Lori Darvis
Indianapolis Star

Remember your mother’s pantry? It was tucked in a corner, beside the refrigerator or in a cramped closet space. The family’s dry goods were crammed together on deep shelves in no apparent order. If Mom wanted a can of chicken noodle soup, she’d have to search among the vegetables, beans and boxes of Hamburger Helper.

Today’s pantries are coming out of the closet. As homeowners design their dream kitchens, they want pantries with ample storage space and easy access to those soup cans. Pantries have become multitasking rooms, complete with countertops and sinks for preparing meals or dinner party appetizers. Extra appliances, like a spare microwave or dishwasher, might also find a home in the pantry.

“If you’re somebody who likes to host events, it’s great to have space back there for food preparation,” says Debbie Bracken, a kitchen and bath designer with Cabinetry Ideas in Indianapolis. “It keeps your kitchen beautiful. You just walk out with your silver serving tray and everything looks gorgeous.”

Louise and Mike Kinney have a shining example. Their Geist, Ind., home features a walk-through pantry that runs directly behind their spacious kitchen. The pantry has been designed for convenience. One side features a row of natural cherry cabinetry, the perfect spot for storing dishware or items best left out of sight.

The other side of the pantry is lined with custom-made storage shelves of varying heights. The 9-inch shelves are deep enough for storage, but not too deep to be the pantry shelves of no return.

The Kinney pantry sees plenty of use, especially when the couple entertains or hosts a family holiday dinner, Louise Kinney says. But everyday tasks such as sorting groceries are less cumbersome, thanks to the abundant counter space.

“My favorite aspect is probably the accessibility of everything,” she says. “I come home from the grocery and I start lining stuff up on the counter.”

Pantry suggestions

Looking for ideas? Check out some of these suggestions from kitchen designers and homeowners who have found happiness — or at least a little organization — in their pantry design:

- Stay shallow: Don’t make the shelves too deep, says Laura Bradley, a kitchen designer with Reese Kitchens in Indianapolis. Bradley prefers shelves that are a maximum of 18 inches deep.

- Stay off the floor: An effective pantry design leaves plenty of room at the bottom for bulky items like bottled water or paper products. “I usually start shelves about two feet off the floor, because a lot of clients like to buy in bulk,” says Bracken, who was involved in the building and design of the Kinneys’ pantry.

- Borrow space: Not every home is built with a spacious walk-in pantry. Kitchen remodeling projects often borrow from adjacent spaces to create a luxurious pantry.

- Pass it on: If the floor plan is right, homeowners can cut down on trips to the kitchen by carving an opening between the pantry and the kitchen, Bradley says. The well-prepared cook can assemble ingredients in the pantry and pass them through to the kitchen, she says.

- Office space: A desk or office area in the pantry can come in handy, whether you’re making a grocery list or taking a private phone call.

- Dress it up: Don’t leave your pantry in the dark. Trendy accessories complement the kitchen decor.