What is a pantry?

In building terms, a pantry is a compact kitchen or serving area intended for simple tasks — making coffee, washing up, reheating food — rather than for full cooking. In practice it usually means a ready-made kitchenette unit with a sink, a tap, some storage and connections for a fridge and microwave.

The term comes originally from ship and hospitality construction, where the pantry was the space between the galley or kitchen and the dining room: the place where dishes were prepared for service and crockery was kept. In older houses it also means the cool store room off the kitchen.

Where you find one

• Offices and commercial premises, per floor or per department
• Studios, hotel rooms and short-stay apartments
• Holiday lets and lodges
• Annexes and granny flats, where a full kitchen is not needed or not permitted
• Consulting rooms, salons and workshops

Sizes and layout

Pantry units are supplied in standard widths, generally from about 100 to 180 cm, with a depth matching the usual kitchen dimension of around 60 cm. A 100 cm mini pantry takes a sink and an under-counter fridge; at 150 to 180 cm a hob and dishwasher fit as well.

Standard worktop height is about 90 cm; where a pantry is used by seated users or wheelchair users, a lowered worktop with clear knee space underneath is needed.

What to watch with the services

The pantry is small, but the services are the same as in a full kitchen. Plan for:

• Water and waste. Waste pipe needs a fall, which in an existing floor is usually the hardest point. Allow at least around 1 cm of fall per metre of pipe and establish where the soil stack is before anything else.
• Electrics. A fridge, microwave, boiling-water tap and dishwasher add up. Provide a dedicated circuit, and always RCD protection where there is a boiling-water tap.
• Ventilation. Even without a hob, washing up and coffee making produce moisture. Provide extract, or at minimum a working air path; a pantry in an internal room with no ventilation leads to damp and odour complaints.
• Water damage. Fit a drip tray under the sink unit and keep the connections accessible; a leak inside a boxed-in pantry unit goes unnoticed for a long time.
• Legionella. Rarely used outlets in commercial buildings leave water standing; include the pantry in the flushing regime.

Related terms

• Kitchen
• Kitchen island
• Mechanical ventilation
• Soil stack
• Water supply installation

Want to learn more about construction terms? Visit our knowledge base at fredsdiyplans.com.