designing a butler’s pantry for your kitchen

A butler’s pantry is a great place to hide what’s not on show in your kitchen.

The ultimate space to store all of your kitchen goods, a butler’s pantry can include a sink, oven and plenty of storage options. It all depends on how much space you have to work with and whether or not you’re renovating an existing kitchen, or starting from scratch. Budget also comes into play when you’re planning your butler’s pantry as installing a sink in your butler’s pantry and the necessary plumbing may be on the more expensive side.

take inventory

Make note of everything you’ll potentially be storing in your new pantry. Measure any large or awkward items, plan ahead and try and envisage a spot for these items in your design.

think about the space you need

It’s important to consider how much space you can allocate for a butler’s pantry in your kitchen. As a general rule of thumb, the walkway should be at least 1000mm and you’ll also need about 600mm for benchtops. L-shaped cabinetry can provide a functional layout and if you want to include a sink, dishwasher, microwave or fridge in your butler’s pantry, make sure you allow space for all your appliances, such as your toaster, kettle and kitchen aid.

opt for open shelving

Store your appliances in an easy to access place and have them readily available for use if possible. A great way to do this is incorporate open shelving to keep everything organised and visible for quick and easy use. 

Think about whether or not you’ll be able to see your butler’s pantry from outside the kitchen. If you’ve used open shelves in your design then your shelves will constantly be on display. If this is the case, pack your shelves with containers you can stack! Glass jars are also a great way to store your goods. 

incorporate task lighting

Think about your space and whether or not you’ll be using your butler’s pantry as a preparation area for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If so, it’ll be important to keep this room well-lit and even incorporate under cabinet lighting into your design for that added convenience. It can also make finding those late night snacks a little easier too.

design features are crucial

Focus on the design features of your butler’s pantry. Do you want the whole room to feel light and airy with open cabinetry? Do you want to include drawer base cabinets for easy access and concealed storage? Are you keen to include wireware to store spices and condiments and under counter bins to cleverly hide rubbish?

These are all things to consider when planning your butler’s pantry as they can drastically affect the overall functionality of the space.

create a nice flow with the kitchen

Keep your elements consistent with your kitchen. Your pantry doesn’t have to be a replica of your kitchen but make sure it matches. This way, you’ll end up creating a nice flow between kitchen and pantry, linking the two spaces together cohesively.

drawers are great for large item storage

Drawer base cabinets are perfect for storing large items as they’re deep and have plenty of room to stack any long items like platters or plates.

butler pantry FAQs

What is a good size for a butler's pantry?

There’s no right or wrong answer here, it depends on the function of your pantry and how much space you have in your kitchen. Ideally, it is recommended that a butler's pantry should be at least 1600mm wide and 2200m deep, which should give you plenty of space to fit a fridge, oven, microwave, sink and storage space for food and other kitchen items. 

Is a butler's pantry worth it?

We think so! A butler’s pantry can offer valuable storage space and also make your kitchen feel more high-end. It can also be advantageous if you like to entertain and find that you feel a bit congested when guests are in the kitchen. A butler’s pantry gives you a dedicated area to  prepare food and also store dirty dishes so they are out of sight. 

What is a butler pantry used for?

This is completely up to you! You can use a butler pantry for added pantry storage, a space to prepare food or a second kitchen off your main one. 

How do you make a butler's pantry?

With kaboodle, designing your butler’s pantry is simple and straightforward. Use our 3D kaboodle planner to type in the dimensions of your space, pick your cabinets, benchtops and accessories and pick it all up at your local Bunnings Warehouse.