Walk-in pantries are a home chef’s best friend. Pantries take the cake when it comes to sheer volume of shelving, drawers, and storage space. With multiple walls of floor-to-ceiling shelves that pantries have, they’re big enough to store dozens of containers, baskets, ingredients, cookbooks, snacks, pots, pans, medium to large cooking appliances and more.

When these homeowners built their house in late 2017, they had the idea that they would later give their pantry a makeover as their budget allowed. With standard builder grade wire shelves, the pantry certainly didn’t match their idea or aesthetic of the rest of their home. Their pantry did have a french door and a chandelier but they were hopeful that customizing and upgrading the pantry to align with their ideas would be relatively inexpensive out of pocket.

How Much Does a Walk In Pantry Makeover Cost?

The first question you’re probably asking is, "How much does a walk in pantry upgrade cost?" The final kitchen pantry cost largely depends on your pantry size and your finishes. Is it a small pantry? Is it a large pantry? Does your kitchen pantry come with shelves? It generally costs between $500 to $3000 to bring a complete idea for your pantry to life, but it could go higher based on a number of factors such as any special features (shelving, backsplash, etc). With a pretty rug, and a small wooden step stool, the entire kitchen pantry makeover was budget friendly. Our sample homeowner pantry upgrade total cost was under $2500.

Cost (approximate):

• Glass Front Fridge: $250
• Baskets: $125
• Light: $140
• Rug: $40
• Wooden Step Stool: $25
• Contract Labor: $1,600
  TOTAL= $2,180.00

The Makeover Process

The entire pantry upgrade process took just 3 days from start to finish. To save money, the homeowners had the idea to stain the butcher block and paint the wood shelves themselves, only hiring out the backsplash, building of shelves, and the addition of an electrical outlet. The wood shelves make an immediate impact as shelving can open up a space drastically. The subway tiles behind the open shelves add a finished and intentional look. The butcher block countertop provides space and extra shelf for a kitchen mixer, toaster, and a few decorative kitchen pantry items.

In a pantry, it’s helpful to have a dedicated spot for beverages to eliminate taking shelf space in their main refrigerator that is why our homeowners favorite idea in the pantry upgrade is the glass front refrigerator. They also requested for deep “pull out drawer” containers. Wooden containers or baskets offer hidden shelf storage similar to drawers, where they store garbage bags and other household items. Wooden baskets also offer more vertical space because of the baskets contained sides. This will free up space in a small pantry on shelves for other items.

The final touch was updating the light fixture with a modern globe light and adding some vertical shiplap along the large blank wall. The walls were repainted gray. The addition of pretty baskets, containers for decoration, and pantry organization containers to the shelves help corral items keeping it organized and pretty. This idea is especially useful for small pantries. A small pantry with limited space can be come cluttered easily. Containers and baskets are a great idea that can help organize and disguise the clutter that can overwhelm a small pantry easily.

Katie Cooley is a wife, mom, and decor enthusiast who loves iced coffee, traveling, and anything on Bravo. She offers e-design services on her home decor and lifestyle blog, decorkate.com.