Pro Reveal: 4 Super Kitchen Storage Set-Ups
Four designers share the clever design tricks they used to optimise kitchen storage in their clients' homes
Get your storage set-up right and you’re well on the way to a practical and well-functioning kitchen. Have a renovation on the cards? Here are four brilliant pantries and kitchen set-ups to inspire you, with insights from the experts who designed them on what they did and why.
We chose olive melamine and natural walnut timber-veneer joinery with timber handles, which connects with the colour of the kitchen and makes a nod to the home’s mid-century aesthetic.
Tips: Use a mirrored splashback in a small butler’s pantry to create a sense of depth.
Open shelving above bench height is a great addition as it allows you to see everything and there’s no risk of bumping your head when opening overhead cupboard doors.
Use drawers wherever possible for pantry storage as they help maximise storage space and ensure items are easy to find.
Is this the year you tackle your kitchen redesign? Find a local kitchen designer on Houzz to help make it happen
Tips: Use a mirrored splashback in a small butler’s pantry to create a sense of depth.
Open shelving above bench height is a great addition as it allows you to see everything and there’s no risk of bumping your head when opening overhead cupboard doors.
Use drawers wherever possible for pantry storage as they help maximise storage space and ensure items are easy to find.
Is this the year you tackle your kitchen redesign? Find a local kitchen designer on Houzz to help make it happen
Image by Justin Alexander
2. Designer and commentator: Luigi Rosselli, architect and principal at Luigi Rosselli Architects
Location: Woollahra, NSW
Set-up: An open-plan kitchen/dining room used by a young family in a small 1950s terrace house
Size: Around 20 square metres
Design architect: Luigi Rosselli at Luigi Rosselli Architects
Project architect: Sean Johnson
Interior design: Sean Johnson and the client
Builder: Building With Options
Joinery: Kitchen Trend
Rosselli says: The base of the bench seat is panelled with stained American-oak veneer with routed V-grooves, which we carried through to the open shelving and built-in cupboards for a sense of cohesion.
2. Designer and commentator: Luigi Rosselli, architect and principal at Luigi Rosselli Architects
Location: Woollahra, NSW
Set-up: An open-plan kitchen/dining room used by a young family in a small 1950s terrace house
Size: Around 20 square metres
Design architect: Luigi Rosselli at Luigi Rosselli Architects
Project architect: Sean Johnson
Interior design: Sean Johnson and the client
Builder: Building With Options
Joinery: Kitchen Trend
Rosselli says: The base of the bench seat is panelled with stained American-oak veneer with routed V-grooves, which we carried through to the open shelving and built-in cupboards for a sense of cohesion.
Image by Justin Alexander
The space-savvy, petrol-blue bench seat with its sculpted upholstery and curved ends takes inspiration from the curves of the Michelin Man and Irish furniture designer Eileen Gray’s Bibendum chair. It makes for a bold contrast with the blonde timber and white of the rest of the kitchen.
The space-savvy, petrol-blue bench seat with its sculpted upholstery and curved ends takes inspiration from the curves of the Michelin Man and Irish furniture designer Eileen Gray’s Bibendum chair. It makes for a bold contrast with the blonde timber and white of the rest of the kitchen.
3. Designer and commentator: Mikayla Rose, director and principal designer at Heartly
Location: Fairfield, Victoria
Set-up: An open-plan kitchen used by a family of four
Size: Around 21 square metres
Rose says: It was critical to the aesthetic of this kitchen that we limit overhead joinery. Given the kitchen’s proximity to the living and dining spaces we wanted the natural stone splashback to be the hero of the room, so we needed to ensure there was enough storage elsewhere. Fortunately, there was ample space to conceal the functional elements of the kitchen, including storage and appliances, in other spots.
We specified a tall pantry cupboard with pull-out drawers beside an integrated fridge. The pantry is large and contributes significantly to the balance of the space. It called for a contrasting materiality to the rest of the kitchen – we chose custom V-groove panelling finished in soft grey to add texture and subtle interest, paired with elongated, integrated handles.
Location: Fairfield, Victoria
Set-up: An open-plan kitchen used by a family of four
Size: Around 21 square metres
Rose says: It was critical to the aesthetic of this kitchen that we limit overhead joinery. Given the kitchen’s proximity to the living and dining spaces we wanted the natural stone splashback to be the hero of the room, so we needed to ensure there was enough storage elsewhere. Fortunately, there was ample space to conceal the functional elements of the kitchen, including storage and appliances, in other spots.
