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Design Dilemma
mari_gold_

Butler Pantry or Not???

Marianne Goldman
7 anni fa
We are in preliminary stages of designing our home and I desperately want a butlers pantry however hubby is against it for a number of reasons the main one being it will take our floor size over our limit therefore costing extra $$'s that he would rather use to have a better kitchen/bathroom etc. Where as I'm wanting to reduce the size of the kitchen slightly to accommodate the pantry. Options are pretty much:

A) Have a larger kitchen & hubby gets his wish. Or
B) Slightly smaller kitchen, with pantry but extra costs.

My question really is - are butlers pantries really worth it? Or would you prefer to have a bigger kitchen and put the additional money to other things? Hubby is very strict when it comes to budgets so I need to have a good argument to convince him otherwise.

Your feedback, answers, pros/cons would be greatly appreciated!!
Risposta in evidenza
  • PRO
    MB Design & Drafting
    7 anni fa

    I believe proper 'butler's pantry' to be an unnecessary fad. I can see them going the way of formal dining area's, etc. Our house's should be smaller but better designed rather than larger and unnecessary spaces.

    To make them suitable for longterm benefit for me personally, they would need to serve dual purpose's such as laundry and a big pantry.

    Do we really need extra sink's, etc or just a bit more storage is preferred.

    Do we need larger kitchen's? Restaurant kitchens aren't that big in many establishments yet many residential kitchens are huge in comparison.

    You need to be super strict with budget's when it come's to building as there's so many hidden's, rising cost's of materials, etc. It is so easy to add extra cost's by the stroke of a pen! Be critical on every decision otherwise a wrong one could end up costing you thousand's (ten's or hundred's...). Everything has a $ attached to it and this affect's the design, the need's and want's.....

    You never mentioned why you desperately want one; is it a 'want' or a 'need'.

    Commenti (21)

    • robandlyn
      7 anni fa

      I guess it comes down to your lifestyle, how much you entertain etc, as to how much it would be worth to you. I have a butlers pantry and couldn't live without it now.

    • Sammy Elder
      7 anni fa

      I'm not a fan but can see why they work for some people, as robandlyn suggests 'it comes down to your lifestyle'. I couldn't live without my walk in pantry but it is for storage not working in. I don't want to be stuck away in a small space doing all the work while the rest of the family (and guests) are out in the main kitchen/living/dining socialising.

    • PRO
      Wildly Illuminating
      7 anni fa

      I have been lucky enough to have a butlers pantry and it was great. However I can't fit one in my current house when I renovate, so I'm going to incorporate on the cupboard wall a floor towelling cupboard. This will have top doors, the base of which are at bench height. When these are opened they will have shallow racks lining the doors for spices etc, shallow shelves down the wall as the pantry (which begin approx. 50mm from bench. Then on the bench level will be the toaster, Kitchen Aid etc. So very accessible yet concealed. Include great lighting as well, and there you have the next best thing... if you want to appease your hubby!

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    • Marianne Goldman
      Autore originale
      7 anni fa
      Thanks everyone for your feedback! MB Designs are you sure you're not my husband in disguise haha! I suppose for me it's more of a want than a need... I like the idea of having a large walk in area to house food, small electrical appliances that I generally like kept on the beach and even a small bar fridge/wine fridge. Hubby's statement is "you want me to pay $20k for a cupboard". I can see his side of the argument but I think it would be a great addition.
    • LesleyH
      7 anni fa
      I can see the point of a walk in pantry if you have an older kitchen without drawers so this would avoid ripping out the kitchen but otherwise a small walk in pantry would suffice.

      These days there is the huge walk-in pantry recommended at 3m x 3m and then adjacent to the dining room bifold doors to a huge outdoor kitchen with roof and only one side open. It doesn't feel like sitting outside to me and is going overboard. I always think - who cleans these places?
    • PRO
      MB Design & Drafting
      7 anni fa

      I'd have a look at some kitchens and talk to their designers before going for a butler's pantry. I agree with LesleyH/small walk in pantry.

      Yeah, they're an expensive cupboard.... LOL.....

    • haephestus
      7 anni fa

      I personally don't see the appeal of a true butler's pantry. But, some friends have one so that they each have their own stove, cooktop and sink when preparing meals. It's ridiculous to me, but it was important to them!

      Your description of a butler's pantry as simply being a walk in pantry with dedicated shelves for electrical appliances used on a daily basis sounds fine. I personally find a walk in pantry as a great spot to establish a charging station for the proliferation of electrical devices which everyone seems to have these days.

      A wine fridge sounds a little excessive, unless you drink a LOT of wine. Some other friends have a wine fridge and even though it seems like a good idea when entertaining, everyone puts their drinks in the main fridge rather than kneeling down and trying to rearrange the wine fridge in the small-ish walk in pantry. Also, it's much easier when fetching drinks for multiple people to be able to open the main fridge, turn around and place items, fill glasses, grab ice, etc on the kitchen bench.

