Butler's Pantry vs. Walk In Pantry vs. Scullery

Thinking of remodeling and trying to decide what type of pantry would work best for you? In today's post I'm breaking it all down.

Butler's Pantry

A butler's pantry is technically defined in as a small service and storage room between a kitchen and a dining room. It's different from a walk in pantry in that it is usually larger and includes finished cabinetry, countertops and sink plus faucet for convenient bar & food prep. It's a great place to organize food and drinks to be served for hosting gatherings or as a back up area for storage. Often times small appliances are stored in here including microwaves, toasters, coffee makers, etc. freeing up kitchen counter space.

Now in many new construction homes and renovation projects, butler pantry are no longer pass through areas into formal dining rooms because most homes today have eliminated formal spaces in lieu of more casual living. So the majority of butler pantries today tend to be a separate room off the kitchen. This butler pantry below is one of my all time favorites and you can read more details about the design of this project here.

design by Robin Johnson Interiors

Walk In Pantry

A walk in pantry is more of a closet designed to store dry goods. It usually includes a door to keep it separate from the kitchen and a popular trend is using a sliding barn door or other type of fun accent door. Walk in pantries range in size and cost due to details like what type of shelving is used and how it's arranged but are generally much less expensive than a finished butler pantry.

If you have the room and can include electrical outlets in your pantry, small appliances can also be stored in here. Below is a pic of a remodel project I worked on a few years ago where we carved out some space underneath the stairs to create an adorable, functional pantry. It's always fun to think of where you may have unused storage in your home. Just because it's a walk in pantry doesn't mean you can't make it really pretty and fun.

design by Robin Johnson Interiors

Scullery

Then there is another term you may have heard of as well... the scullery. A scullery is like a mini-kitchen, a step above and beyond a butler pantry that includes appliances like a stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, etc... everything a kitchen has just smaller. Another name for this is a "dirty kitchen". It sits off the main kitchen and is used to cook and prepare food when entertaining so the main kitchen stays nice and clean. Sculleries can come with a high price tag all depening on the size and what appliances you include in them. Here's a picture of beautiful scullery for an active family who loves to entertain:

If you are planning on remodeling or building a new home kitchen, you may want to consider a walk in pantry, butler pantry or scullery depending on your budget, lifestyle and entertaining habits. The other option is maximizing and throughtful placement of wall cabinets in your kitchen to act as pantry storage. It all depends on your layout and what works best in your home.

If you haven't already grab my free KITCHEN REMODEL STARTER KIT to begin thinking of how to best design your new kitchen and set your project up for success. Here's to plentiful and beautiful storage.