What is a butler’s pantry?
What are the differences between a scullery, butler’s pantry and walk-in pantry?
What should a butler’s pantry include?
Is a butler’s pantry right for my home?
How to light a butler’s pantry:
Once a feature in the homes and manors of the elite, the modern butler’s pantry retains the functionality of its origins, reimagined for contemporary living.
What is a butler’s pantry?
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a butler’s pantry as a ‘service room between the kitchen and dining room’. Aptly named as a space primarily accessed by the service staff of wealthy families at the turn of the 20th century, the butler’s pantry has risen to prominence again in the contemporary family home.
In modern homes, the butler’s pantry is a hybrid between storage space and prep area. This means the typical mess of cooking and entertaining can be kept behind closed doors, and the main kitchen stays clean and uncluttered, making it ideal for hosting your guests while you finalise the last steps of food prep, as well as leaving benches clear for serving food.
The term butler’s pantry is thought to be first documented in the 18th century; however, this transitional space really came into its own in the mid to late 19th century. The butler’s pantry may have started as a simple storage space for silverware, napery and crockery, but as the trend towards lavish dinner parties rose in the Gilded Age, the butler’s pantry expanded to include sinks, prep space, and even a bell system or telephone.
What are the differences between a scullery, butler’s pantry and walk-in pantry?
These three terms are often used interchangeably, and all are correct in one way or another, but there are important distinctions to be made.
A scullery is intended as a fully functioning kitchen and sometimes laundry, with sink, prep areas, storage and space for appliances such as dishwasher and washing machine.
A butler’s pantry, which has overtaken the phrase scullery in many respects and usually refers to the same thing, can also refer to a space that is primarily used for entertaining as a place to store additional supplies or keep food and drink.
A walk-in pantry, as the term suggests, is a larger-than-average pantry that can be walked into and is primarily used for food storage.
All can be considered different “levels” of butler’s pantry, depending on your specifications and the size of your home.
What should a butler’s pantry include?
As discussed above, there are different sizes of butler’s pantry depending on their intended purpose. Therefore, what you include entirely depends on how you envision using the space.
A full butler’s pantry may be a scaled down version of your main kitchen, with a sink, dishwasher, fridge, storage and prep areas. Others may be primarily a pantry space with additional storage, a small prep area and appliances such as the microwave and coffee machine.
Is a butler’s pantry right for my home?
When considering this question, its important to ask yourself a few questions.
- What would I use a butler’s pantry for?
- Is there room in our home to put a butler’s pantry?
- How much do I want to spend?
These sorts of questions will give you a starting point to work from. If you just want a more accessible pantry space that can perhaps store small appliances and large pots as well as food, then this has a different set of considerations to a full butler’s pantry with a sink, dishwasher and lots of prep area.
If you entertain often, have an open plan kitchen that doesn’t have much storage space, or want to hide away mess so you can address it later, then a butler’s pantry of any size may be the answer.
How to light a butler’s pantry
So you’ve taken the plunge; you’re putting in a butler’s pantry! Now the question is, how do you light it?
Depending on the size and function of your butler’s pantry, you may want to consider the following types of lighting:
Overhead lighting
This can be as simple as downlights or may include things like directional bar lighting or domed ceiling lights. Their aim is to provide general illumination to the whole space.
Task lighting
Pendant lights, spotlights and under cabinet lighting are ideal for prep areas, adding both functionality and style to a space.
Decorative or accent lighting
Adding ambience to the space, accent lights often take the form of wall lights. They can be used to highlight a design feature or provide mellow light when the overhead lights aren’t necessary.
Natural light
Butler’s pantries are often internal spaces without access to natural light, due to the need for appropriate food storage. However, if your space doesn’t have open shelving, natural light can be added via a window or sky light, greatly enhancing the space.
Now that you’ve learned a bit more about what makes the butler’s pantry a modern home essential, why not browse our range to find the lighting to match?