At least that’s what I’m calling it. Most houses built in the 80′s and 90′s (and probably even still today) had separate rooms which contained the pantry. I’ve been finding that home owners are wanting to bring the pantry back into the kitchen. A common complaint of the separate walk-in pantry is the inefficient use of space. There is often considerable space between the shelves and wasted space above the top shelf. And, that doesn’t include all the wasted real estate in the floor area inside the pantry “room.”
By capturing the pantry as part of the kitchen, we can correct several problems. First problem is a unification problem. By building the pantry as part of the kitchen cabinetry we make the space feel larger. More cabinets equals a feeling of a larger space (assuming the overall design is done correctly). Second problem is an efficiency problem. A cabinetry-based pantry allows the use of storage accessories like pull-outs, pull-out shelves, lazy susans, etc. The added functionality provides home owners more storage options which are a more efficient use of space. The third problem is an image problem. No longer does the pantry need to feel like the poor step-child of the kitchen. With a new look, new purpose, it can join the rest of the family with pride (of course, this last one is tongue in cheek).
The two pictures below show a reconfiguration of a walk-in pantry to a modern butler’s pantry.
Pantry before the remodel - functional, yet separate from the kitchen
The reconfigured pantry to be a modern butler's pantry
A wide angle shot of the kitchen showing the position of the new pantry (off to the left) and its effect on the overall design
