Welcome to the very first renovation in our home!
This little project may look small, but it took six months to bring everything—except the electrical work—to completion. Along the way there were plenty of decisions to make (and more than a few mistakes), but in the end we’ve created a space we absolutely love.
Planning
The Space
Our pantry measures 1480 mm x 1200 mm x 2200 mm. Originally, it had 600 mm–deep shelves across the back wall. While those shelves held plenty of food, they were far from practical. Rice hid behind pasta, sauces were stacked precariously, and dog treats or extra groceries were crammed onto the bottom right shelf.
As a shorter gal, reaching anything at the back of the second shelf required a step stool, and the top shelf demanded a ladder. The space also housed our wine fridge—but only with the help of an extension cord to reach the single power point. Reusable grocery bags? They ended up dumped on the floor. In short, the pantry was messy and frustratingly unfunctional.
Our Goal
Budget: $2,800–$3,000
We set out to design a pantry that made the most of the space and worked for our lifestyle:
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Smarter shelving – Easy to reach for shorter people and organised so food is visible at a glance.
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Extra storage – Enough room to hold more groceries, drinks and entertaining essentials.
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Bench and cupboards – To ease the pressure on our overfilled kitchen.
Initially, we hoped to keep the wine fridge, but in such a small footprint it made the layout too cramped. Instead, we pivoted: the new vision was to create a bar-style corner—a dedicated spot for cocktails and wine storage that felt stylish and functional.
Getting Started
Designing Our Pantry Makeover with a Free 3D Planner
When I first started dreaming up our pantry makeover, I honestly had no idea where to begin. I sketched a few rough layouts on paper and showed them to my in-house “experts”—my dad and my brother.
My brother loved the concept and reminded me of the 3D planners he’d used for his own renovations. He suggested trying the Kaboodle 3D Planner, so I simply typed it into Google and, to my surprise, discovered it’s completely free.
The planner only works with Kaboodle kitchen products and, at the time, didn’t allow custom benchtops. Still, it was the perfect tool to bring my vision to life.
Planning the Layout
I pictured a U-shaped design:
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Left wall: floor-to-ceiling open shelving
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Other walls: a benchtop with closed cupboards beneath and open shelving above
Because the room is small, every millimetre mattered. I needed a maximum depth of 300 mm to leave 100 mm clearance between the cabinetry and the door frame. Standard base cabinets—400 to 600 mm deep—were simply too big.
After some trial and error, I realised the wall cabinets are exactly 300 mm deep. Perfect! I decided to use wall cabinets throughout. This left a central gap of about 220 × 720 × 300 mm, which we’ll fill with a custom wooden box cabinet.
My Final Cabinet Selection
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5 × wall cabinets (300 × 600 × 720 mm)
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4 × corner cabinets (300 × 600 × 720 mm)
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2 × wooden box cabinets (300 × 220 × 720 mm)
With the layout locked in, the next step was the fun part: choosing the finishes and design details.
Choosing the Perfect Look (on a Budget!)
Deciding on the style for this pantry makeover was honestly the hardest part of the project. My budget for the entire space was $2,800–$3,000, so every choice really mattered.
1. Cost
The cabinetry alone came to $1,200, leaving me about $1,800 for the benchtop, tiles, feet, and all the extras.
2. Benchtop Options
The benchtop needed to span 1400 mm across, 1200 mm on the right, and 600 mm on the left. I dreamed of a new stone benchtop, but even at this small size it would have blown my budget. Kaboodle’s options in my price range were limited and other stores like Ikea and Kitchen Connection weren’t any better. I considered using a slab of wood and cutting it in half, but that would have completely changed the look I was after.
Solution: I went with a simple plain-white Kaboodle design that kept me on budget.
3. Tiles
I fell in love with some gorgeous large wave tiles—until I discovered the walls weren’t square and one wall wasn’t even straight! Large tiles would have looked crooked.
Solution: Smaller tiles were the way to go.
4. Door Handles
Holy crap—this nearly undid me.
The Kaboodle door handle section at Bunnings had only a few options and nothing special. The other aisle? Two full walls of handles! I was so overwhelmed I literally walked out the first time.
I originally planned to match the kitchen cupboard handles, but—no offence to the previous owners—they were a bit dull. Then came the next big decision: knobs or handles?
5. Type of Wood for the Box
I wanted a bright look, so at first I considered bleaching pine with white paint and a lime wash. But after trying a few samples—white, grey, pine—nothing felt right.
Solution: I did a complete 180 and chose dark wood instead.
Design Choices Overview
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Kaboodle Snow White benchtop → clean, bright and timeless, keeps everything feeling open and fresh.
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Kaboodle Country style doors → adds that classic, warm, and homely charm.
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Gold knob door handles → elegant touch of luxury, makes the country style feel more modern and elevated.
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White hexagon mosaic tiles for splashback → playful texture and visual interest while keeping it crisp.
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Acacia Brown wood for the boxes → natural warmth that balances the white and ties in beautifully with the gold.
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White kick board → blends seamlessly with the cabinets so the feet stand out.
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Feet for base cabinets → gives a more custom, furniture-style finish (and lifts the look above stock cabinetry).
I wanted to create a bright, country-chic kitchen with modern luxe accents — warm, inviting, but still clean and stylish.
Cabinet Assembly Process
Over two days my in-laws, husband and I teamed up to assemble the cabinets.
First, we pulled out the old shelves—and discovered they’d been held up by nothing more than a single nail at the top and a few brackets in the cement floor. Crazy that they supported so much weight for so long!
Next, we worked together to put all the new cabinets together, adding little extendable feet to the base cabinets. While my mother-in-law and I focused on attaching the cabinet doors, my husband and father-in-law built the boxes to fill the centre void.
Finally, we all pitched in to lift the cabinets into place and lock them securely to the walls.
Tile Renovation Journey
This was my very first renovation—and my very first time tiling. My mother-in-law kindly taught me the basics, but I’ll admit I didn’t exactly nail it the first time!
At first we set the tiles with the points at the bottom and used a nipper to make the cuts. After finishing the first row, I hated the look. The cuts were uneven and the corner gaps were huge.
After a few days of staring at it, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I spent my next RDO prying those tiles back off the wall.
Months later, with my in-laws helping again, we re-grouped and talked through the design I really wanted. This time we flipped the tiles so the flat edges were at the bottom and worked our way up.
I used more adhesive to set the tiles properly and finished the backsplash with ultra-white grout. To polish it off, we added white trim along the edges for a crisp, professional finish.
Pantry Makeover Summary
While there are a few unpolished details in the finished pantry, I’m proud of the end result.
We managed to create this look for roughly $2,600, which came in under my maximum budget for the space.
The pantry is now functional, bright, and much more appealing. I can see everything at a glance and no longer have to dig behind or underneath items. I still need a ladder—but only to reach the very top shelves and the storage above them.
Because the cabinets stop at the cornices, there’s a small gap between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling. This turned out to be an unexpected bonus, providing extra storage for things like tissue boxes, paper towels, and other little nick-nacks.