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Stretching pantry possibilities

Make your life easier with the flexibility of custom-built cabinets and adjustable shelves

by Chris Baumeister

When I was designing my new kitchen, one of my biggest goals was to maximize storage. I had always wanted a pantry and had planned on building a typical kitchen closet with shelves that slide out for easy access.

But I also really wanted the flexibility of adjustable shelves. The solution was brackets that allow full-extension ballbearing slides to be mounted on adjustable shelf standards (www.rockler.com). The trick is to locate the shelf standards accurately with proper spacing for the slides and clearance to the face frame. With this setup, it takes only a few minutes to reposition a drawer or to exchange one for a shelf.

The custom-built cabinet is adjustable to accommodate all my storage needs. The sliding shelves allow me to find anything I need, and the amount of stuff this cabinet holds is amazing.

Easy access. The sliding drawers in this pantry provide plenty of storage and make finding the peanut butter much easier.

Extra flexibility. Brackets allow the sliding drawers to be mounted on adjustable shelf standards, so the pantry setup can be modified as needs change.

Photos by: Chris Baumeister

From Fine Homebuilding191 (Kitchens & Baths) , pp. 24 October 5, 2007