Add Style And Function To Your Pantry Door With A Genius Storage Hack

It's tough to find fulfillment in the kitchen when you're full of cooking ideas and short on pantry storage space. While you can't magically make it bigger to fit all the ingredients needed to get creative with your recipes, you can squeeze every last ounce of usable room from it with the help of an innovative hack or two. Perhaps the strongest candidate for a space-saving upgrade is your pantry door, and settling for an over-the-door storage solution is an easy improvement to give it more utility. If you feel confident in trying a project that offers ultimate function and jaw-dropping style, however, a Murphy door can transform your space-strapped cubby into the pantry of your dreams.

Pantry-appropriate Murphy doors are available from companies like the aptly-named Murphy Door, which offers products such as the Flush Mount Bookcase Door and the Slideaway Murphy Bookcase. These come with premade doors, jambs, and installation hardware in a single kit. You can pick from a range of veneers, depths, and widths to fit your opening and give you the storage you need. For a budget-friendly option, you can also build a custom door at a fraction of the cost. The designers at YouTube channel YourLifeIsWhatYouMakeIt assembled a beautiful Murphy-style pantry door, and you can do the same with a table saw, a drill, and some basic tools. Premade door kits can run over $1,000, but you can build your own for only a few hundred dollars.

For a basic Murphy door, you'll need dimensional lumber for the door jamb, ¾-inch plywood, fasteners, and a Murphy door hinge kit like these TamBee Door Pivot Hinges. Measure the rough opening to determine your door size. Typically, doors will be about 2 to 3 inches narrower than the rough opening. Build a rectangular jamb to fit the opening, using shims and a level to make it plumb and level. If your rough opening is square and in good condition, you can cut some corners, as the designer did in this video by using only two boards as a threshold and head jamb. To dial in the door width, do a dry run of the door's bottom panel with the Murphy hinge, cutting the panel as needed until it swings freely. Cut the plywood to size to make your door's panels. Attach the panels by drilling the perfect pocket holes or screwing through the panels into the adjoining panel edges, using wood glue to strengthen the hold. You can then install the hinge kit according to the product diagram.

With the door built, you can install shelves. Making adjustable shelf holes with a Kreg Shelf-Pin Jig will give you the most versatility. You can also switch it up and install a fixed shelf in the center to enhance the door's stability and create a sturdy place for heavier pantry items. To make the shelves more practical, add top lips to them to keep items from sliding off.

A pantry Murphy door is a foundation you can customize in countless ways. To make it work for you, consider how to use the added accessibility for your most often-used items, like pasta, canned tuna, or baking supplies. Knowing the size, shape, and storage instructions of essential items will help you design the right shelf spacing and add-ons. Cabinet doors are a great addition for items that are best kept in dark places, like oils, coffee, and potatoes. YouTube DIY channel JAR Made shared how you can easily install simple doors to clean up the look. For extra storage and a little flair, you can also install DIY hidden storage drawers in a tidy, open design.

Alongside the added function, you mustn't forget about style. A Murphy door is a whole new canvas to create an eye-catching room feature. Start with trim around the door to close the frame gaps for a built-in appearance, and paint it to match the walls. Paneling or wallpaper in the back can further add engaging textures and patterns. You could even consider a door-in-door design with a closing front face to hide the shelves behind a painted or glass panel. Make it simple, or style it with fun decor — whatever you choose, this Murphy door hack will give you the pantry space you've always needed for a more efficient and enjoyable kitchen layout.