The Pantry Door Style That Turns Everyday Storage Into A Design Moment

Unlike the abundant kitchen cabinet styles that people tend to pore over, pantry and larder designs may not get quite the same scrutiny on their own. More often than not, a pantry gets bundled in with the rest of a kitchen's storage design rather than imagined with separate decorative elements. But true culinary aesthetes will not miss the opportunity to imbue this cool, classic space with its own flourish.

A steel glazed pantry door can transform a pantry from a veritable cave into something much airier. If this phrasing at first brings to mind a kind of solid, glazed, steel (which could also be lovely in a very modern kitchen), it's actually near the opposite end of the opacity spectrum, with panes of glass set into metal frames. It makes a better door and a window than what you might otherwise expect, bringing natural light into your pantry while creating a slightly more eclectic tableau in your kitchen.

There are a few circumstances where you might want to skip the steel glazed pantry door's relative transparency and save your kitchen upgrade dollars for another day. If the pantry door gets direct sunlight for hours at a time and you use its interior for all those potatoes and alliums that prefer less illumination and lower temperatures, keep them covered with a solid pantry door. Likewise, if your cereal collection is unmatched but you'd rather not see the specter of breakfast mascots — even blurred through frosted glass.

In most other circumstances, you can consider a glazed pantry door. Provided your pantry is away from your windows, it'll remain decently cool and dark most of the time. You can even decant your Cap'n Crunch and Lucky Charms to more neutral canisters if you'd rather not be haunted by sea men and leprechauns. A full-size steel glazed pantry door can be expensive, particularly if you opt for luxe materials or bespoke details. Smaller doors typically cost less, even with custom measurements. Either way, the bold look makes a statement without requiring a major renovation.