Go With the Flow: The Ins and Outs of Pantry Design

Create an inviting and welcoming space where your people want to show up five days a week.

The typical employee spends a third of their life at the workplace. So how can employers create an inviting and welcoming space where people want to show up five days a week?

Start with the office pantry, the space that brings people together. It’s a hub of activity that creates a sense of belonging and fosters productivity and creativity, where colleagues can catch up with each other over coffee or snack boxes and discuss the latest Netflix binge or the scores from last night’s sporting event. Here, they can chat about ideas big and small, away from the glare of their computer screens. Collaboration, ideation, easygoing chatter — it can all happen at the breakroom pantry.

The office pantry’s design draws people in, so its layout should be intuitive and flow logically. At the coffee station, have the cups and accoutrements — cream, sugar, stir sticks — close at hand, giving the space that coffee shop vibe. Encourage employees to BYOB (bring your own bottle) and hydrate throughout the day with attractive water-dispensing machines like the Bevi. Speaking of bevvies, don’t forget the tea lovers and energy drinkers in the bunch and give them plenty of drink options. The pantry’s offerings, along with the design, is just as important: In-season fruit, along with local and trendy snacks such as protein bars and nuts, are reason enough to leave one’s cubicle.

We have many options for creating an inviting space, including:

• Lighting and a color palette that can be customized for any room
• Vessels for creamers, sugar packets or fresh fruit that can be personalized — from bamboo to steel to wood
• Use of bulk containers that dispense snacks or cereal for an appetizing and organized feelCounter seating to encourage spontaneous socialization and that much-needed break from the daily routine

Together, we can create a space in the workplace — one that’s agile, flexible, visually appealing and has a good flow — where you’ll find employees who want to stay around for breaks. After all, if we had to spend a third of our lives somewhere, we’d want to spend it in a place that fosters our creativity and re-energizes us. Oh, and don’t forget the good coffee and snacks, too! For more information about the benefits of the breakroom pantry, read our Pantry Insights report.

Learn more about how InReach can help you create a customized, flexible and scalable space for your people and keep them engaged and energized.