Carol smiled when she heard the soft pop of the cork from the last bottle of wine. Tonight was exactly as she dreamed when she and her husband were designing the butler’s pantry for their new custom home build. She imagined herself flowing gracefully between the kitchen and the dining room, her guests in admiration of her poise and charm.
Tonight, at her dinner party, thanks to her custom home builders, she’d prepared, staged, and served each course with perfection. With only a few close friends remaining after supper, she thought to herself, what a perfect night. Now, she could enjoy recalling all the highlights and thinking about her next party.
Historically
The butler’s pantry was small between the kitchen and dining room. The purpose of a butler’s pantry was primarily to store the family china. Many people have extra dishes, serving pieces that they may not use but would love to display, and many more, collect silver or china. What better way to display them than in a space as pretty as a butler’s pantry?
Notably, the butler’s pantry emerged in 19th Century England and America and saw the greatest popularity in the latter half of the century. It was once the space for domestic servants, but now it is regarded as comforting and elegant by modern homeowners.
Currently
Like many things used in the past and then discarded, butler’s pantries are no longer commonly included in today’s homes. But sometimes (and we would argue that this is one of those times), the things from the past are actually better than those found now!
Today, a butler’s pantry will usually contain some elements of kitchen functionality, such as a purpose-built area to use a coffee machine, microwave, or toaster and an additional sink alongside a bench-top for food preparation. One idea here is to keep the kitchen spotless by using the butler’s pantry for any prep or other messy work.
A butler’s pantry is also used to store any or all of your appliances like Instant-pot, air fryers, bread makers, slow-cookers, or blenders to free up kitchen counter space. All of these may crowd into an already small pantry, but they could easily be stored out of sight in the closed cabinets of a butler’s pantry!
“Let there be a place for every article, and when not in use, let every article be in its place.”
If you want, think even bigger: like built-in wine racks and stemware storage, a wet bar to prepare drinks and store your various types of liquors, mixers, and kitchen accessories, a full coffee bar equipped with the latest and greatest machines to make any coffee you or your guests desire.
Additional Costs
A butler’s pantry requires a little more planning than a regular pantry since it’s an actual room and not a closet. Even if it is a mini one, a second kitchen like a butler’s pantry will add to the overall costs of your home. That said, it will likely also increase your home’s value.
The costs for a butler’s pantry will vary depending on your existing space and how high-end you want to make it. However, engineering one in a new custom home build is less expensive to include than the cost of adding one later.
Let’s face it, kitchen cupboards and countertops only have so much room. A butler’s pantry can be a real lifesaver for foodies, those who love to entertain, families, bulk shoppers, and kitchen gadget lovers. And since we all own way more appliances than our ancestors did, a butler’s pantry provides a great place to store those appliances you don’t use every day or every week.
If you love entertaining and cooking, you want to make sure you have the maximum convenience possible while preparing food and serving your guests. If this describes you, then a butler’s pantry may be just what you need!
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