10 Reasons You Need a Barn Door for Your Pantry

It’s a pretty undisputed fact that kitchens are one of the most used areas in the house. It’s the one place where everyone gathers, memories are made, meals are cooked, conversations are enjoyed, and friends and family alike enjoy one another’s presence. Because the kitchen is such a central gathering place, it’s also a prime area for improvement and renovation. A barn door for your kitchen pantry can provide you with:

10 Reasons to Use a Barn Door for the Pantry

1. Ease of Access to Dry Goods
2. Upgraded Aesthetics
3. Hide Clutter
4. Fun and Functional
5. Unique and Transitional
6. Customizable Look
7. Flexible for Walk-in Pantries and Closet Pantries
8. Saves Space
9. Country Charm
10. French Flair

No matter the size of the kitchen, sliding barn doors for your pantry look amazing and add character and charm. It’s time the beloved accessory that has graced our bedroom doors and closets finds its place in the kitchen.

10 Reasons You Need a Barn Door for Your Pantry

Ease of Access to Dry Goods

Every home needs a pantry, there’s no doubt about that. Unfortunately, pantries tend to share many of the same characteristics as a black hole. Unless the shelving is put together properly with storage concepts in place and a system for accessing your goods, boxed and canned goods can enter and never come back out. Many homeowners end up perpetually frustrated with the state of their pantries and feel at a loss to fix it.The only solution that works well is to give your pantry a makeover, starting with the door. Sometimes, the best method for redoing a space is to give it a facelift. Once the entry looks inviting, inspiration strikes to organize the shelving, purchase bins for loose items, and figure out a system that works well for you and your family.Not all doors are created equal. Some kitchen pantries already come with a swinging hinged door, but you may find that the door gets in the way more than it helps. Depending on the way your kitchen is laid out, an open door can block entryways, throughways, and impede movement in the kitchen. If the entry to your pantry becomes a hassle or a hazard, then it can feel like a chore to find ways to utilize the space well.What should you do when you’re ready to ditch the old door and finally arrange that pantry into usable space? Put up pantry barn doors. A sliding door can work wonders when trying to conserve space and provide closure for your pantry. Not only will the door hug your kitchen walls and stay out of everyone’s way, but it will provide the facelift needed to get you motivated to start that reorganization project. Once you have better ease of access to your pantry and you’ve organized it well, you’ll find that the black hole of your house just became your most valuable asset in the kitchen.

Upgraded Aesthetics

Do you have the most organized pantry in the neighborhood? Excellent! It just needs one more thing: a pantry barn door. A kitchen pantry should be one of the most useful parts of your kitchen. Depending on the size, it can hold everything from your kitchen staples and boxed mixes to your KitchenAid mixer, specialty gadgets, and maybe even extra space for things like rolled out dough to rest and proof.Pantries are one of the most versatile areas of the kitchen, but also one of the most overlooked when it comes to aesthetics. If you want to up the aesthetic quotient of your kitchen and introduce some shabby chic flair, European charm, or rustic farmhouse style, a sliding barn door for your kitchen pantry is exactly what you need.Think a sliding barn door can’t possibly fit into your décor style? Think again! A modern barn door could be just the thing for a house that needs a sleek and updated feel. A traditional barn door will fit in nicely with homes that have farmhouse, French, Mediterranean, or European elements. A chalkboard barn door works perfectly when you want to show off your hand-lettered menu each week. If these options don’t suit your tastes, opt for a custom barn door, instead. You really can’t go wrong when it comes to adding a barn door to your pantry.Since the door can be stained or painted to reflect your preferred color scheme, it will fit right in with your kitchen décor. Rather than trying to make your pre-installed builder-grade pantry door fit in with your unique tastes, replace it altogether and install a new barn door for your pantry that aesthetically elevates the entire room.

Hide Clutter

Let’s face it, not everyone’s pantries are shining examples of organization. And when it’s time for friends or family to come over for an evening, you need a convenient way to hide that disorganization.Many pantries are built with shelves that open to the kitchen, and unless you’re a closet organization guru, this can cause problems when hosting friends and family. No one wants their unorganized boxes of cereal, brownie mix, sacks of flour, and kiddie fruit cups out for everyone to see. The solution? A rustic barn door to cover the unsightly array of dry goods.Adding a kitchen pantry door is one of the easiest ways to prevent guests and friends alike from exposure to your clutter. You may be planning to organize your pantry at some point, but until you do, a single or double door is the perfect way to hide what’s inside.

