Designing a new layout for your home can come with a wide range of challenges, with storage space often being one of the most pressing concerns. Homeowners often pursue a remodel when a space begins to feel too cluttered, so one of the primary goals of these projects—especially with respect to kitchens—is to maximize storage space within the same square footage as before. Among the many ways to optimize storage space while maintaining a sleek kitchen appearance, pocket doors are a fantastic option with a wide range of applications.

Even if the term doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve likely encountered pocket doors before. Pocket doors are hung from a wall and slide along a track. These doors are often meant to “disappear” into the walls, or otherwise out of sight, when opened. Pocket doors originated in Victorian homes and were used to separate formal seating areas or entryways. Pocket pantry doors can be an innovative way to hide a walk-in pantry, or work just as well for smaller pantries and “out-of-the-way” coffee stations.

Pocket doors are a creative way to manage flow between rooms, and a great solution when space is limited. After all, to swing open a door can take as much as 10 square feet, not to mention all that awkward wasted space behind the door when it’s open! For example, a walk-in pantry with a standard door would easily lose shelving space to make room for the door to open, but a pocket pantry door eliminates this issue.

Pocket Doors Are Not Flipper Doors

Flipper doors lift open and retract out of the way, similar to a garage door. Flipper doors are often used with cabinets for overhead storage, but can also be used for concealing appliances. Pocket doors, however, open outward and then retract into the cabinet space. Because they retract into the cabinet, pocket doors don’t take up space outside the cabinet when they’re open. Like flipper doors, pocket doors use ball bearings or a track system to slide doors out of view.

The Advantages of Pocket Pantry Doors

The biggest advantages of pocket pantry doors are the clean look and the space-saving design. When you’re working with limited space or just don’t like the messy look of open doors, pocket doors are a perfect solution. If you’d like your pantry to be more hidden, full-size pantry doors can camouflage with your wall and disguise the pantry to further enhance a clean look. Alternatively, you can embrace the unique quality of a pantry pocket door in your kitchen, and play with more bold colors or textures to make your pantry door stick out. A frosted glass pantry pocket door can fit a sleek, modern kitchen, or a more ornate wooden pantry door can add an elegant touch.

Kitchen Pantry Door Ideas

Are you looking to add a coffee station to your kitchen, but don’t want to cover up your stylish countertop with appliances? Smaller pocket doors in a kitchen cabinet can hide your coffee station, and disappear out of the way when it’s time to make coffee. To go even further, you can incorporate a roll-out shelf within the cabinet to act as a base — this makes access to the water tank easier. As always when designing spaces for your kitchen, don’t forget to consider the coffee station location relative to your sink and trash bin. And yes, you can hide a trash bin in another cabinet nearby!

What Do They Cost?

A full size pocket door used for entry into a large pantry room can cost anywhere between $1,000 and $3,500. However, pocket doors used within cabinets can cost significantly less, and are an option that custom manufacturers like DodiHome can add for your kitchen cabinets, or any special cabinet project.

Takeaways

You may have seen pocket doors before in entertainment centers and television cabinets through the years, but their applications to cabinets and pantries provide a fresh, stylish way to save space while adding flair to your kitchen. Wherever you install your pocket doors, make sure to invest in the hardware, including a soft close and soft open frame kit. Cutting corners on hardware quality, especially tracks, rollers or installation can lead to a frustrating do-over.

Make sure to use Dodi for your pocket pantry door, custom cabinet, or pantry shelving.
We manufacture locally in the Bay Area and take pride in our quality.

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