What is a Butler’s Pantry?

Butler’s pantries are all the rage in home design at the moment, but there can be some confusion on what exactly one entails. The line between a space being a butler’s pantry or a standard one is subjective in some regards (and don’t get us started on the fight about whether a butler’s pantry is actually a scullery), but there are obvious differences between the two.

In today’s blog, we’re going to do our best to point out those differences and explain exactly what a butler’s pantry is, what they’re used for, and how they came to be.

Q: What is a Butler’s Pantry?

A: According to the Merriam-Webster, a butler’s pantry is “a service room between kitchen and dining room.”

This is a simple enough definition, though the concept has undergone several iterations over the years. For the most part, however, a butler’s pantry is a more defined, more involved space in a home that is distinct from any other room, including a kitchen or dining room. Its purpose is to store more than just food (for example, appliances or dinnerware), and it is almost always equipped for meal preparation.

Q: What are the differences between a Butler’s Pantry and a standard one?

A: As the above definition implies, a butler’s pantry is basically a standard pantry with several more features and uses.

When you think of a pantry, you might picture a handful of shelves, food storage, and maybe a few small appliances, but not much else. There’s usually no space or means to prepare food in a standard pantry as its sole use is storage.

A butler’s pantry is storage all the same as a standard one, but they’ll be large enough to contain cabinets, countertop space, a sink, or even full-size kitchen appliances—a secondary, mini kitchen, if you will. In more extensive ones, one could store, cook, and prepare a full meal out of view from the living spaces. This hearkens back to the origin of butler’s pantries when servants would prepare meals whilst homeowners entertained their guests (more on that below!).

Q: What’s the history behind the Butler’s Pantry?

A: Unsurprisingly, storage and food prep rooms have been around in various forms for hundreds of years.

In the late 1700s, New England colonists began to incorporate small rooms off of their kitchens to store food and other provisions. These original pantries were called “butteries” since they often held barrels, or “butts,” of ale and other items.

It wasn’t until the mid-to-late 1800s that pantries evolved to be more grand than simple storage spaces in both America and England. Upper- and middle-class homeowners began storing their silver, fine china, and linens alongside foodstuffs, and the room was to be tucked between the kitchen and dining so that food could be plated out of sight and delivered straight to the table. In wealthier homes, butlers and maids were the chief servers during meals, so the term “butler’s pantry” became common.

In the early 1900s, kitchen design began to incorporate more extensive cabinetry and cupboards in the main spaces, making a separate pantry all but unnecessary and obsolete. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1990s that American homeowners began to revitalize the use of pantries.

Fast forward to today and the standard for most new homes is once again the inclusion of a butler’s pantry much like the ones common in the 1800s. However, as you can imagine, the modern day version takes the original concept to an entirely different level.

Q: Does Stonewall Homes do Butler’s Pantries in your houses?

A: Of course! As a custom homebuilder, we can include any features our clients want in their homes—including butler’s pantries.

In fact, we’ve seen a significant increase in demand for these mini kitchens the past few years, and most of our customs and specs include at least a walk-in pantry. Pictured throughout this post are just a few examples of butler’s pantries we’ve done recently.