See my own butler's pantry makeover and 13 other inspiring scullery and butler's pantry ideas in this post!
Big news: the butler's pantry is finished!!
A quick refresh with wallpaper, painted countertops and new knobs has completed my small pass-through butler's pantry, and I'm delighted with how it turned out!
Here are all the details from the third part of a makeover series. Keep reading to the end for loads of butler's pantry and scullery inspiration!
My Butler's Pantry Makeover
I set out to refresh my dining room, laundry room and butler's pantry, which all connect the kitchen and entryway. From my front door I can see the dining room and butler's pantry, plus my office, and from my kitchen I can see all of these rooms. That made it important to me that they coordinate and "speak to each other."
I brought in designer Sydney Collins to help pick wallpapers, fabrics and paint colors that would tie all three rooms together in one color story.
Where It All Began
This is how the butler's pantry started out:
It was a total 90s throwback, with yellow walls, a hunter-green countertop and bronze knobs!
I shared my first plans for the space alongside the laundry room makeover plans.
I originally intended to paint the cabinets a pretty blue called "Little Falls." In the end, I used a lighter shade of that blue (Blue Heather) in the laundry room and kept the original cream cabinets. I may paint them white someday, but for now I'm happy with them.
Butler's Pantry Reveal
And here's how the butler's pantry looks now!
I gave the countertops a faux marble finish, the same treatment used in the laundry room. I also hung wallpaper on the walls, a lovely geometric print with iridescent dots. It's so pretty!
I chose the octagon glass knobs after I'd already bought brass ones for the space. I wanted something a bit fancier, and these were the perfect accessory. I love how they echo the glass curtain rod finials in the dining room.
Now the view from the dining room and entryway is far more attractive.
The blues in the butler's pantry match the blue fabric on my dining chairs, the blue pleated lampshades and the blue trim on my dining room curtains.
It also flows perfectly into the laundry room.
From my kitchen I now get to enjoy a view into all three rooms, and they work so well together. Each one makes its own statement, and they look great as a group too. Funny enough, I never thought about how the laundry room floor pattern would relate to this wallpaper until after I installed it, but both look great on the diagonal!
These three spaces are easily my favorite part of the house, which is lucky, since I walk past them all day, every day!
Now that you've seen the big reveal, let's look at what a butler's pantry is and find even more inspiration!
What exactly is a butler's pantry?
A butler's pantry is a dedicated space for storing and organizing serving pieces, glassware, silverware and other items you use to set a table and serve meals. It usually has countertops for staging food before it goes out, cabinets for storage and sometimes appliances.
A butler's pantry makes serving meals easier and more elegant by linking the kitchen and dining area smoothly, which is why it's usually placed between the two.
Once common only in large homes, these pantries have made a comeback, even in smaller ones. As you'll see in this post, you don't need much room to create one, and it doesn't have to sit perfectly between the kitchen and dining room.
In my home the butler's pantry is quite small, but we love having a drinks station there when we entertain. Someday I'd like to swap some of the lower cabinets for a mini fridge or ice maker. We also use it to store serving dishes and set food aside, out of the kitchen's way.
Is a scullery the same thing as a butler's pantry?
Today many people use "butler's pantry" and "scullery" interchangeably, but they began as different things. A scullery traditionally is a small room beside the kitchen for noisy or messy jobs like washing dishes and prepping food. It works like a secondary kitchen or wet bar and typically has a sink and other appliances.
A fully equipped scullery is especially useful in open-plan homes, where the kitchen and dining area blend into the space guests gather in. A small room with extra counter space for prep and cleanup keeps the main kitchen tidy for socializing.
A true butler's pantry is mainly for storing, staging and organizing things used for dining and entertaining. Still, as these spaces return in modern homes, many blend features of both. The most common crossover is a sink, even if it's a small one.
What should be in a butler's pantry?
A well-equipped butler's pantry should hold items for serving and entertaining, including:
- Servingware: Plates, bowls, platters and serving utensils for all kinds of dishes.
- Glassware: Wine glasses, champagne flutes, tumblers and highball glasses.
- Silverware: A selection of flatware and utensils for both formal and casual meals.
- Table linens: Tablecloths, napkins and placemats for table settings.
- Barware: Cocktail shakers, strainers and other bar tools, plus a selection of spirits and mixers.
- Storage solutions: Carefully chosen cabinets, drawers and shelving to store these items efficiently.
- Appliances (optional): Less-used small appliances can be stored out of the way, while those you use mainly for entertaining have a place here. The most common are a mini fridge, a wine refrigerator, a dishwasher, a microwave, an ice maker and more.
What are the most important things to consider when designing a butler's pantry?
Your butler's pantry should suit your hosting and serving needs as closely as possible. Here are the main factors to help guide a custom design that fits you and your home.
- Space and layout: Room may be tight, but even a tiny nook or a converted closet can become a working butler's pantry for your serving essentials. You may already have a basic walk-in pantry used only for food. Could you picture it reworked with countertops and cabinets?
- Storage needs: Work out what you need to keep and prep in this room. Cabinetry makes the most of a small space and brings instant order, with a designated spot for everything.
- Appliances: If you'd like a sink, dishwasher or wine fridge, make sure you have enough electrical and plumbing connections. Then think about where they'll sit, since that will strongly shape the layout.
- Lighting: Good lighting is essential for finding things and for any food prep or staging. Think about under-cabinet task lights plus any ambient lighting you need. If a window brings in natural light, make the most of it for the jobs that need it most.