Fun and Functional

One of the best things about installing a pantry barn door is the ability to transform a space into something fun and functional.If you have children in the house, a chalkboard barn door can become a space that’s both playful and fun. Just leave a bucket of chalk near the chalkboard barn door and you have an instant crowd-pleaser for the whole family. This space provides excellent entertainment when the kids have their friends over, too. Children and their friends can write notes, draw pictures, and play games all while waiting for dinner to get ready.Not only can a sliding barn door be fun, but it can also be incredibly functional for the chef of the house. A chalkboard barn door can be used to hand letter the week’s menu plan, grocery lists, and important family reminders. There are a million fun and functional possibilities when it comes to what you can do with a chalkboard painted sliding barn door for your pantry.

Unique and Transitional

Not all pantries are meant to be hidden. For those organizational gurus who have pantries that look like they came straight out of a Country Living or Home and Gardens magazine, you shouldn’t cover up your hard work. Rather than a traditional barn door or chalkboard barn door, you’ll want to emphasize the beauty of your kitchen and your pantry with a sliding French door. Half solid, half glass, these sophisticated sliding barn doors provide a transitional space from your kitchen to your pantry.We recommend these doors for those who have very organized pantries and want an easy way to see what is inside. If you like looking at the array of spices just visible through the glass panes from your kitchen island as you’re chopping a salad for dinner, this door is for you. It’s a great way to incorporate a sense of style and flow from your kitchen to your pantry and back.While the glass allows you to see through the door into the pantry, the solid bottom half of the door still provides a needed barrier, keeping the pantry in its own section. For a more distinct look, choose frosted glass instead of clear. This provides a more noticeable doorway instead of a transition space and looks fantastic if you want your kitchen and pantry spaces distinctly separated.A barn door that provides a see-through transition is highly desirable. While any type of pantry barn door is going to upgrade your home and provide a return on investment, transitional doors, like sliding French doors, are ideal to show off a home’s potential. When showing a home, you want potential home buyers to envision what they might do with the space. A pantry door that is half solid and half glass is a great way to showcase that.

Customizable Look

If your old pantry door is getting in the way of your dream kitchen, don’t hesitate to upgrade to a door that will complete the look. Sliding barn doors have a unique aesthetic, and can match a variety of design styles. While some barn doors feature a traditional, rustic look, other barn door styles can easily fit into modern and contemporary designs.For example, if you have a country style kitchen with stripped white cupboards and linen dish towels, you’ll love a rustic reclaimed wood pantry door. On the other hand, maybe you desire a modern look—in which case you might opt for a French barn door that features metal panels and clear glass. Metal barn doors give a distinct impression, as they are both elegant and modern, yet, traditional and timeless.If you have a specific design in mind, then you’ll be happy to know that Rustica can create a custom barn door with our in-depth personalization options. This is where the design process gets truly exciting, as you can create the exact kitchen pantry barn door you’ve been dreaming of. By customizing your pantry door, you can ensure it matches the existing decor and aesthetic of your kitchen.Customization options include the barn door style, material (wood vs. metal), glass finish, color/stain, and more. You can also choose custom barn door hardware to create a truly one-of-a-kind look. If you’re unsure which interior barn door you like, feel free to browse our extensive selection of high-quality sliding doors.

Flexible for Walk-in Pantries and Closet Pantries

One of the benefits of a kitchen barn door is that it opens up the space and works well with any size or style of pantry. If you have a large walk-in pantry, you might consider adding a double door, which gives you full access to the pantry while allowing the doors to overlap.If you have a small closet pantry, you can choose a single sliding barn door or pocket door, which slides discreetly into the wall. Barn doors are truly versatile and can be custom designed to fit your space. No matter the size of your rough opening, we’re confident we can design a kitchen pantry barn door that works for your home.Plus, if you have a small closet pantry situated in a tight area, such as a hallway, an interior sliding barn door will open up the space and give you ease of access to your pantry. In this way, a barn door for kitchen pantry is wonderfully flexible and works well for walk-in pantries and closet pantries alike.

