Shelving vs a pantry "system" addresses accessing the contents in your pantry. However, the storage containers used to hold your food may or may not maximise the best usage of the space in your pantry. This last aspect deserves careful consideration if you are designing a pantry space. I moved house a few months ago and am still tweaking my pantry, which consists of shelves (deeper on the bottom half and narrower at the top half). One of the best investments I've made over the years are Tupperware Modular Mates storage containers. The containers can be labelled, contents seen and are stackable. I can stack them to maximise the full height of shelves and sometimes have stacks in front of other stacks for items used less often. I also have many open plastic containers for food packets, bottled items, very large spice containers, etc. These containers prevent packages, which don't stack easily, from falling everywhere and can be easily pulled out to access the item of interest. I bought some tall containers at Howard's Storage World and some large Sistema containers at Target and Woolworths (during their 1/2 price sales). Sistema containers are stackable, too. Smaller spice containers (stackable Tupperware Modular Mates again) have been placed on a round wooden carousel in one corner of the pantry.

Personally I love angles & splays, BUT they have to have purpose and be functional. Without seeing more surrounding context hard to comment but i can't help wondering why this all being so squeezed in one area, but then almost wasted/under-utilised space in-between the island and the table - it's like the pantry's boxing/internalising the kitchen which is not ideal.....either way I'd make sure that it flows and is functional and not awkward anywhere

Hi Leanne, when we renovated our kitchen we built in a butler's pantry and it's the best thing we ever did. We included a sink, long bench and heaps of open shelves and open front drawers. Everything is hidden away but is easy to find and get to, and the main kitchen stays tidy and clutter free in our open plan living area. If you can fit one in it is definitely the way to go.

My concern would be having to go through the kitchen to get to the laundry, when inside the home. I understand the ease of access when arriving home with groceries or from sports games/work straight into laundry. But I'm thinking of ease of access when at home for dirty laundry. It makes the kitchen a thoroughfare.