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nikkidan_gw

Should I ditch the corner pantry? Help quick!

nikkidan
12 years ago

Electrician starts this week. So I need to decide soon on my kitchen, which has been haunting me! Seriously considering ditching my corner pantry. Mostly because of the shape of my island. Kitchen is approximately 12X13.

Here's my current layout:

Here is the inspiration pic for my island...it will be shaped like this though it doesn't look like it in the layout pic:

traditional kitchen design by toronto design-build Schnarr Craftsmen Inc

If I get rid of the corner pantry, I'll have a cabinet pantry, I can deal with that. And I wouldnt' be second guessing myself on the shape of my island, which I can't change (I can't angle it) because we are building on a slab so the sink has to stay where it is.

Please help! I'm contacting my builder and my custom cabinet maker tomorrow morning. If I do ditch the corner pantry, whats your input on my appliance and cabinet pantry positioning on the perimiter?

Comments (18)

  • breezygirl
    12 years ago

    I'm not clear. Where is the corner pantry in your pics? The spot of drywall without a door shown in the corner or is it elsewhere?

    I have a corner step-in pantry. I've never had any sort of pantry before. This feels like heaven to me!! Shelves are 12" on the two back walls. I can open the door, turn on the light, and see all my food, neatly arranged, looking at me hoping to get picked. I would never go back to cab food storage again!

  • nikkidan
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Yes it is in the corner there where it looks like drywall...designer has better pics but I don't have them on my computer yet. Sorry.

    Here's is a view of from the top, with an old appliance layout...please ignore the layout here...this is just to show the island in relation to the rest of the kitchen.

  • nikkidan
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Poohpup...easier and less stress to just change my perimeter than to have plumber and concrete come back to change things. I'll do anythign right now to not have a delay! Electrician comes to rough in tomorrow.

    I'm thinking that if the corner pantry does get torn out, that I would just move the stove to the left a little and have the cabinet pantry (36-48") to the far right of the stove, and leave the fridge where it is.

  • breezygirl
    12 years ago

    Can you elaborate on why you're rethinking the corner pantry? You mentioned island shape, but how does that play in your decision? How would your layout be better without the pantry? I don't think I'm seeing an issue.....

  • nikkidan
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    breezygirl I am elated to read your post! What I was thinking was that the pantry is at an angle, but the island has a corner right there. Is that going to make that corner between the pantry and island awkward? I did find a few pics of kitchens with corner pantrys and islands that weren't angled (had a corner like mine) and it made me feel better.

    The only other thing, is that if I ditch the corner pantry, the stove could move to the left and then wouldn't be "around the corner" from the sink.

    As for my cabinet layout right now, it's almost all set...I know where all of my dishes and everything are going The thought of changing the cabinet layout and re-organizing everything that goes in them makes my heart sink because I'm so settled and sure of what I have figured out for that already. Only change i have to make to the current layout is take out a cabinet that has 2 roll out shelves, and replace it with a 3 drawer set.

    Right now I'm leaning toward leaving it all alone, moving forward, getting electrical roughed in, and order the cabinets so I can't change my mind and quit second guessing myself!

    In hindsight though, I would have angled the island to open the kitchen up a little. One comment by a kitchen designer (not mine) about those angled islands being "on their way out of style" must have stuck in the back of my mind when I decided not to angle it!

  • modthyrth
    12 years ago

    I'd love to have a pantry in the kitchen, and I think the current location is great. Go for it!

  • lascatx
    12 years ago

    What if you kept the plan and just had the granite (or other countertop) rounded a bit on the corners? I think the shape is okay, but I'd rather not bang into a sharp corner. Is that where your concern is? If so, they can keep they shape or you island but soften the corners.

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    I had a friend with a corner pantry just like your plan and I thought it was great. But then, I just have a pantry cabinet and it's not so great.

  • chris11895
    12 years ago

    I think it will be fine and you'll probably wish you had done it if you remove it. Here's a picture of a great corner pantry with an island. It looks like they have just about the same distance as you?

    [tropical kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/tropical-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2108) by charleston architect Christopher A Rose AIA, ASID

  • breezygirl
    12 years ago

    I have exactly 41" from the very sharp corner of my walnut island corner to my corner pantry door. It does not feel too tight in any way; it's a very spacious corner aisle. How wide will your aisle be in the corner?

    Again, I love my corner pantry. Have you seen my kitchen pics with corner pantry? If not, I can post some.