    • oklouise
      7 anni fa
      Ultima modifica: 7 anni fa

      i prefer a smaller kitchen with a pantry that doesn't include an "extra kitchen" with appliances plugged in ready to use (that's what the kitchen bench is for) but having the pantry meant a compromise that didn't allow enough space for an island so we measured all the cans, jars, bottles, packets, appliances, cookware etc that we needed to store and created spaces to suit very specific storage needs..

      Kitchen 2016 · Maggiori informazioni
      there's an old saying about "happy wife etc" but there has to be room for both to be happy and i suggest that we identify what we are willing to give up in return for the one thing we must have.. Carefully check your whole house plan and there will be a few cms that could be taken off elsewhere to make space for a basic pantry without exceeding the size limit or post the whole house plan and ask HOUZZERS for specific suggestions to help decide

    • Marianne Goldman
      Autore originale
      7 anni fa
      Thanks everyone.... we are yet to have the plans officially drawn up so have just been sketching and using basic iPad apps to put things into prospective... I will see if I can do a screen shot of it and post for some feedback. I'm so glad Houzz is around
    • JE C
      7 anni fa

      Hi, I'm also grappling with similar dilemma. In the UK, they often have a utility room which houses the laundry but also could have an extra fridge or freezer and kitchen electrical equipment - but I think not really food - that would work for me, but I am thinking about resale - would that work that work for most Aussies?

    • Gallifrey
      7 anni fa

      Your husband is a wise man! Who wants to wash up or prep food in an expensive, space wasting cupboard?

    • Marianne Goldman
      Autore originale
      7 anni fa
      Gallifrey - I won't tell him you said that haha
    • julie_millar21
      7 anni fa

      I didn't have enough room for a butlers pantry but wanted my everyday appliances ready to use but hidden. I had specific cupboards built for my jug/toaster, microwave and mixer. I even put my range hood and hotplate behind pocket doors with extra bench space beside it for a frypan etc. The result is a clean, sleek kitchen with everything easily accessed. We love it!

    • Marianne Goldman
      Autore originale
      7 anni fa
      Sounds good Julie! Would you mind sharing a pic?
    • julie_millar21
      7 anni fa

      Sorry, photos are hard to take as wall with appliances/pantry is high gloss black and reflects the trees outside like a mirror.

    • Marianne Goldman
      Autore originale
      7 anni fa
      Love it Julie...some great ideas!
    • User
      7 anni fa

      Sometimes a Butler's Pantry doesn't need to be an excessive extra room. Much like what @julie_millar21 has done, shes hidden her appliances so everything looks tidy and managed.

      I've added some images below of some butlers pantry's I found on Houzz. There are quite a few different ideas! Generally though, it doesn't need to be an entire room, sometimes a hidden corner will do!


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    • Trish
      5 anni fa

      Great question and some great suggestions here. In my last house I had a butlers pantry but it really only got used as an extra storage space. We are about to renovate our current house and like many suggestions here, I am not going for a full butlers pantry, but rather a hidden space for those messy items and dirty dishes for when we're entertaining so I don't have to look at them. . I'll post a photo of what I mean, it all depends on your design. Good luck!

    • Tilly
      5 anni fa
      Imagine your building your absolute dream home.
      Think about the way you actually live and your absolute needs,it needs to be all about your life.
      Design it room by room in writing.
      Then because of budget reasons you need to cull.
      I was forced to do just that. Found it very cleansing.
      I deleted all the outdoor kitchen, left the BBQ.
      Deleted the butlers pantry as I didn’t really want the extra sink and dishwasher in a cupboard.
      We love our house, a home is really about how we live and never being influenced by trends.
      Saying that, we always liked mid century design and we didn’t compromise on our style or finishes and our home suits us perfectly .
      Helped me anyway
    • endofthebitumen
      4 anni fa

      We will be building in about 12 months and a butler's pantry is an absolute must. Bear in mind though that we have bought 100 acres and my aim is self sufficiency. We will have our own beef, pork, chicken, duck and of course eggs and veges. Butler's pantry for me will be a food prep area for preservation and storage and to have probably at least 2 large freezers. Now I could arguably just use the kitchen but I want a door way to articulate outside to the garden and I still want a space (kitchen) to do normal cooking and living. I know this is a little different from a suburban situation buI I have to mention that my very suburban sister has a small butler's pantry and I love it. The toaster and the coffee machine are out of sight but hugely accessible. She can have that messy and nobody knows out cares! At the end of the day I obviously love a good pantry but there are also some innovative cupboard ideas that certainly seem worth looking at!

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