Butler’s Pantry Inspiration

We have a butler’s pantry. We do not have a butler. I would LOVE to have a butler like Mr. Carson from Downton Abbey, wouldn’t you? So, what is a butler’s pantry? According to Google, butler’s pantries are usually located in transitional spaces between kitchens and dining rooms, and used as staging areas for serving meals. They commonly contain countertops, and storage for candles, serving pieces, table linens, tableware, wine, and other dining room articles.

In Europe, the butler’s job was to keep the silver under lock and key. So he used to sleep in that room, and that’s why the room got the name butler’s pantry.

Our butler’s pantry, minus the butler, is located between the breakfast room and dining room. It contains most of our crystal, silver, some china (the rest is stored in the basement), candles, napkins, trivets, teapots, votives~~all the items I use for entertaining. To see a previous post on organizing the butler’s pantry, click here.

What is the difference between a butler’s pantry and a pantry? At our home, the butler’s pantry is a room you walk through to get to the dining room or kitchen. Our regular pantry is a walk-in closet. This is where I store our canned goods and non-perishable food items. I also keep my cookbook collection, beverages and back up non-food kitchen items (foil, Saran Wrap, Ziploc bags) in this space. To see the pantry organization project, click here.

In watching a recent episode of Restored on the DIY Network (which I highly recommend), Brett Waterman brings a 1913 California Mission Revival home back to life. Bella Terra is also Mission Revival architecture, so it was interesting to see the many similarities between the show’s home and ours. During this segment, Brett discusses the attributes of a butler’s pantry.

Since we live with ours every day, it is common to overlook some of its unique features. According to Brett, older butler pantries have wooden countertops. This was designed to prevent breaking the crystal glasses as you place them on the counter (vs. a harder surface like granite or stone).

Our pantry has a detail to the cabinets that isn’t present in contemporary cabinetry. The curvy edge bracket detail is not only decorative but serves as an actual support for the end cabinets.

The other detail that I just love is the curved transition in the wood from the countertop to the backsplash. This workmanship you rarely find today.

Since our home is over 100 years old, it is fun to find clues of a previous era. The cigarette burns on the wooden countertop near the sink prompt images of a former homeowner laying their cigarette down while washing a goblet or mixing a cocktail.

When I was restoring the Willetta house (click here to see that restoration project), I created a butler’s pantry, due to a challenging floor plan for the kitchen. The original kitchen spanned over 2 long and narrow rooms. This space was also visible as you walked into the front door. Therefore, it was important to create an elegant transition from foyer to kitchen. No one wants to see a messy kitchen when they enter a home.

Anytime I remodel a home, I create imaginary future owners and think of how they will utilize the house. Even though this butler’s pantry has the same custom cabinets as the kitchen, the cabinets are lacquered a different color.

The curtain softens the look below the new sink. The butcher block countertops are in keeping with a butler’s pantry feel. Hardware is a simple way to upgrade the look of the cabinets. I selected these elegant crystal knobs and pulls to finish the look. Hardware from House of Antique Hardware. Butcher block countertops from Floor and Decor.

In the Willetta house, I also took a useless storage space and converted it into a china, crystal, and silver closet, as it sat adjacent to the dining room. Who doesn’t need more space to store all those dinnerware items? To see more about this room and the stenciled floor, click here.

In this photo you can see the proximity of our butler’s pantry to the dining room. There are swing doors leading to the breakfast room and to the dining room. A small window to the left (unseen) provides light and ventilation to this transitional space.

Do you have a pantry? Do you have a space you would like to convert to a pantry?

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our butler’s pantry! Can you believe it is March already? Have a wonderful Tuesday.