So Many Questions

[lotsosudz]

Wonderful Kitchen

The Bins pictured would not be problematic, as the housewives back then cooked and baked a lot more often then we do today. Therefore she was rotating through that sugar, and flour, alot faster than today. My Mother had bins, and we never had bugs, or contamination, that I was aware of. but we also had 5 kids, and we went through everything like Grant taking Richmond.
Cooking from scratch causes you to burn through ingredients like crazy, when its done daily.
David

 

[vacerator]

Kitchen bins

are quite an old thing. See Farnkfurt kitchen on Wikipedia. No refrigerator.
I think of it as the pantry kitchen combination. Similar to a hoosier cabinet.
I built out my pantry in an existing deep closet that is nestled over my basement stair well in my kitchen. The space is not large enough for a walk in pantry.
I made shelves and stained them whisky cherry like the cabinet color. I applied molding to the shelf edges, and covered the shelves in plexi-glass so they re wipe clean easy. Then I installed sliding flexible plastic low rise bins that hold everything in place. Wider ones for flour and sugar canisters, narrower for bottles, boxes, jars, and spices. A detachable Led light on a magnet is on the top of the inside door frame and can light up any shelf to see ingredients in the back.
Baking sheets and cooling racks fit in the narrow slot at the bottom where the step intrudes. The very top shelf holds small appliances.
I ordered a pantry cabinet front with a double door and fitted it over the opening rather than a conventional door in a jamb so it looks custom and matches the cabinets.

 

[fridgenut]

Vacerator

I like that idea. Seems like you would get a lot of stuff for your kitchen in a small area that way.