- Style: Naturally! These rooms are highly practical, but they can be lovely too. Have fun with the design so it complements your home's style and décor. Pick finishes, hardware and materials you love that tie in with your other living spaces.
On that note, here are some gorgeous butler's pantry designs I've gathered from different sources to inspire you. You'll see all the elements covered above, plus real examples of how designers have handled the look, storage and entertaining needs of different homes.
13 Butler's Pantry Ideas to Spark Your Design
This roundup includes 13 butler's pantry designs, but if you're like me, you'll find countless elements to mix and match for your own needs and space. I picked examples with a wide range of features and amenities, and I love each one for different reasons.
1. Entertainer's Enclave
The lovely flooring alone draws you into this elegant room, styled in a New Colonial look. It's ideal for cocktail prep and serving, with a wet bar sink and glass upper cabinets to show off glassware. Meanwhile, the enclosed floor-to-ceiling cabinets offer plenty of extra storage for serving pieces, small appliances and more.
2. Finishing in Style With Luxury
A small butler's pantry is only a fraction of your kitchen's size, so it's the ideal spot to splurge on hardware and finishes you might skip in a bigger room, whether for cost or upkeep. This is a delightful mix of luxe marble, glass and brass, with a tiny copper sink.
3. Pristine Prep & Cleanup
This scullery strikes a great balance of open shelving, little exposed food storage and two roomy work counters. I may love the appliances as much as the bright, clean look: alongside a microwave and electric oven, the cabinetry hides a dish drawer and a cooling drawer, which handles dishwashing and adds extra fridge space.
4. Cozy Coastal Hideaway
The cabinet color, natural light, warm woods and sturdy shiplap create a cozy, coastal feel. This fairly small room fits a lot in without feeling crowded, thanks to floating open shelves and glass throughout, including the storage jars and cabinet fronts. That sunny view over a deep sink with lovely brass fittings would make washing up feel far less like a chore!
5. Serving Piece Showcase
This butler's pantry feels most like a true serving pantry, showcasing lovely serving pieces against coordinating patterns and colors. There's still plenty of hidden storage so the glass and china can take center stage, plus a microwave and oven to add kitchen capacity. Pocket doors let you close it off completely, though with a view like this, I'm not sure why you would!
6. So Fresh and So Clean!
The minimal, bright open shelves, with touches of texture in the baskets and other storage, feel so inviting in this scullery. The focus is clearly on displaying pantry staples in an artful way, but there's also cabinetry for other serving items and a light, sunny prep area.
7. Fancy a Cocktail?
This butler's pantry looks lovely overall, and the corner nook for cocktails and wine is so inviting. Maybe it's the brass barware echoing the hardware from the Matthew Quinn Collection that gives it such a refined mood. The cool green-gray of Farrow & Ball's Castle Gray, the Sandberg "Raphael" wallpaper, substantial marble countertops and plenty of natural light make it feel like a crisp spring day.
8. Botanical Retreat
I don't want to pull you away from your butler's pantry plans, but do take a look at this whole Southern Living Showcase Home, a take on the circa-1810 Grassmere Historic Home in Nashville, which was built about 35 miles south in College Grove. There's so much to love about it!
Still, I can stay on topic with this charming butler's pantry inside the home. The cabinet color is gorgeous, and the vintage botanical florals add a touch of whimsy, nodding to early 19th-century style with a modern twist.
9. Green With Envy
The green color and gorgeous upper cabinets caught my eye first in this butler's pantry. Then I learned about the "enfilade" designer James Farmer highlighted in its HGTV feature. That term describes rooms deliberately lined up with aligned doorways. Here, the butler's pantry, dining room and living room are linked that way, and he emphasizes the connection with carefully placed colors, patterns and textures.
10. Sweet Scullery
Unlike the other examples, which fit the classic butler's pantry idea with extra features, this one is more like a scullery. Interestingly, it isn't a separate room. It gives that impression because it's tucked into the back corner of an open kitchen and partly hidden by a large cabinet unit holding the refrigerator, oven and other big appliances. Here's another photo for reference.
11. Just the Right Space
This may be the smallest space in the roundup, and it shows how neatly you can organize even a very small butler's pantry. It feels warm and cozy, with natural materials set against creamy white and washed in light from a large window. The opposite wall has a similar slim cabinet design and works as a coffee station, with extra storage above and below.
12. Vibrant, Functional Favorite Things
The lively patterned wallpaper, bold rug and gleaming copper pots on the wall are just a few highlights of this butler's pantry. It's obvious right away that the room reflects the people who live there, and it's planned to suit exactly what they need.
One side holds classic food pantry staples, while the other is enclosed for dishes and serving ware. Floor-to-ceiling cabinets are reached with a library ladder and brass rail for easy access to the top shelves. The wallpaper is Jasper's "Indian Flower" in saffron, and the paint is a custom blend the homeowner shares in her Instagram highlights.
13. Bringing the Indoors Out
I picked this sunny butler's pantry for its location, because it's easy to reach in two ways. Like the others, it's close to the main kitchen and dining areas. The big bonus is lovely French doors that open onto a patio, so it's just as easy to slip in and out for outdoor entertaining.
With a room like this, can you picture how easy it would be to come straight in from the garden to rinse a harvest of vegetables or cut and arrange fresh flowers?
Final Thoughts
I hope these examples have sparked the ideas you're looking for as you plan your perfect butler's pantry. Once you've weighed up your space, storage needs and serving habits, you can narrow down the features you want and start building a beautiful, practical room.
You'll be so pleased once it's finished. Trust me, it's a total game-changer!
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