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
- Ease of Access to Dry Goods
- Upgraded Aesthetics
- Hide Clutter
- Fun and Functional
- Unique and Transitional
- Customizable Look
- Flexible for Walk-in Pantries and Closet Pantries
- Saves Space
- Country Charm
- 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:
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.
