“We call our pantry the “little shop”

Husband and wife Möller Kirchsteiger used the simple click-in system to create an optimal storage dream in their newly-built walk-in pantry. It’s a harmonious, organised, structured and functional space that reflects a passion for cooking.

By Charlotta Flinkenberg Photo Cecilia Möller Kirchsteiger

Who lives here

Cecilia and Sebastian Möller Kirchsteiger, both 38 years of age, live together with their two children, Elsie and Adrina, along with their soft-coated Wheaten Terrier, Elza. The family lives on the Östgöta Plains between the city of Linköping and the village of Mantorp in a 192-square-metre, two-storey house that they designed themselves.

The pantry was an undisputed feature of the kitchen

This spring, Cecilia, Sebastian and their children finally moved into the house they had built themselves. The couple are interested in interior design and cooking so the kitchen was naturally a prioritised area in their home planning. “ We already knew that we wanted a pantry in the kitchen, so we decided on an l-shaped layout for the kitchen and living area and incorporated the pantry into this design. Since upper cabinets don’t work for us, it was especially important to allow plenty of space for all appliances and gadgets,” Cecilia explains. Why don’t upper cabinets work for you? “Because my husband Sebastian is so tall. He’s over two metres tall! In a kitchen with upper cabinets, he’s not able to see the stove or worktops when he stands cooking. And if there’s a cooker hood he has to bend down underneath it.”

Versatile and reconfigurable pantry

Cecilia is a professional interior design and portrait photographer and has photographed more than 350 homes. She therefore has a good idea of what interior style she prefers. Sebastian works in the family interior design firm. Did you know exactly how you wanted the pantry fitted out? “Initially we only drew the area of the pantry on the floor plan. It is approximately 3.2 square metres with a floor to ceiling height of 270 cm. At first we were thinking of installing permanent shelving but then my father-in-law suggested Elfa’s system instead as it provides greater flexibility and customisation. Fixed installations tend to restrict your options.”

Create a personal pantry

It took Cecilia’s father and Sebastian just a couple of hours to install the top-hung click-in shelving system from Elfa. Then it was Cecilia’s turn to let her creativity loose and add aesthetics to the pantry with beautiful glass jars and labels printed with a good old Dymo printer.

“I love storing things in glass jars! You can see at a glance when the contents are running low... making it so much easier to write a shopping list. The resulting look is also more harmonious and balanced without the jumble of colours and writing on packets of food.”

What do you like most about the Elfa system?

“Apart from the fact that it was so easy to install, I like the versatility that it offers. The layout can be reconfigured to suit your needs without any effort. For instance, we needed to fit it around the chimney in one of the corners. And when we want to add another part, it couldn’t be simpler. Like the shelf that we’re planning to get for our oven dishes. I like the fact that you can change your mind.

My husband and I both like things to be organised and structured. We find that soothing. I love my pantry so much that on occasions I’ve gone inside and shut the door just for the pleasure of being there.

Cecilia

Spices and oils in mesh baskets

What interior features are you particularly pleased about? “We especially like these small mesh baskets that you can hook onto the hang standards. Perfect for keeping spices and oils in! And they leave space below for a worktop. We hadn’t realised how practical it is to have a worktop in the pantry. When you want to wrap something in plastic, or unpack things and need somewhere to put them.”

See mesh baskets

Mesh drawers for bulky items

She also waxes lyrical about the five mesh drawers below the window in the pantry, where they keep the less elegant and more bulky items like kitchen rolls, soda chargers, bags and cling film. “These gliding mesh drawers are extremely smart and functional!”

See gliding mesh drawers

Wire shelf baskets became wine racks

A passion for food is often accompanied by a keen interest in wine. Cecilia and Sebastian also wanted to have room in the pantry to store their wines and glass cordial bottles too. Elfa’s range does not include a wine rack, but the resourceful couple solved that: “We’ve used Elfa’s wire shelf baskets and think they serve the purpose brilliantly. And the dividers are a real plus as they prevent the bottles from rolling about!”

See wire shelf baskets

A small office shelf has been installed above the wine storage section along with a message board and boxes for pens and other bits and pieces.

There is a practical gift wrap holder here too.

Kitchen appliances have been sorted into drawers and labelled according to their intended use. For example, “Chopping”, “Baking”, etc.

The Möller Kirchsteiger’s walk-in pantry is a veritable dream for lovers of organisation and structure. Everything there is neatly arranged in a monochrome palette. Structured and easy to find. Just like in a convenience store.

“We actually call our pantry the “little shop”. But as we have a one-year old, we occasionally have to lock the shop up, which is why we’ve fitted a cabin hook on the sliding door.”

Cecilia insists that their pantry is always this well organised and tidy, not just when it’s being photographed for the public eye.

“My husband and I both like things to be organised and structured. We find that soothing. I love my pantry so much that on occasions I’ve gone inside and shut the door just for the pleasure of being there.” As a mum of a little one, I grab some me-time when I can! I like to drink a glass of juice and simply enjoy the tidiness of it all. If we’re pleased? Oh my goodness! We love our pantry!”