When You Have A Lot Of Small Appliances

We all seem to have heaps of small appliances these days.

Most homes have a toaster, kettle and coffee machine. Then you might have an air fryer, Thermomix, Mixmaster, slow cooker or SodaStream as well.

If all of those appliances are spread throughout the main kitchen, it can start to look cluttered pretty quickly.

This is where a butler’s pantry can work really well.

We can create a dedicated benchtop where the appliances you use regularly can stay out all the time. You can walk in, use the coffee machine or air fryer and walk back out again without having to pull everything out of a cupboard every time.

It keeps the main kitchen a lot clearer while still making those appliances easy to use.

But You Might Not Actually Need A Full Butler's Pantry

This is probably the biggest thing to think about.

If the main reason you want a butler’s pantry is because you don't want the toaster, kettle and coffee machine sitting on your main benchtop, you might not need to give up an entire room to achieve that.

Sometimes we can create a dedicated small appliance zone within the kitchen instead.

We have done kitchens where we have created a section between the fridge and pantry specifically for the coffee machine, toaster and kettle. In other kitchens there might be the perfect little spot for an appliance garage with a bi-fold or roller door.

It really depends on the shape and size of the kitchen.

If you have plenty of room, a walk-in pantry with appliance storage can be fantastic. However in some homes taking more space away from the kitchen to squeeze in a butler’s pantry might actually make the overall kitchen less functional.

Do You Actually Need A Second Sink?

This is where we would normally start asking a few more questions.

You can definitely put another sink in a butler’s pantry, but what are you going to use it for?

If the idea is that you are going to take all of the dirty dishes into the butler’s pantry and wash everything in there, then does the dishwasher need to be in there as well?

And if the dishwasher is in there, where are your plates and glasses going to be stored?

Are you going to unload the dishwasher in the butler’s pantry and then carry everything back into the kitchen?

None of those things are necessarily wrong, but you need to think through how the space is actually going to work.

The further you take the butler’s pantry towards becoming a second working kitchen, the more space it needs.

For plenty of people, open pantry shelving and a decent section of benchtop for appliances is actually all they need.

You Need Enough Space To Make It Work

You definitely need a fairly decent-sized space to properly fit a butler’s pantry.

Sometimes people come to us with inspiration photos of these massive kitchens with an island and a large butler’s pantry behind them, but their existing space just isn't big enough to achieve the same thing.

That is one of the challenges with renovations. We have to work within the space that is actually there.

We would much rather create a really functional main kitchen with good storage than squeeze in a butler’s pantry simply because it was on the original wish list.

There are lots of other ways we can improve storage.

More drawers rather than cupboards can make a big difference. We can put drawers inside pantries, use pull-outs for herbs, spices, oils and sauces, create better corner storage and design specific areas around the things you actually have.

Sometimes those changes are a much better use of the available space.

A Large Walk-In Pantry Can Be A Good Middle Ground

As mentioned earlier a butler’s pantry also doesn't have to be a complete second kitchen.

We recently designed a kitchen renovation in Upper Kedron where the clients Therese and Phil had a small kitchen beside an informal dining area that they weren't really using. By taking over that additional space, we were able to create a much larger kitchen with a small butler’s pantry / large walk-in pantry.

There was pantry storage plus a section of benchtop where they could keep their small appliances.

That gave them most of the practical benefits they were looking for without trying to turn the space into another full kitchen.

That sort of setup can work really well.

Can The Laundry Double As A Butler's Pantry?

We do combine laundries and butler’s pantries fairly often as well.

Again, it comes back to the layout.

If the laundry is directly behind or beside the kitchen, creating access between the two spaces might allow it to serve both purposes. You could have your normal laundry cabinetry and appliances while also incorporating additional pantry storage or benchtop space.

But we would need to look at whether creating that access actually improves both rooms.

Sometimes putting a new doorway between the kitchen and laundry means losing valuable cabinetry. It might mean moving plumbing or waste. If water and waste need to be chased through the flooring, that obviously adds more work and cost.

Other times, the layout works perfectly and combining the spaces gives you a much more useful room.

There isn't really one formula for it.

Think About What Problem You Want It To Solve

This is probably where we would start.

• Do you need more pantry storage?
• Do you want somewhere for all of your small appliances?
• Do you entertain a lot and want somewhere to put dirty dishes?
• Do you want a second sink?
• Or do you mainly love the look of kitchens that have a butler’s pantry?

Once we know what you're actually trying to achieve, we can look at whether a butler’s pantry is the best way to achieve it.

Sometimes it absolutely is.

Other times, we might be able to use that same space to make the main kitchen bigger, add more drawers and storage, create a dedicated appliance area or improve the overall flow of the kitchen.

Because every kitchen we build is custom, we can work through the space and design it around how you are actually going to use it rather than trying to squeeze in a feature that doesn't really suit the room.

If you are considering a butler’s pantry as part of your renovation, visit the Modern Kitchens Northside showroom in Lawnton. We can talk through what you want to store, how you use your kitchen and the space you have available, and work out whether a butler’s pantry actually makes sense for your home.

Visit the Modern Kitchens Northside Showroom

If you’re planning a kitchen renovation in Brisbane and wondering whether a butler’s pantry is worth giving up the space for, visit the Modern Kitchens Northside showroom in Lawnton. We can talk through how you use your kitchen, what you want the butler’s pantry to achieve and the space you have available, then look at whether a butler’s pantry, larger walk-in pantry or another storage solution is going to work best for your renovation. Contact us today to talk to the team.