Saves Space

While this benefit has been mentioned a few times already, it’s worth mentioning again because it’s incredible how much space a barn door can save. Since most of us are used to a traditional swinging door, we often don’t realize how much space they take up when they’re open.Hinged doors takes up a significant amount of space when opened. In a high-traffic area, such as the kitchen, this can make the area feel overcrowded and disrupt the flow of traffic.If you’re already dealing with a tight area for your kitchen pantry, or your kitchen is small to begin with, you’ll love what a barn door can do to maximize existing space.

A Dose of Country Charm

It’s no surprise that many sliding barn doors are distinctly country in look and feel. After all, these stylistic doors were made popular because of their predecessor—the famous sliding barn door located on farms and ranches across the country.Barn doors can effortlessly add a dose of country charm to any kitchen, whether you live in an urban apartment or a rural homestead. If your décor goal includes walking into your kitchen and feeling the impulse to start buying brown eggs and fresh squash from the local farmer’s market, a rustic barn door will do the trick. We might be exaggerating a little, but you get the idea.A pantry barn door can add a country chic or farmhouse style to any size kitchen. If you don’t have enough sliding space for a full kitchen pantry door, go with a double door instead. Most pantries have enough room to remove the old door and put in a bi-fold door or a custom barn door.Don’t feel like you’re limited because the entrance or space on either side of your pantry is narrow. There are always ways to work around a smaller space and still incorporate a rustic door to give you that country charm you want.While any barn door will add that pop of charm, if you want a truly rustic look and feel, choose to use reclaimed wood for your custom barn door or DIY barn door. Reclaimed wood is a great way to keep your project eco-friendly and has the added bonus of producing a sliding barn door that looks as authentic as it gets.

French Flair

If country chic isn’t your thing, perhaps you’re looking to add a bit of French flair to your home. In this case, sliding barn doors are exactly what you need for your kitchen pantry. We know what you’re thinking and no, we don’t mean standard, traditional barn doors—though those work well, too! If you’re going for a tres chic look in your French décor themed kitchen, then the type of sliding barn door you’ll want for your pantry is a classic French door.Often half wood and half glass or all glass and metal, these doors look like they came straight out of a French villa. They have a wonderful flair and add a unique look and feel to your kitchen. It provides a refreshing and inspiring look, and soon you just might find yourself searching for coq au vin recipes while selecting fresh herbs and spices for drying just behind your beautiful pantry’s French barn doors.

Pantry Barn Doors for Every Home Style

When it comes to choosing the best pantry barn doors, you should consider the style already present in your kitchen and the overall décor and architecture in your house. You want to pick a door that complements your present style or the style you’re trying to incorporate in a kitchen renovation.  Here are a few of our favorite picks for pantry barn doors:

Best Fun and Functional Doors

At Rustica, we have several sliding barn doors that work well for those looking for a fun and functional combination. These doors include:

• Smooth Operator Metal Panel Barn Door – This pantry barn door is ideal if you want a place to hang pictures, announcements, children’s artwork, and removable magnetic items such as alphabet characters or magnetic puzzles.
• Whiteboard Barn Door – A whiteboard barn door is best for those who enjoy using whiteboard markers for menu planning, writing notes, and letting kids play.
• Chalkboard Full Panel Barn Door and Chalkboard Barn Door—These kitchen barn doors are best for those who have a love for hand lettering their weekly menu plan and a soft spot for letting their children draw with chalk to their heart’s content.

Best Transitional Space Doors

If you’re looking for doors that lend a transitional air to your kitchen and pantry, we have several options we think you’ll love. This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, but this will hopefully get you started.

• Orchard Barn Door –A sophisticated mix of wood, metal, and glass, this door forms a sizeable see-through space for organized pantries while still providing a noticeable barrier between the kitchen and pantry.
• Terrace Barn Door—A barn door for those who want a transitional door with a bit of a modern flair, the Terrace Barn Door is the perfect mix of metal and glass.
• Mountain French Half Barn Door—This door has an alpine feel mixed with country chic. With two-thirds of the door in glass panels, you’ll have a clear view into your pantry while the bottom third, made of wood, provides a distinction between your kitchen and pantry.
• Farmhouse French Half Barn Door – If you want a transitional door that boasts a farmhouse feel, this is the door for you. Half wood, half glass, there’s enough room to see from your kitchen into the pantry. It features enough wood to create a definite boundary between the pantry and your kitchen.

