wonder if it'll work if I do this... hang on....

    ETA: It didn't. Guess I shouldn't add photos from my phone.

    This post was edited by hobokenkitchen on Fri, Jan 4, 13 at 21:24

  • quinonesr
    8 years ago
    I am getting ready to redo my kitchen and these are the type of cabinets I am looking for since I do not have the room to pull from anywhere else in making an actual pantry. Plus I something similar to these types of cabinets when I was about 8 and I loved them then.

    I will have the wall space to put in about 3-4 18-24" wide pull-out cabinets since the wall I am removing to open up the kitchen to the dining room holds the fridge on it right now.

    With taking the wall out I get about 10' of wall space and since the current space we are using as a pantry is super small and gets cluttered fairly easily these cabinets will definitely be a welcomed addition to a much needed storage dilemma I have going on in my kitchen at the moment.

    My dilemma is finding some place that sells them cause getting them custom made may push things out of my budget.