Give the worktop fewer jobs
The pantry holds dry ingredients and stored equipment, leaving the main counter between cooker and sink available for preparation. More floor area only helps if everyday objects have somewhere else to go.
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ROOM 90 · Kitchen
A kitchen built around the pantry
Published
A converted-barn kitchen with a separate pantry threshold
Even a large kitchen can run out of clear worktop. Here, pantry shelves and stored equipment sit beside the main room, leaving a chocolate kitchen, an oak table and a straightforward route between them.
See the product sourcesTHE DESIGN
The useful view of this kitchen begins in the pantry. Jars, bowls and a stored mixer occupy the near side of a deep doorway; beyond it, the cooking counter is largely clear. That distinction matters more than the size of the room. A large kitchen with nowhere to put its everyday equipment can feel just as crowded as a small one.
Chocolate cabinetry gives the converted barn a lower, domestic scale beneath its exposed roof structure. The pale worktop forms a continuous preparation run, and a freestanding oak table sits towards the other side of the room. Cream leather chairs soften the timber and metal without covering the terracotta floor. The small Quinn pendant marks the table; separate task lighting serves the kitchen.
The pantry needs its own discipline. Store appliances unplugged and move them to a suitable working surface when needed; shelves should be planned around the actual equipment and food you keep. Chaaval’s two jar sizes suit dry ingredients, with their carved handles easy to distinguish among the bowls and packets. On the dry side wall, The Orange No. 3 brings the colours of oak and terracotta into a single artwork. It belongs to the dining end, where it can be enjoyed without becoming a splashback.
WHY THE ROOM WORKS
Give storage its own working edge, so the main kitchen can stay ready to cook.
Colour palette
- Chocolate
- Chalk
- Terracotta
- Honey oak
- Apricot
Use jars for food you can identify
Two sizes of Chaaval jar make sense for different quantities. Keep quantities manageable and retain cooking instructions, allergen information and use-by details from the original packaging; attractive storage should not make the contents harder to use.
Keep the route as clear as the counter
The table sits to one side of the pantry doorway. Someone bringing ingredients into the kitchen can reach the preparation run without stepping around a chair or crossing an island seating area.
Let the table be a table
The Brooklyn is 75cm high, with a solid oak top and dark metal supports. It provides an everyday place to eat while the higher worktop handles cooking tasks. Its four chairs leave the ends free in the arrangement shown.
Keep the dark joinery low
Chocolate cabinets occupy the lower part of the high chalk shell. The exposed roof stays visible above them, while the orange artwork places a related colour at the dining end, away from splashes.
WHAT TO BORROW
Before adding an island, list what occupies the existing worktop. A properly placed pantry cupboard or storage bay may give you more useful preparation space than another central object.
THE PIECES BEHIND THE DESIGN
Shop this room
The design began with these pieces from our Shop. Open each product for its exact size, finish and retailer details.
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Brooklyn Dining Table - Oak
Living With Luxury
£747.99
Kendari Natural Leather and Teak Wood Dining Chair
Living With Luxury · 4 used in this room
£498.95
Chaaval Storage Jar: Small
Kitchen Storage & Utility · Small · Clear
Nkuku · 2 used in this room
£32.00
Chaaval Storage Jar: Large
Kitchen Storage & Utility · Large · Clear
Nkuku · 2 used in this room
£42.00
Quinn Hammered Metal Pendant
Small · Antique Brass
Nkuku
£185.00
The Orange No. 3
ArtFab · Black (5/8″ Depth) · 24"x36"
Big Wall Decor
Example option: US$165.00
Check availability at retailer