Larder cupboards that work around how you live

A larder cupboard is a tall or worktop-height cupboard that keeps dry food, tins, small appliances and crockery together in one place, so the rest of the kitchen stays clear. The main types are tall larders, corner larders, countertop larders and hidden walk-in larders. The right one depends on your space, how you cook and where your fridge sits.

We build each one with a carcass of oak-faced engineered hardwood, doors and frames in French wild cherry, and a solid oak interior, painted in your chosen colour and sized prior to installation to fit the space it will sit in. It is hand-painted in any Farrow & Ball or Little Greene colour, made in 10–12 weeks and delivered fully assembled.

You can buy a single larder cupboard from The White Kitchen Company online, or have one designed as part of a complete kitchen. Cabinetry starts from £1,180 per metre including painting and VAT, and complete kitchens start from £11,808.

Types of larder cupboard

Tall larder cupboards

A tall larder cupboard suits everyday use, whether you need one slim cabinet or a wide, double-door version with drawers, shelving and spice storage built in. Placed near the fridge, it becomes a clear zone for dry ingredients and tins. Everything stays in sight and easy to reach, with nothing left out on the worktop.

Corner larder cupboards

Corner larder cupboards make use of space that is often wasted. Shelves stretch deep into the corner and door racks add extra storage without interrupting the layout. There is no need for a rotating unit or pull-out trays: everything is reached from the front. For more ideas, see our guide to kitchen corner cupboard solutions.

Countertop larder cupboards

Designed to sit on the worktop, these cupboards hide the kettle, toaster and coffee machine while keeping them plugged in and ready to use. Bi-fold doors fold back so you are not working around an open door. Shelves can be spaced for breakfast things or jars, depending on what you use each day.

Hidden walk-in larder

In one project we built a walk-in larder behind two tall Shaker doors, set flush with a fitted bar and the neighbouring tall units. Closed, it looks like part of the run. Open, it reveals a well-lit space with oak shelving, drawers and deep storage. Bulk food, baking kit and big family cooking stay tucked away, leaving the main kitchen calm.

Kitchen larder ideas for smaller spaces

You do not need a large room to have a working larder. A few smaller changes give you much of the same benefit.

Door-mounted spice racks

A shallow rack fitted to the inside of a cupboard door keeps jars upright and easy to find, using space that would otherwise be empty.

Deep drawers as a low larder

Deep base drawers with wooden dividers work as horizontal larder space. They suit pasta, rice and dry goods when there is no room for a tall cupboard, and you can see everything from above.

A single slim tall unit

Even one narrow single-door larder at the end of a run can take most of a household’s tins and packets off the worktop and out of the wall cupboards.

How to plan a built-in larder unit

Put it near the fridge and the main worktop

Dry food, the fridge and your preparation space are used together. Keeping them close cuts down on steps when you cook.

Mix shelves, drawers and door racks

Shelves suit jars and tins, drawers suit vegetables and heavier items, and door racks suit spices and small bottles. Most good larders use all three. Our drawers are solid oak with dovetailed joints, so they take daily use.

Decide whether appliances live inside

If you want the toaster or coffee machine inside the larder, plan sockets and shelf heights at the design stage, not afterwards.

Match it to the rest of the kitchen

Because each larder is made to measure and painted in your chosen colour, it can sit flush with the run or stand as a freestanding piece in a contrasting colour. See how we build our Shaker kitchens and solid wood kitchens.

Larder or pantry: what is the difference?

The words are often used for the same thing. Traditionally a larder was a cool room or cupboard for food, while a pantry held dry goods and tableware. Today most people mean a tall food cupboard by either name. Our guide to pantry cupboards covers the pantry styles in more detail, and you can browse our pantry and larder range.

What a larder cupboard costs

Larder prices depend on width, door count and the fittings inside. Current prices for individual larders are shown in the range above. For whole kitchens, our cabinetry starts from £1,180 per metre in the Cottage range, including painting and VAT. See our kitchen prices or the bespoke kitchen cost guide.

Larder cupboard questions

What is a larder cupboard?

A larder cupboard is a tall or worktop-height kitchen cupboard that keeps dry food, tins, small appliances and crockery together in one place, so the rest of the kitchen stays clear. The main types are tall larders, corner larders, countertop larders and hidden walk-in larders.

What is the difference between a larder unit and a pantry?

Traditionally a larder was a cool room or cupboard for food, and a pantry held dry goods and tableware. Today both words usually mean a tall food cupboard. In The White Kitchen Company’s range, a larder is tall food storage with shelves, door racks and drawers, while a pantry opens up to a working area, often with a worktop.

What are good kitchen larder ideas for a small kitchen?

In a small kitchen, a larder can be a single slim tall unit at the end of a run, deep base drawers with wooden dividers used as a low larder, or a shallow spice rack fitted inside a cupboard door. Each one takes tins and packets off the worktop without needing a large room.

Can I buy a single larder cupboard?

Yes. The White Kitchen Company sells larder cupboards as single units online as well as part of complete kitchens. Each larder is hand-painted in any Farrow & Ball or Little Greene colour, made in 10–12 weeks and delivered fully assembled.

Planning a kitchen with a larder?

Talk it through with one of our designers at our Northamptonshire showroom, at your home or on a phone consultation.