What Is a Butler’s Pantry, and Why Do You Need One?
Updated: Jan. 25, 2024
Here's everything you need to know about the butler's pantry, a handy, hidden workhorse space
Not just a walk-in pantry, a scullery or a wet bar, a butler’s pantry is a transitional space between the dining and kitchen areas of a home that acts as a food-and-drink prep and storage space. And while butlers may be a thing of the past, butler’s pantries are seeing a resurgence—and not just as a luxury kitchen organization tool. These multifunctional rooms might feature countertops in addition to cabinets, a sink, wine storage and more, and they’re attractive kitchen storage additions for many homeowners—especially those who love to cook and entertain.
“We know that homeowners are spending more time making meals and entertaining at home,” says Lee Crowder, national director of design and model experience at home construction company Taylor Morrison. “The majority of our buyers consider themselves homebodies, so it’s no surprise they would be utilizing more storage for home meals and meal prep in a butler’s pantry.”
We asked the experts about the benefits of butler’s pantries and for their design tips to help you make the most of this workhorse hideaway space.
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The history of the butler’s pantry
A traditional feature in many 19th-century middle- and upper-class homes, the butler’s pantry was often an adjoining room to a kitchen. These were traditionally used by formal waitstaff in wealthy households as a service area when entertaining and a place to clean, count and store prized silverware and large decorative serving pieces. (The butler would often be responsible for counting and polishing the pieces and keeping them secure under lock and key in the pantry.)
Today’s iterations are multifunctional spaces either added in a new-build home or built from an existing space, such as a hallway, nook off the kitchen, mudroom or underused closet.
Benefits of a butler’s pantry
Modern butler’s pantries are used for far more than storing heirloom pieces. While kitchen priorities should determine the butler’s pantry’s focus (coffee making, food prep, dishwashing, organizing pots and pans or decluttering, for example), it should always be one thing: functional.
“A functional butler’s pantry looks different for everyone,” says Stephanie Pierce, director of design and trends for MasterBrand Cabinets. “Keep an eye on how you’re using your kitchen now, and consider any pain points, areas where you’d like more room or spaces that feel cluttered—a great butler’s pantry should relieve those tensions.”
Crowder points out that location is the first priority when adding one of these rooms. “Having a butler’s pantry near your workspace in the kitchen allows the space to be critical for daily use,” she says. Its functionality will vary from kitchen to kitchen, but here are some real-life benefits of a butler’s pantry.
It keeps messy tasks out of your kitchen
One of the biggest benefits of a butler’s pantry is that it can help keep your kitchen tidy. It’s perfect if you are struggling with kitchen counter organization and cleaning. “A separate space in the kitchen designed for ingredient storage, messy food prep or an extra sink for dirty dishes minimizes clutter and allows homeowners to keep communal areas, like a kitchen island, tidy and free for family activities and entertaining,” Pierce says.
A butler’s pantry can be the location for your smoothie station, coffee bar, air fryer or the morning waffle maker, Crowder says. “Let your butler’s pantry do the hard work, so your kitchen can stay beautiful.”
It’s great for party prep
A butler’s pantry is perfect if you love to host. “They can be used to serve and stage food for larger dinner parties, or as a beverage or bar station that is easily accessible by guests but still out of the way,” says professional organizer Reem Elkady. “In large, open-plan kitchens and homes, they help hide dirty dishes during parties and events until you’re ready to tackle them.”
If you’re an avid or budding baker and need plenty of elbow room for flour-filled sourdough rolling or cake baking for large crowds, the butler’s pantry is ideal as a prep space.
It’s a dedicated space for beverages
As well as plenty of counter space to prep appetizers and mix drinks, your butler’s pantry might feature a wine fridge or a mini wet bar.
