A butler’s pantry can improve both the style and the functionality of a custom home kitchen. If you are thinking about your new custom home design wish list, this high-end touch to you kitchen may be ideal for you.
What is a Butler’s Pantry?
If you’re not familiar with a butler’s pantry, they are usually located in a transitional space between the kitchen and dining rooms featuring cabinets and countertops. The name butler’s pantry dates back the nineteenth century. Traditionally, they were used for cleaning, counting and storage of silver. European butler’s often slept in the panty, as it was their job to keep the silver under lock and key – thus the name butler’s pantry.
In today’s homes, butler’s pantires are usually just off the kitchen and are used as a staging area for meals and for storing candles, serving pieces, table linens, tableware, wine and other dining room items. Some also include dishwashers, refridgerators or sinks.
Why Do you Need One?
They advent of open floor plans lead to butler’s pantries falling out of style, but today they are all the rage again. One of the most useful features you can add to a kitchen, a butler’s pantry is ideal for both storage space and meal preparation.
The benefits of including a butler pantry in your custom home design:
- It will give you extra room for cooking, storage and cleaning up when you entertain
- Cabinets in butler’s pantries allow you to store everything you need in a smaller space
- Convenience. Everything is at your fingertips making it perfect for meal preparation.
- Smaller footprint. A butler’s pantry takes up less space in you home than a walk-in pantry.
- Excellent entertainment hub. The butler’s pantry is an ideal work space that also doubles as a bar or self serve station.
Planning Your Butler’s Pantry
Whether you use your butler’s pantry for meal preparation, cleanup, or caterers, you will want tomake sure it is equipped to handle all these purposes.
Layout:
You will need to consider all of the functions you intend for your butler’s pantry. You will want to base you layout on the storage needs, use you have in mind and space requirement. For instance,working in a wine cooler, dishwasher or sink will be determined by these factors.
Storage Needs:
Large mixers, slow cookers, and other items can take up a ton of room, but it’s very inconvenient to store these items far from where you will be preparing food. You will want to use dividers for trays and platters, and deep drawers for the appliances. The shelves are perfect for displaying your cystal, tea sets and china.
With a butler’s pantry, everything will be accessible while still making the room look beautiful.
Meal Preparation:
An effecient meal preparation area will benefit for organized storage. Glass doors to showcase china and crystal add to the rooms’ beauty, while deep drawers and tall cabinets will accomodate serving dishes, platters linens, vases and pitchers.
Entertainment Hub:
If you intended use is as an entertainment hub, you will want to create a space that doubles as a bar or serving station. Wine coolers and wine racks coupled with cabinets for stemware and a bar sink would be ideal in this instance. Concealed warming drawers can be included to keep food items warm until its time to serve them. Refridgerated drawers can store prepared foods. Built in coffee makers and ice makers would be a good fit.
Clean Up:
If you intent to use this area as a way to keep the formal kitchen free of meal preparation and entertainment mess, you may want to include the dishwasher in this area. In this instance, you should consider durable surfaces and easy to clean materials in your design.
Butler’s Pantry Ideas
Here are a few examples of butler’s pantries we have created for homeowners:
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Interested in talking with our team about your new custom home design and butler pantry ideas? Set up a free, no obligation consultation us. Just use the button below or call us at (813) 831-1984.
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