Open Pantry

Hide the clutter and keep kitchenware within reach

A WELL-ORGANIZED PANTRY is a thing of beauty. Just ask Carole White of San Francisco, who took advantage of her kitchen remodel to design a place for everything from her fish poacher to her ice cream maker. In the process, White decided she wanted a pantry with open shelves so she could keep a visual inventory. "I tend to use the things I see," she says.

Space for the pantry was carved out of the original kitchen, which was gutted and turned into an adjoining laundry room and hallway. (The original family room was expanded to make room for the new kitchen.) Both overhead and undercabinet lighting showcase pantry contents. Deep, open shelves are painted and lined with white laminate to protect them from heavy cookware.

Similar items are grouped together to create a coordinated arrangement: white, silver, and glass on the top shelves, neutrals and earth tones on the bottom. A matching set of baskets conceals office supplies and oversize gadgets. The pantry also houses what White calls "command central"-the small desk where she plans meals and keeps her telephone, calendar, and bulletin board.

Originally White planned to hang a door in front of the pantry, but the finished product was too attractive to hide.

DESIGN David S. Cast & Associates, Architects, San Francisco (www.gastarchitects. com or 415/885-2346)

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP

A thin bookshelf just outside the doorway keeps cookbooks within easy reach; slots below the counter house magazines, trays, and shallow pans; clearly labeled containers on a lazy susan provide handy storage.

Copyright Sunset Publishing Corporation Feb 2007

(c) 2007 Sunset. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.