“If you’re a wine enthusiast or an avid coffee drinker, butler’s pantries give you a permanent area to house, display and serve what you love without taking any space away from the kitchen,” Elkady says. If you don’t have an appliance garage in the kitchen to house a coffee or espresso maker, the countertops in the butler’s pantry are the perfect space. And whether you choose a wine fridge or shelving to display your favorite vintages, butler’s pantries deliver on beverage storage.
It declutters kitchen countertops and cabinets
Elkady says a big bonus of a butler’s pantry is the extra storage space. “In all my years in interior design and personal organizing, I have yet to hear one person complain about an overabundance of kitchen counter space,” she says.
“From air fryers and slow cookers to rice cookers and juicers, home chefs are introducing a variety of new small appliances to their spaces, and while they may make the cooking process more efficient, they make kitchen counters feel cluttered,” Pierce says. “These items are perfect for storing in butler’s pantries.”
So if you’re still struggling for space when you’re organizing your kitchen cabinets, no matter how creative you are with your kitchen storage ideas, maybe it’s time to consider building a butler’s pantry.
It allows for easier cleanup
As well as being used for meal prep, butler’s pantries increasingly feature larger appliances, such as dishwashers and dishwashing sinks. That’s why their name is often used interchangeably with the scullery—another off-kitchen room traditionally used as a full-service kitchen overflow.
If you have the space and budget to install these additional appliances and features in your butler’s pantry, it allows you to pile up dirty dishes out of sight.
Butler’s pantry must-haves
In order to store excess serving items, hide away dishes, implement your spice storage ideas or deposit your dried foods, the butler’s pantry must include some essentials. Here’s what the experts recommend.
Cabinets and shelving
Adequate shelving and cabinets are key to making the space functional and versatile. “Generally, a butler’s pantry includes both upper and lower cabinets and a countertop,” says Lauren Saltman, a professional organizer and owner of Living. Simplified. “Upper cabinets are perfect to store extra sets of dishes, glassware and serving bowls and platters,” she suggests. “Lower cabinets can be used to store small appliances and additional pots and pans.”
Just like a normal pantry, you could also use these spaces to store canned goods, pasta and other shelf-stable foods.
Additional storage
While your daily-use items should be easy to access in the main kitchen, “I would definitely recommend storing infrequently used items in the butler’s pantry,” Saltman says. This means those entertaining items for the holidays, heirloom china, table decor and your best silverware can be stowed away until you need it next.
If you want to show off those rarely used but much treasured platters or stainless steel wine buckets, consider open shelving (which can also be a more economical option than closed cabinetry).
And remember: You don’t have to limit your butler’s pantry use to just food prep and drink storage. “We’ve also seen people pushing the traditional expectations for a butler’s pantry and using the space for other tasks they’d like tucked away from sight,” Pierce says. “This includes items for pets, laundry and household paperwork.”
Visual continuity
Consider how your butler’s pantry fits the aesthetic of your adjoining kitchen or dining area if you want to maintain visual continuity and create a streamlined look. “If it’s a continuation of your current kitchen, consider whether you have access to the same material and colors,” Elkady says, especially with major stock delays across home manufacturers and retailers. “If you’re going for something new, does it work alongside your existing kitchen or dining room?”
She recommends examining the sight lines from either room—do they add to your design experience or detract from it? Adopting the same color scheme throughout can offer a seamless transition and make the space seem bigger, while going for a contrasting color or wall covering can make your butler’s pantry stand out (if you’re using it as a place to display your finest wines, this dramatic ambience might be what you have in mind).
About the experts
- Lee Crowder is the national director of design and model experience at Taylor Morrison, one of the largest homebuilding companies in the United States.
- Reem Elkady is an interior designer turned professional organizer with a degree in architectural design.
- Stephanie Pierce is the director of design and trends for MasterBrand Cabinets.
- Lauren Saltman is a professional organizer and owner of Living. Simplified., a professional organizing company serving the greater seacoast New Hampshire, southern Maine and Massachusetts areas.
Originally Published: September 28, 2023