  • nikkidan
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    No I haven't seen yours...as far as I know. I'd love to see them if you could post them...thanks!

    Not exactly sure of corner measurements...but my aisles will be about 44-48 inches. How wide are your aisles?

  • dianalo
    12 years ago

    Even if you don't "round" the corner on the island, you could clip it straight across and take out the ouch factor. It could be a very minor tweak that your hips will thank you for...

  • breezygirl
    12 years ago

    Here's a link to the most recent pics I posted. I thought the corner pantry was a bit more visible than it seems to be in these shots. If you click on any of the pics, it'll take you to my photobucket acct where you might get a better view in a shot I didn't post. Sorry, I'm too tired to measure my aisles again, but someone else asked me for them so I listed them in this thread. I had planned on 48" aisles, but am so glad I ended up with slightly narrower ones, especially between the prep island and rangetop.

    My island has squared corners (I much prefer straight lines), even near the pantry. I don't find it to be a hip bruiser at all, and I run into things and bruise all the time. Not that I'm a klutz....... :-)

    Seriously, I hope this helps. Let me know if you have other questions!

    Here is a link that might be useful: My not finished kitchen pics

  • lascatx
    12 years ago

    If you clip the corner, you create two points instead of one. They won't stick out as much, but I'd just soften the one corner. Nothing dramatic -- look at the wood counter above and Breezy's. You don't have to make it round, just take the point off (most folks will do that anyway).

  • breezygirl
    12 years ago

    Here are my aisle widths, counter to counter:

    Fridge (singular door) itself (not counter) to island is 42.75"
    Island to rangewall is 41.5"
    Island to cleanup sink is 43.5"

    They all seem like plenty of space to me. I had planned on 48" aisles everywhere, but had to shrink one down intentionally. The others shrank because I, as GC, made a calculation error somewhere along the line. I think of that as a happy accident.

    What did you decide today?

  • mobydog
    12 years ago

    I have that corner pantry in my current configuration and it is the one thing I cannot wait to remove. Here are my reasons why: I do not like the door swing into the kitchen. It blocks the flow. I have two boys and that door knob and door is sticky and gross from their little hands. Our pantry does not have a light and is constructed of wire shelving. All items fall over constantly on the shelves, I cannot see what is lurcking in the deep recesses of the shelves and it is just not a functional use of that much floor space. I am installing a 24" wide x 96" high pantry with roll out shelves in the new kitchen. I think it will be much more functional.

    In the corner where the pantry was I am installing a lazy susan cabinet on the bottom and cabinets above for more accessible storage. Keep in mind, I am going from a current kitchen configuration of 13 cabinets plus a pantry to 33 cabinets so storage is almost tripling in my space.

  • nikkidan
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you everybody! Good points from all of you.

    I've decided to keep the corner pantry. I'm going to make sure I don't have wire shelves though. And I'm thinking on putting some frosted glass or the like in the door to lighten/soften up that corner a bit. I've never had anything bigger than a small reach-in pantry, and it wasn't IN my kitchen. There came a point where I needed to get rid of the wall oven and counter top stove OR the corner pantry to allow for more counter/cabinet space. I decided to keep the pantry then and looks like it wins again now! Plus it would have been tough on my cabinet designer, and myself to get it all redesigned so quickly. AND I would have went back to a wall oven/countertop stove, and that would have sucked considering our appliances are bought, paid for, and ready for delivery. I've put alot of though into the organization of the cabinets of this design, and don't want to start all over and make any un-thoughtout quick decisions anymore on this kitchen!

    Honestly...I had much bigger dreams for my kitchen in our new home. Seemed every houseplan I liked, DH didn't like. (he was more concerned about how the outside of the house looks). I finally told him to find a few that looked like he wanted, we'd pick once of those, tweak it, and I would deal with it. DH is the bread winner...so it really seemed only fair! This one really had everything I wanted, except the large spacious kitchen. I came to terms with that since the plan was nice and open. Plus most things can always be changed, renovated down the road sometime if I'm not happy with something...I am woman, I think that way! Men would rather just whine about it!

    I didn't want to go 5 years down the road and have him whining about this and that inside and outside the house. This way...if he whines, I'll just remind him that he picked the plan! ;-)

    Honestly...I'm going to love my new home. Lots of space for the family, and for company. Office space, laundry room, 3 stall heated garage, upstairs completely for the kids, big bonus room, out in the country, the list goes on and on...it's more and nicer than I've ever had in my life and I'm thankful for that...even if it isn't my dream kitchen!