As Ube Quilting suggested upper cabinets do take up less floor space. We built a storage unit in our dining area that looks like a built in from upper cabinets. We got them at Ikea. We used 6 cabinets of three different heights and stacked them 3 high with the highest, then mid then shortest in that order. The middle set has glass doors. There are two sets of three like this. We started at the floor and they go to about the same height as cabinets that have a base and upper like in a kitchen. The only modification we had to make was to sit the lowest cabinet on a 1x2 to elevate it just a bit off the floor so the door would clear the floor when opened. They are attached to the wall and each other. If you're short on floor space this could be a solution.
In my kitchen I have pull out drawers in the lower cabinets. Those would work well to be able to find things in a sewing room as well. I like the idea of a pantry unit as well.