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Transforming our wire shelving builder-grade pantry into a custom masterpiece has completely elevated our kitchen’s functionality and aesthetics. My goal for this pantry transformation was to make it beautiful without sacrificing any functionality or storage.

Before

The dreaded wire shelves. Not only were these not very sturdy, but there was just so much wasted space near the floors.

Pantry Design

Cabinets

Having a general idea of what I wanted in this pantry (cabinets, drawers, counters) , I headed to Lowe’s with the dimensions of this space.

From my little sketch, the associate at the cabinet counter was able to create these concepts of what we could create using Lowe’s ready to assemble unfinished poplar cabinets.

These are a really inexpensive way to get a custom look. After pricing out some custom cabinet options I found out it would have cost over $5000! The grand total for just the ready to assemble cabinets, filler strips, and toe kick was $650 in comparison! Lowe’s was so helpful and gave me a complete product list so I knew exactly what to shop for on the floor.

We have 8 foot ceilings and I wanted the cabinetry to go to the ceiling. I was able to get this look without paying extra for custom cabinets by stacking a 12 inch wall cabinet on top of a 30 inch wall cabinet.

The base cabinets come in a standard depth of 23 3/4 inches and if you refer back to my little yellow sketch, we only have 20 3/8 inches (when looking straight in the pantry). The cabinet sticking out 3 inches was not acceptable to me, so we purchased a sink base so we could cut the sides to be a perfect fit. A sink base does not have a drawer making it much easier to make this sort of alteration.

Beneath the sink base cabinet is a floor vent. We cut a hole in the toe kick to fit this wood vent and attached it to this under cabinet toe kick ducting kit. Then I primed and painted it all the same color for a seamless appearance.

On the right side of the pantry, we used two 18 inch drawer bases side by side for the addition of 6 drawers. We attached them to each other internally with wood screws making them one sturdy piece of cabinetry. The addition of drawers is great. The bottom drawers are so deep that they perfectly fit half gallon mason jars and other taller items.

Shiplap & Peg Rail

We planked the walls using primed pine shiplap. Then, under the wall cabinet we made a peg rail by attaching shaker pegs to a 1×4. This is such a easy way to add a little extra charm. Simply drill a pilot hole and then had thread them into the wood.

Floating Shelves

On the right hand side of the pantry we built a total of 3 shelves measuring 40″ wide by 16 3/4″ deep by 2″ thick. They are spaced 12″ apart. I wrote a whole post detailing exactly how we built them HERE.

Paint Color

The paint color I chose is Sherwin Williams Eclipse SW6166. A dark, muted, earthy green. It has a LRV 14 which means it is quite dark and reflects very little light. Read more about this color in this POST.

Countertop

We purchased one 8 foot piece of Hevea (rubber wood) butcher block and cut it down to the sizes we needed. I really wanted to avoid the toxic fumes of stain and poly indoors so I ended up using dark tung oil to seal the butcherblock counters. I chose the dark tung oil because I wanted to darken the wood a bit and this combined 2 steps into 1. I followed the instructions on the bottle and wiped it on with a lint free rag and used a total of 3 coats.

Cabinet Hardware

I opted for unlacquered brass from Tradition Hardware in here. It coordinates perfectly with our kitchen. I love the timeless elegance and natural patina that you get from unlacquered brass.

I went with the 4 inch Dane Pulls and the medium Serenity Knobs.

I am a Tradition Hardware affiliate and they provided a discount code for my followers. Just use the code: ASHLEY1010 for 10% off your order.