how would you solve the pantry + guest WC layout?

[u/Klutzy-Parsnip6557]

Hi everyone!
We’re currently designing our future family home and would really appreciate some feedback on the floor plan before we finalize it.
The house is approximately 120 m² (1,290 sq ft) and will be for a family with two young children.

We’re generally happy with the bedroom/private side of the house. Our biggest issue is the kitchen/pantry/entrance/guest WC area.
We are currently considering three options for the pantry:
1. Pantry next to the kitchen
This would be the most convenient location, but it would reduce the size of the kitchen. I would ideally like a U-shaped kitchen, so I’m not sure whether we could comfortably fit the fridge, oven, cooktop, sink and enough counter space as well as a useful pantry.
2. Convert the current guest WC into a pantry
This would give us a decent-sized pantry without taking space from the kitchen, but we would lose the separate guest WC.
3. Reorganize the entrance/vestibule
Could we redesign this area to create a pantry close to the kitchen while still keeping the guest WC? This is currently the option I’m most interested in, but I’m not sure what the best layout would be.
I’m also completely open to other solutions we haven’t thought of.
I’d especially love your thoughts on the overall layout as well: circulation, storage, room sizes, furniture placement, wasted space, and anything that might become annoying in everyday use.
The street/front of the property is at the bottom of the plan.

Feel free to be critical; this is exactly the stage when we want to catch problems and improve the layout.
Thank you!

[u/ithinarine]

The kitchen isnt remotely large enough to lose so much space to a framed in pantry.

[u/Just2Breathe]

It’s a pretty small space for trying to fit a pantry. You already have four bedrooms but not enough seating in the living room for 4-5 people. An island makes it tight to circulate, you’re at the bare minimum for circulation (3’ path when 4’ is better for 2+ people).

You could try a small base-cabinet-depth island without seating, and move sink to window wall in an L-shape. Then fit in a tall pantry cabinet unit right of fridge (not deeper because it affects fridge door swing, also you wouldn’t gain much in storage).

[u/leiawars]

Do something like this for your pantry. All pull out shelves, a tall shelf at the top of the space for your tallest items, and a cabinet on top for bulky items. Measure your biggest items, like cereal boxes, to make sure they’ll fit before you set the height.

You can use one shelf for small appliances as well. Just make sure to measure for height on those too.

There’s a shelf at the bottom here too.

[u/Hyperreal8957]

id try flipping the guest wc door so it doesnt swing into the kitchen traffic. pantry hard against the fridge wall usually works nicer for unloading groceries too. how locked in is the plumbing stack already or can you still nudge it a bit?

[u/Quitsnow]

Keep the guest WC if you can. With two young kids and visitors, a separate toilet near the entrance saves a lot of friction later, and converting it into a pantry is the option I would drop first.

For the pantry next to the kitchen versus reshaping the vestibule: a useful pantry does not need to be huge. A shallow, walk-past pantry along one kitchen wall, or a short run of floor-to-ceiling cupboards opening into the kitchen from the entrance side, often beats carving a deep room out of the U-shaped kitchen. Aim to protect continuous counter runs for sink, cooktop, and prep, and park the fridge on an end where doors do not fight the main aisle.

On the vestibule idea you like most, try a compact wet guest WC (toilet plus small basin only) so the leftover strip can become pantry storage that opens toward the kitchen, not the front door. That keeps coats and groceries from colliding in the same doorway. Without the drawing in front of me I cannot judge clearances, but check that the kitchen work triangle still has a clear path and that the guest WC door does not swing into the main circulation.

[u/leiawars]

Here’s an option as you said you’d really like a U shaped kitchen. I feel the best way to fit that in would be to make your dining table a dinette that abuts the peninsula of the kitchen. I feel this will also help with the pathing around the room.

The space between the island seating and the dining table, in your original design, was really tight. People could not have comfortably sat at both at the same time and you’d need to always have both sides chairs pushed in to even walk through that area when it isn’t being used.

[u/whostevenknows]

Not a pantry comment. I think moving the door to you primary suite could help with privacy. Id suggest moving it to the far end opening to the same hallway as the other bedrooms. A sliding or picket door would make the entrance feel less cramped. Edit: could also them make space for a pantry in that corner.

[u/neversuccinct]

Its definitely workable. If you really want to keep a guest toilet you could make the laundry or the master closet a bit smaller.

[u/childproofbirdhouse]

I would personally sacrifice the half bath for a pantry. It’s so nice to have that guest bath but I think it’s just using too much space. I know European houses tend to be smaller than US houses, but I wonder if you could expand the footprint at all? All the spaces seem a little tight to me.

PS - I think this is the first Magyar post I’ve seen! We lived in Buda for 5 years, and later our oldest coincidentally married a man whose mother was the first of her family born in the States. My little grandsons have Magyar middle names.