Best Country Charm Doors

For those with a farmhouse home, pantry barn doors with country charm will fit right in and add the missing piece to your kitchen. Needless to say, we have a much wider selection than what is listed here, but this gives you a solid sampling of the rustic, country, farmhouse siding barn doors we offer.

• Z Barn Door –a classic country charmer with the classic Z design that adds character and strength to a door. It’s the perfect choice for a door that gets used every day.
• Double X Barn Door—This door borrows the classic X design found on many early farmhouse barn doors to give your kitchen a decided ranch or farmhouse feel.
• Two Panel Barn Door—If you’re looking for a door that offers a sophisticated and rustic feel, this is the door for you. It provides a touch of rustic with just enough modern flair that it can fit right in with any kitchen.
• Ranch Barn Door—the name speaks for itself with this door. It’s rustic, casual, and has just enough sophistication to fit into nearly any style of kitchen.

Best French Flair Doors

When going for a French feel in your kitchen, you can easily choose from doors that are more modern in style. French flair doors exude a cozy feel and have a sophisticated look. If your kitchen boasts French décor, these doors will fit in perfectly.

• Aries Barn Door—More modern in style and design, this is ideal for kitchens that incorporate French décor while keeping the overall tone updated and chic.
• Provence Barn Door—Made of glass and metal, this door will provide plenty of see-through space for your organized kitchen pantry.
• Tiller Shed Barn Door—This wood, metal, and glass door is the perfect mix of sophisticated and rustic for homes with kitchens boasting a modern French feel.
• Farmhouse French Full Glass Barn Door—This door perfectly blends French and farmhouse together to create a unique piece that works well with a kitchen in either category.

How to Install a Sliding Barn Door on a Pantry

Once you’ve picked the perfect barn door for your kitchen, you’ll need to brush up on your knowledge of how to install a barn door. We’ve included a quick overview of what you can expect when you’re ready to add a new pantry barn door to your kitchen:

Step 1: Gather Supplies

Before starting any project, it’s important that all the supplies are available and at the ready. Supplies you’ll need include things like:

• Screwdriver
• Wood glue
• Barn door hardware
• Tape measure
• Someone to help you
• DIY barn door kit (if applicable)

Step 2: Read Instructions

Carefully read over all the instructions that come with your barn door and the hardware kit. If you have someone helping you, have them read the instructions with you so you’re both on the same page.
Decide where you’ll hang the header and be sure to clear enough space for the door to fully slide along the track before you begin. By doing this first, you’ll ensure that the installation goes smoothly.

Step 3: Put Your Door Together

Putting your door together is undoubtedly the most fun you’ll have with your barn door project. Follow the instructions step-by-step and you’ll soon be hammering in the final nail.

Step 4: Install the Header and Track

Once you’ve got your door ready to hang, install the header board and track. Follow instructions for the type of header and track you ordered, as there are different techniques for each type.

Step 5: Hang Your Door

After installing the header and track, it’s time to hang your new pantry barn door! Carefully lift it up and set it on the track. This is where having an extra pair of hands comes in handy.

Add the stops to the end of the track to prevent the door from sliding off and you’re all set! Open and close the door a few times to get a feel for the way it glides. Then, once satisfied, stand back and admire your handiwork!

A New Pantry Door Transforms Your Kitchen

One of the most overlooked areas of a kitchen is the pantry. This space is often neglected even though it’s one of the most important areas in a kitchen. Pantries are often a central space created for the storage of dry goods, spices, and small appliances. Needless to say, this area of the kitchen deserves attention.If you want to create a unique look in your kitchen, then don’t neglect your pantry door when you’re considering upgrades and décor changes. By installing a beautiful sliding pantry barn door, you can instantly transform your entire kitchen into a French chateau, a rustic farmhouse dwelling, or a modern paradise that qualifies to be on the cover of a magazine.