In addition to the ikea wardrobes, their Billy and Besta bookshelf systems have door options.

Our pantry is an assortment of Besta units and I LOVE them. adjustable, easy to put together, customizable. We did a mix of solid and opaque doors, and I just love them.

I do not recommend Billy its not that sturdy and can tip over easy if your floors are uneven, plus the shelves tend to bow with too much weight.

Why not search craigslist for tall cabinet, hutch, etc. You can always paint it white.

You could also find a sturdy, inexpensive bookshelf and put curtains on it.

If you aren't too picky about aesthetics, look at cabinets made for the garage. They are heavy duty, the shelves hold a lot of weight, and they tend to be a lot cheaper than similar cabinets that are made for kitchens or living areas. (By the way, the Ikea wardrobe mentioned above only has one shelf. The ones that have shelves are more expensive.)

I know you wrote that you do not want your food out for view, but let me encourage you to consider that very option. I've always had a pantry, but I rented a little coastal cottage that did not have a pantry, so I bought a 4' long x 20" deep x 6' tall chrome wire rack---and fell in love.

I kept small things like spices and small bottles in a pretty tray, and I used that puckered rubbery drawer liner to put on some of the racks, but not all. Big things like canisters and cereal boxes sat right on the open racks.

I covered a sturdy box in scrap wall paper and used it for my boxes of kitchen wrap (wax paper, foil, and etc). It was easy to find what I wanted, or take the entire box off the shelf. With all my food right there (except for coffee supplies, which Husband wants right next to the coffee pot), nothing got lost or shuffled to the back. I lined two airy baskets with pretty linens (large enough to fold over the contents) for potatoes and onions, and that was very useful. No more squishy onions.

Seeing all my food and staples exposed seemed to impart a sort of energetic and earnest cooking vibe to the space. And I became a better and more efficient shopper because I could always see what was there.

Best wishes and good luck.

Any cabinets over 4 or 5 feet are supposed to be secured to the wall. Just something to keep in mind.

I second the wardrobe idea.

My roommate found a giant IKEA set on craigslist (like the Pax). Two went to his room, and two went to the kitchen. They have customizable drawers, shelves, and bins, and you get to decide the shelf height.

One 8' pantry holds all my stuff - including special-use appliances and 1/3 of the dry goods section of Rainbow Grocery :).

I see others have suggested the wardrobe idea as well. I would search Craig's List and local thrift stores for a wardrobe/armoire and freshen it up to match your kitchen. We have a 2 of them in our house and I know they would be plenty big. In fact, now that I think about it, they both hold much more than our actual pantry does. Happy hunting!

SunnyBlue: I do as you do. I have a good amount of cabinet space in my rental kitchen, but I don't have any food it them; I really prefer the open style. Everything is easy to see and reach.

I have my food neatly organized in small easy access bins on a long utility shelf. I love it and agree heartily that it makes shopping easier. I never thought of it in energetic terms, but I realize that you're absolutely right about this.

I just bought a freestanding pantry from Target. It is literally a pantry, not a wardrobe or a bookcase. It was 59.99 and came in a few different colors. It has a ton of matching shorter cabinets and accessories, as well.

thanks for all the ideas!! i would have gone to ikea in a heartbeat, if there was one in colorado. however, by fall of 2011, we should have one just south of denver. for now i'll check out craigslist and see what's available online for target. cheers!

we got <A href="http://www.target.com/2-Door-Storage-Cabinet-White/dp/B001J14BAO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&qid=1268928772&frombrowse=0&node=1038576&keywords=white%20cabinet&field_browse=1038576&searchSize=30&id=2%20Door%20Storage%20Cabinet%20White&field_availability=-2&refinementHistory=subjectbin%2Ctarget_com_age%2Ctarget_com_gender-bin%2Ctarget_com_character-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&searchNodeID=1038576&field_launch-date=-1y&sr=1-5&searchRank=target104545&searchPage=1&field_keywords=white%20cabinet">this cabinet</A> for our small kitchen.

it is only okay. it was inexpensive but also cheap, if you know what i mean. it serves its purpose but basically we got what we paid for and it is not sturdy at all. i would try something else...if i could go back in time i would have shelled out a little extra to get something of better quality.

I've used a cheap Billy bookcase with doors for the past year and a half and it's been wonderful (and wonderfully versatile).