ᐅ Hidden Passage in Pantry – Looking for Experiences

Good evening everyone,

Our kitchen will have a pantry of about 6 sqm (65 sq ft) adjacent to it. For aesthetic reasons, we are considering integrating a hidden passage into the kitchen in the form of a tall cabinet door.

This would be feasible with a 70 cm (28 inch) wide door from the manufacturer LEICHT.

We are wondering how practical these types of passages are for daily use and would appreciate hearing your opinions and experiences. The kitchen is initially planned to be handleless.

Alternatively, a sliding door recessed into the wall or a standard door would also be an option.

Thank you!

Have you ever been in a hurry and caught on a door frame? They are more or less designed for that and handle it quite well. Avoiding them promises dents, and the narrow width reinforces that expectation.

I have seen this before from a kitchen studio that also worked with us. They built something like that for a client, and it looked good. Why not? And if I get a chip or scratch, it doesn’t really matter whether it’s on a tall cabinet door, a door frame, or something else—a chip is a chip. How often do you go into the pantry each day? I’d guess fewer than 10 times. Most likely when preparing lunch. And what do you take out? Usually only items you can carry with one or two hands. We have painted kitchen fronts and two small children, so the material is exposed to very different stresses and so far shows no noticeable damage.

Chloe83 schrieb:

We’re wondering how practical these passage doors are for everyday use.

I have no personal experience with these doors, but I don’t find them very practical.
Reason: For example, we use a kitchen unit in the freezer room, and the door is 90cm (35 inches) wide. When I or my husband carry something bulky like a baking tray with a cake, our carrying arms take up quite a bit of space (no, we’re not overweight). So with a 70cm (28 inches) door, you’d have to turn sideways to get through. The same applies to yellow recycling bags or beverage crates.
Personally, I would prefer the access to be a bit more “central,” so not from the kitchen but rather from the hallway or a spot between the entrance and the kitchen. I’d rather walk 3 meters (10 feet) to get a jar than have the kitchen be a passageway.
I also think that 70cm (28 inches) doors alongside 60cm (24 inches) tall cabinets look visually unbalanced.
That said, I understand if someone really likes this new design feature and insists on having it. It’s more of a showpiece than practical.

I can’t share any personal experience yet. We also chose this type of door. However, I don’t need to carry bulky items like beverage crates or the entire grocery shop through it, as we have a second door leading to the pantry.

Chloe83 schrieb:

Alternatively, a sliding door recessed into the wall or a regular door could also be an option.

But that would be in a different location then?

You can fit quite a bit into 6 square meters, so you’re not just taking 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of sugar off the shelf every three weeks.
So it’s definitely used frequently.