Good To Know: The Butler’s Pantry
Over the last few years, one of the most requested items from both our new build and remodel clients is a butler’s pantry (also called a back kitchen). These rooms, once a staple of Victorian era homes, have definitely become popular again in recent years, and we’re glad that they’re back. Today for Good to Know, we’re covering everything you need to know about butler’s pantries, what to include in yours, and why they’re a great option for your home.
WHY IS IT CALLED A BUTLER’S PANTRY?
While most Americans no longer have a butler to tend to their home, that’s where the name of this space comes from. Butler’s pantries were once a hallmark of Victorian England and Colonial American home architecture. In those days, these rooms were generally quite narrow, and spanned the space between the main kitchen and the formal dining room. They were used to store the most expensive serving pieces, including china, crystal, and silver. It was not uncommon for the butler to actually sleep in this room, to help guard these most valuable of possessions.
Although the popularity of these rooms declined with the trend of open floor plans, larger great rooms, and the addition of mud rooms, we are glad to see these spaces coming back again. Modern butler’s pantries are certainly different from those of Victorian England, both in design as well as purpose, but they absolutely have a place in the modern home.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BUTLER’S PANTRY AND A NORMAL PANTRY?
An easy way to think about a butler’s pantry is that it is essentially an upgraded version of a regular pantry. While a normal pantry is purely for storage, a butler’s pantry can be treated as an extension of your kitchen. These spaces are very functional, but are still beautiful and feel like a room in your home. They are not just for storage, but for practical use as well. Butler’s pantries are completely customizable to your needs, so they can be very helpful for preparation space for entertaining, extra storage, a home bar, or anything else you might need. You can easily create a multi-functional space that fulfills a variety of uses. The primary reason to have a butler’s pantry in your home is to help keep your main kitchen more organized and cleaner on a day-to-day basis. The butler’s pantry is more utilitarian, and is the place to make a mess, while the main kitchen can be prettier and less cluttered.
One of the main benefits of a butler’s pantry is to home entertaining. These rooms typically have a lot of counter space, so they are excellent places to stage meals and prep food. They also often have a door, so you can make a mess in private while your guests enjoy the spaciousness of a clean, open kitchen. This detail is particularly important given the popularity of open floor plans in homes. How often have you been finishing a few last minute things, but didn’t want to work in full view of your guests, or have your food preparation on display? The butler’s pantry serves as a buffer between the kitchen and the dining room, and is purely for your convenience. You can keep the clutter and mess out of sight and worry about cleanup later.
The overall goal of a butler’s pantry is to improve your kitchen. You can keep extra appliances in there, and utilize cupboards and shelves to maximize your kitchen’s storage. When planned correctly, a butler’s kitchen can truly make your kitchen more functional, and can improve your experience in the kitchen in a myriad of ways.
WHAT DO I PUT IN MY BUTLER’S PANTRY?
As I mentioned above, the contents of a butler’s pantry are completely à la carte, and can be customized to fit your exact needs. Traditionally, butler’s pantries are for storage, so when you’re planning yours, consider where your current kitchen is not meeting your needs and wants. Perhaps you have a few appliances that you use regularly, but not enough to clutter your main kitchen. Maybe you need more storage for things like serving utensils, fine silverware, and linens. You may need more working space, and want to incorporate something like a baking station. It’s entirely up to you!
Whatever your needs are, we have some suggestions for things that you might consider incorporating into your design. For general use, we always recommend having a lot of storage, a sink, ample power outlets, and a place for garbage and recycling. For storage, you’ll definitely want to have enough space for food, as well as extra dry goods, cookware, and serving dishes.
You can also incorporate space for appliances such as:
A MICROWAVE
TOASTER
COFFEE OR ESPRESSO MAKER
BLENDER
ICE MAKER
WINE COOLER
FOOD PROCESSOR
STAND MIXER
DISH WASHER
STEAM OVEN
OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU LOVE, BUT DON’T USE EVERY DAY
If you do want to use the space for meal staging or food prep for entertaining, we definitely recommend incorporating plenty of counter space as well as shelving space for dishes. Additionally, if you are really into entertaining, you’ll want cupboard space for everything that you’ll use to entertain, so you don’t have to drag it all up from the basement for every occasion. We recommend using extra wide drawers for linen storage, so there are fewer folds in the fabric. For those big parties, it’s also possible to incorporate warming and cooling drawers into your design, so you can keep hot meals and prepared platters at their optimal temperature prior to serving. If a warming drawer sounds nice, but you think you might need more cooking space for big holidays and events, it’s always nice to have an extra wall oven in the butler’s pantry as well.
You can also add in other elements based on your particular lifestyle. If you love to dine alfresco, you can put your butler’s pantry next to an exterior door, so you can finish your meal prep before you take your food outside. Along these lines, you could also incorporate a full wet bar into your butler’s pantry design.
Please keep in mind that a butler’s pantry does not need to be large. If you are undergoing a remodel and would like to add a butler’s pantry to your home, you don’t need a lot of space! Even having an under-used closet is generally enough room to put together a small butler’s pantry that will add functionality to your home.
As with the storage and appliances, all of the design elements for your butler’s pantry are completely customizable. You could choose to have your pantry blend in with your main kitchen, or you could let it stand out as a whole separate space. Since these spaces are smaller and more private than most other rooms in your home, this is a great space to experiment with design elements that might overwhelm other rooms in the house. Don’t be afraid to experiment with a bold wallpaper, paint color, or tile. One thing to note is that you’ll definitely want to incorporate good lighting into your plan. The butler’s pantry is typically an interior room, so you need to have good lighting to ensure that you’ll be able to see and work!
Most importantly, you need to consider the materials that make up the surfaces in your butler’s pantry. This space is supposed to be extremely functional, so you should prioritize materials that are stylish, durable, and low maintenance. Both butcher block and quartz countertops are great options that fit these specifications. If you have marble, granite, or limestone countertops in your kitchen, pick a slab of quartz that has a similar coloring. It won’t scratch or stain like its counterpart, and will be more durable.
HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT MY BUTLER’S PANTRY?
Before moving into my home, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about my butler’s pantry, or even how much use it would get. However, now that I’ve been here over a month, I can officially say that I am really happy with it, and it gets a lot of use. It’s been really nice to have a more private space that can get a little messier. In my butler’s pantry, I’ve prioritized having spaces for my kids to take charge. I have appliance garages for our microwave and toaster, and have stocked many of the drawers with school lunch supplies (if they ever go back to school), so that my kids can get snacks and breakfast on their own. In my home, the butler’s pantry is also separated from my dining room by a swinging door, so it will be great for entertaining in the future.
Here’s what else I have included in my butler’s pantry:
AN 18-INCH DISHWASHER (IT’S BEEN SUPER NICE TO HAVE TWO!)
CUSTOM SHELVES FOR OVERFLOW AND SERVING DISHES
AN ICE MAKER
A SINK
A CRUMB SWEEP BUILT INTO THE COUNTERTOP
LOTS OF COUNTER SPACE
A DRAWER FOR GARBAGE
As for the design, the door between my butler’s pantry and the dining room is painted Farrow & Ball Off Black, and the cabinets are Benjamin Moore Fatigue Green in Semi Gloss. The countertop on the left side is unpolished soapstone (you can read my full soapstone review here), and the countertop on the right is walnut butcher block. The brass work for the open shelving was custom made, but you can find similar items on Etsy. The floor tile is from Mirth Studio.
To see my whole butler’s pantry tour, click below!
Information for this blog post was compiled by our team, as well as The Spruce, Apartment Therapy, Build Direct, Better Homes & Gardens, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, and Bob Vila.