.A Butler’s Pantry Gaining Popularity
The pantry is a space for storage, food prep, or serving. It is often between a kitchen and a dining area and can store serving dishes, tableware, and other items for entertaining.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BUTLER’S KITCHEN AND A PANTRY
A butler’s pantry is a common feature of historic and period homes. Historically, the pantry and the butler’s pantry served separate functions. It was a common feature of a home until the 1920’s. It would be the main workroom and contain the main kitchen and equipment necessary for him to perform his role. This includes adding the final preparations to meals before they were served.
A butler’s pantry:
- Primarily used as a food and drink prep area and often has a sink.
- Very often has a small sink and possibly a small refrigerator and includes storage space for platters, glassware, silverware, and china.
- Generally, it doesn’t have doors since it’s a passthrough space.
A walk-in pantry:
- A walk-in pantry is a closet space used to store dry goods and beverages but typically is not a pass-through from the kitchen to the dining room
- A butler’s pantry is usually much larger than a walk-in pantry and functions like a separate mini kitchen.
Today, the kitchen is the heart of the home and has become a showplace. Because of that, fewer homeowners want to get it dirty. Open layout kitchens, however, can put messes on full display.
The addition of what may become known as the “mini kitchen is becoming the place where most of the work actually gets done. These enlarged pantries are getting outfitted with appliances, countertops, and cabinets to allow more of the kitchen’s actual cooking and messes to get hidden behind closed doors.