fridge and shallow pantry share hole

11 years ago

This is my first post here! So this is the situation. it's 52" wide from the wall at end of butlers pantry and the last stud that used to frame our hall closet. we have gutted it and would like to use that space to slide in a fridge and put a pantry from the end of fridge to that last stud. We will remove the door that's open in the pix and the pantry door will go pretty much parallel to the open position of the door there now. So basically the pantry will open in that "hallway" and will face the water heater. Do you think there will be any problems with depth or with the door being there? Id like a 36" wide fridge, that leaves 52-36=16" for wiggle room, the door frame of pantry, and of course the pantry shelves themselves. Is this a terrible idea? should i get a 33" wide not as fun fridge so i can have more room for the pantry? we are saving the built in BTW, and the huge window (that was a pain in the butt to design around but we finally agreed on a window seat to remedy the situation). If you've got any other ideas on placement shout em out! We are doing a 36" island with range as well. What do ya think?

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Comments (8)

angie_diy
11 years ago
It is not clear to me from your description where the fridge and the pantry are going in the picture that you showed. Maybe you could provide an overhead diagram?

I can say this, however: I know from experience that a pantry that is 16" wide x 24" deep is a disaster. You have to turn sideways to get anything.

Now, your title refers to a "shallow pantry. " That may be better, dependng on where things are arranged.

Last thought: You could use a pantry-type pullout that is 16" wide. This ay solve your problem.
HeritageTexGal
Original Author
11 years ago
sorry i tried to post multiple pix but it only took one! I can understand the confusion. Does this picture help?
thirdkitchenremodel
11 years ago
We are doing pretty much the same thing. I wouldn't worry too much about the pantry opening into the traffic path. I mean, how often is the pantry accessed? It's not like you are going to pull up a chair and contemplate the contents, right?
angie_diy
11 years ago
We will remove the door that's open in the pix and the pantry door will go pretty much parallel to the open position

Oh, okay, I think the quote above is misleading, and was the source of my confusion. (The only door that is open in your picture is the arched one to the left of the built-in. I now believe that you meant that you would close up the door in the foreground of your picture. Is that correct?)

Anyway, if your pantry opens to the side of the fridge, as shown in 3rdkitchenremodel's picture, then I would say YES! I have a shallow pantry like this and love it! Mine is only 9" deep, believe it or not, and this is great! I can fit tons of stuff, and still see everything. 16" would be plenty -- do not worry about making it deeper.

Mine also faces a hallway. I agree with 3rdkitchen that this is not a problem. It is not like I spend a lot of time in front of the open pantry -- just grab and go.

It sounds like a very good plan to me! Here is a sketch of mine:
tracie.erin
11 years ago
There are a lot more 36" wide than 33" wide fridges on the market and fridges don't seem to be getting any smaller, so I would go with a bigger fridge so you have more options to replace it when it dies.

You do need a couple of inches at the sides and top of the fridge to allow air flow so your fridge doesn't overheat, so your fridge hole will need to be bigger then 36" - take a look at the specs of the fridge(s) you are contemplating to make sure the hole is big enough. You also need to account to for the side panel(s) of the fridge, which I would guess at about 3/4" wide.

Let's do the math then: So, 52 - 36 - let's say 3" for air flow but I really have no idea - 3/4 - 3/4 = 11.5" left for the pantry. If there is going to be trim around the hallway entrance you will have to reduce the pantry by that amount as well.

Now, a shallow pantry can really hold a lot so don't despair. Cindyandmocha has a 7" deep pantry (see link below). It's actually nicer to have a shallow pantry so things don't get lost in the back. I have a pantry in a 24" deep closet with 15 to 18" deep shelves and it sucks, I have to move everything around to see the stuff in the back, things get lost and I buy replacements I don't need, things get lost and expired before I use them, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cindyandmocha's finished kitchen w/ shallow pantry
HeritageTexGal
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you guys so much for all the input! We went to home depot last night and designed the whole kitchen, and our wizard of a designer suggested those cabinets for the pantry instead of just putting one door there, i agree. Home depot is really a gold mine for doing "custom" work with manufacturers "prefab" cabinets. We are ordering the eight pane windowed cabinets without glass and unfinished, we will paint them ourselves (to match the painting on that beautiful builtin) then go buy glass for half the price of Kraftmaid's. Our designer was full of helpful cost saving ideas like that. Now we have a situation with the water heater though. Please comment about water heaters in the post i did tonight specifically for that purpose!
angela12345
11 years ago
Are you saying you are putting glass doors and you will be able to see into your pantry cabinet space ?
HeritageTexGal
Original Author
11 years ago
no, we will only put glass doors on the cabinets on the wall opposite, not the pantry. things are moving right along, however, my dad tried to swap out the water heater and the pipes were so gross on the inside that when they unscrewed they broke off into the connecting pipe, so now we have to replace pretty much all the pipes. they are from 1940 after all. hopefully we will have running water again by wednesday!