The Pantry Door Upgrade That Will Save Serious Space In Your Tiny Kitchen

Having a pantry can be a huge game-changer in terms of freeing up cabinet space for things you use daily, such as your favorite seasonings, travel mugs, and small appliances — especially in a small kitchen. Pantries also allow you to stock up on shelf-stable non-perishable items like dry goods (pasta, dried beans, flour) and a variety of must-have canned foods that can come together in a hurry for a convenient weekday meal or to feed your family on a budget.

Of course, having a pantry means having a pantry door, which can be an issue in a tiny space, as open doors take up room. This is just one reason why open shelving is one kitchen trend that will never go out of style — it opens up your space visually and reduces the number of doors that create dead space in an already limited area. However, simply opting not to have a pantry door can make your space look messy and invite in critters that might otherwise be deterred by a solid closure.

That's where low-profile door options come in handy, such as pocket doors, which glide seamlessly in and out of the walls on either side of your pantry doorway. They practically disappear when opened, giving you ample room to restock or grab things from your pantry before gliding the doors closed again. They come in hundreds of styles, including some with pretty frosted glass windows to reflect light, and locks to keep them tightly closed against kids and pets.

Pocket doors don't have a lot of cons — they're low-profile, durable, convenient, and are available in a variety of finishes to match your existing kitchen decor. The biggest disadvantage is that they can be complex and expensive to install. Hardware for holding the gliding wheels that lets the doors move has to be installed inside the wall on either side of the door, which often means cutting into the wall and repairing it after installation, which may put your kitchen out of commission for several days.

An alternative to the pocket door with many of the same advantages is the rolling "barn door." It rolls back and forth in front of the doorway like a pocket door, but the hardware is installed on the wall's exterior, rather than inside it, which means no cutting or repairing — just enough open wall space for the door to roll into when it's open. However, it still takes up less room than a conventional swinging door.

If installing pocket doors isn't right for you, bi-fold doors are cheaper and much easier to install, as they don't require any major demolition inside your kitchen. You can basically hang them as you would a conventional door. The advantage is that bi-fold doors collapse into smaller panels when opened, taking up much less space inside your kitchen than a conventional door. This is one of those practical and stylish kitchen pantry renovations that takes less than an afternoon.