We specified a tall pantry cupboard with pull-out drawers beside an integrated fridge. The pantry is large and contributes significantly to the balance of the space. It called for a contrasting materiality to the rest of the kitchen – we chose custom V-groove panelling finished in soft grey to add texture and subtle interest, paired with elongated, integrated handles.
There is a walk-in pantry to the side of the kitchen that includes open storage so food is visible and accessible. There are also open-fronted drawers on full-extension runners and overhead shelves.
Tips: For added functionality, consider adding two large integrated bins with inner drawers above them to your kitchen set-up. The ones we specify have face panels that measure just 450 millimetres wide, but the bins are large enough so you don’t have to take the rubbish out too often and the drawers above are perfect for storing bin liners. We always position the bin drawer adjacent to the sink and near the dishwasher for practicality.
Consider adding an electrical-opening support system to your bin drawer, such as Blum’s Servo-Drive, which allows you to open and close the drawer with just a nudge of your knee.
Tips: For added functionality, consider adding two large integrated bins with inner drawers above them to your kitchen set-up. The ones we specify have face panels that measure just 450 millimetres wide, but the bins are large enough so you don’t have to take the rubbish out too often and the drawers above are perfect for storing bin liners. We always position the bin drawer adjacent to the sink and near the dishwasher for practicality.
Consider adding an electrical-opening support system to your bin drawer, such as Blum’s Servo-Drive, which allows you to open and close the drawer with just a nudge of your knee.
4. Designer and commentator: Chloe Quintal, senior designer/interior designer at Garsden and Clarke Kitchens
Location: Buderim, Queensland
Set-up: A butler’s pantry with a sliding door connected to a modern, open-plan kitchen in a family home.
Size: The pantry measures around 4.5 square metres
Quintal says: The client wanted plenty of bench space for appliance use and somewhere to store them away when they’re not needed. She also wanted an accessible spot for the microwave and open storage for her beautiful jars.
Wrap-around shelves provide generous open storage and the American-oak finish adds warmth and visual appeal to the space, while connecting to the oak finish in the main kitchen.
I specified 70-millimetre-thick shelves to give them a rustic and substantial feel. We maximised shelf space by taking shelves lower to the ground than normal.
Location: Buderim, Queensland
Set-up: A butler’s pantry with a sliding door connected to a modern, open-plan kitchen in a family home.
Size: The pantry measures around 4.5 square metres
Quintal says: The client wanted plenty of bench space for appliance use and somewhere to store them away when they’re not needed. She also wanted an accessible spot for the microwave and open storage for her beautiful jars.
Wrap-around shelves provide generous open storage and the American-oak finish adds warmth and visual appeal to the space, while connecting to the oak finish in the main kitchen.
I specified 70-millimetre-thick shelves to give them a rustic and substantial feel. We maximised shelf space by taking shelves lower to the ground than normal.
Tips: I recommend a minimum width of 1.6 metres for a pantry. If you’re installing cabinetry on both sides of the pantry, I’d recommend a minimum of one metre between benches, particularly if you’re having drawers.
If you’re including a sink in your butler’s pantry, the benchtop should be 600 millimetres wide (or 650 millimetres wide if you’ve chosen an undermount sink). If you won’t be including a sink, you can reduce the benchtop depth to 500 millimetres, which will give you enough space for appliances.
Include a large opening to the pantry to help with flow and prevent the space from feeling closed in.
Your turn
Did you find this story useful? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Seeking more kitchen storage inspiration? Don’t miss this Pro Reveal: Storage Secrets of 5 Great Kitchens
If you’re including a sink in your butler’s pantry, the benchtop should be 600 millimetres wide (or 650 millimetres wide if you’ve chosen an undermount sink). If you won’t be including a sink, you can reduce the benchtop depth to 500 millimetres, which will give you enough space for appliances.
Include a large opening to the pantry to help with flow and prevent the space from feeling closed in.
Your turn
Did you find this story useful? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Seeking more kitchen storage inspiration? Don’t miss this Pro Reveal: Storage Secrets of 5 Great Kitchens
Location: Sandringham, Victoria
Set-up: A butler’s pantry with a sliding door adjacent to an open-plan, U-shaped kitchen in a mid-century home
Size: The pantry is around one metre wide and 2.2 metres long
Cook says: This butler’s pantry
includes benchtops with deep, easily accessible drawers beneath them and open shelving above. The benchtops are deep enough to provide space to leave the appliances out.
The pantry is small and narrow, so we added a space-savvy sliding door that didn’t protrude into the area and used both sides of the space for storage.