We have had pantries and separate working areas attached to our kitchens in the last two apartments in the Caribbean and Panama and find this feature very attractive. I am detailing the Panama Venetian Tower Apartment since it embodies what we like.
Panama--Venetian Tower 15A
 |
| The Despensa in Panama. For the full .PDF, click here |
 |
| The Pantry is the door on the right. These are two cabinet doors for a 1.0m (39") opening |
- Despensa--approximately 2.2m x 2.5m (approximately 60 ft2). This held wire rack shelving, a wine-cooler and large bread mixers.
- Lavanderia--Approximately 3.0m x 5.7m (approximately 184 ft2). This was overly large for a laundry, but rather, became an all purpose work room where you could prepare items, store products. A nice feature was the full bath from the service entrance.
- Open plan pantry, no shelves or cabinets. Made adding wire shelves or other fixtures very easy.
- Power outlets for large and small appliances in the pantry
- Closed off from kitchen with cabinet doors that folded flush to the walls when opened. If you wanted access, it was transparent, if not, the pantry disappeared.
- Open-plan wash area.
- Small bath with shower next to the service entrance. Very handy after bike rides or other activities.
- Reasonably close access to full tub sinks from the pantry and laundry area. Very useful for cleaning pots, pans, or other projects.
 |
| This kitchen was too big to be efficient, but it did have a nice face-to-face work area |
Puerto Rico--Olympic Tower 802
Our Puerto Rico apartment was located on the beach in the Condado district. Ours was the west facing half of the building. The layout was very narrow for the kitchen, being forced into the apex of the 'V'.
The landlord had a plumbed a small closet in the kitchen to be a washing area in order to make a maid's quarters in the original laundry room. The closet was very small, no more than 30 ft2, yet it fit a stack washer-dryer combination.
 |
| Original 'pantry' |
As we did not have a maid, the landlord moved the washer and dryer back into the original laundry area, leaving us with a small closet that fit our stand mixer. The small sink and counter were very handy.
 |
| After moving the washer-dryer |
- (Note, this was very small. I do not recommend duplicating the space)
- Equipment and pantry materials always handy, yet can be closed off from the kitchen.
- Sink in the pantry area.
- Lots of electrics available, including 220V 20A, since this was a washroom.
