Browse Forums Kitchen Corner Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 21Feb 03, 2011 7:05 pm I think having a Butler's pantry is wonderful! We are having a window in there and a large bench, the window looks out onto the garden so we will not feel that we are in a cupboard. Lots of people we know have the Butler's pantry and said they would not be without it, they can make a mess etc and it is not in full view of everybody sitting around the kitchen/living room. Each to their own opinion of course but if you get a chance to have one go for it! Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 22Feb 03, 2011 8:23 pm Quote: Lots of people we know have the Butler's pantry and said they would not be without it, they can make a mess etc and it is not in full view of everybody sitting around the kitchen/living room. I guess that is why people used to have - in older houses - a separate kitchen away from the liveing room. Then kitchens became more and more open space and the visible mess of functionality is a problem so we invent butlers pantries (or re-invent sculleries ). Facinates me how old things are new again and trends go round in circles. Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 23Feb 03, 2011 9:52 pm You're certainly not locked away in a scullery with a butler's pantry though. It's more like having the best of both worlds, rather than going back to the old way of doing things. Our first house had a separate kitchen and I Hated it passionately! Yet I love the butlers pantry. I think they are completely different "Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions." — Elizabeth Gilbert Living in our new house. Currently scaping the land. Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 24Feb 04, 2011 2:16 pm Wow, thanks for all your thoughts everyone....Some great ideas and interesting thoughts. I believe the idea of "butlers pantries" came from Kosher cooking where they need distinct areas to seperate meat from diary. Many Jewish people have two kitchens to accomodate this. My husband comes from a Greek family and I love to entertain. When we just have immediate family over there is 50 people to entertain and I think it would be nice just to be able to close the Butlers Pantry door so people dont see the mess. I can imagine myself at the end of a function opening the door though and cursing myself that I had not cleaned up all the mess!! I also love the idea of the extra storage for appliances, and hiding away toasters, coffee machines, any anything else that may be out on the bench space. I hate clutter in kitchens. I cant imagine cooking in there at all. The second oven would be to keep things warm when we are entertaining large groups. I would make coffee and toast in the morning and thats about it. A second fridge for entertaining will also be in the BP. And a sink.....and maybe even now a second dishwasher LOL!! Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 25Feb 04, 2011 5:30 pm Maybe I am in the minority, but I don't have a problem with kitchen mess. I accept now that there is no way I will be able to keep my house at display home standard, so I am not concerned about the possibility of other people seeing my efforts in the kitchen. Its a room with a very obvious function so why attempt to hide that away. Happy, Healthy Free Range Wessex Saddleback Pigs My doom and gloom paperwork nightmare viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32170 Construction viewtopic.php?f=31&t=43653 Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 26Feb 04, 2011 6:15 pm We will be having a butlers pantry - slab was poured last week. It will be about 3m x 2m. There will be a bench along the long wall with shelves above and drawers below. A sink (deep single bowl & drainer) will be up one end of the bench and an opening window for the splashback. On one short wall there will be shelves and on the other end there will be an upright freezer. There will be a vented skylight which ,along with the opening window should help with the heat generated by the freezer. All the big appliances will be out in the kitchen - fridge, stove, dishwasher, microwave. I imagine I will scrub the frypan or (any other thing that doesn't go in the dishwasher) in the BP. They can soak out there out of sight. Also I can leave the food processor etc out on the bench there so I will hopefully use it more. Really, I am more excited about the pantry than anything else! (sad isn't it?) Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 27Feb 04, 2011 6:32 pm Velouria Maybe I am in the minority, but I don't have a problem with kitchen mess. I accept now that there is no way I will be able to keep my house at display home standard, so I am not concerned about the possibility of other people seeing my efforts in the kitchen. Its a room with a very obvious function so why attempt to hide that away. Minority of at least 2, Velouria Im not saying have the room as a giant pigsty but the times you are using it, it wont look like the pristine display model, it will look like a functional kitchen in use. Im with you, V - I dont get why that is a problem Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 28Feb 04, 2011 6:42 pm movingGal Really, I am more excited about the pantry than anything else! (sad isn't it?) not at all! even DH was excited about ours! "Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions." — Elizabeth Gilbert Living in our new house. Currently scaping the land. Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 29Feb 04, 2011 6:56 pm I wish I had one, but it was one thing I had to compromise on. I hate clutter, can't stand crap on my benches. Kitchens with canisters, small appliances, chopping boards, spice racks, recipe books and a hundred other things filling up the bench space drive me nuts. I like everything neatly put away, which is why we have an appliance cupboard and a nice big pantry. We have a coffee machine, kettle, knife block and fruit bowl on our benches. Anything else has to be put in its place - just call me Mary Poppins. I want the bench space for food prep and dishing up meals, but once that's done, I want the mess out of sight. We eat at the breakfast bar a lot, and it makes me cranky to be eating amongst meal ingredients (that my husband is incapable of putting away) and dirty dishes. My imaginary butler's pantry has a sink and the dishwasher (so I can shut the door on the noise - the humming drive me crazy when watching TV) in it, so that dirty dishes are out of sight. It also has lots of shelving, like kyton's, plus pot drawers under the benchtop for storing Tupperware and large items where you can reach them.... without bending down and moving a dozen other things out of the way first. The kettle lives in there along with all the small appliances that currently live in the appliance cupboard. The microwave would probably remain in the kitchen. It would have good lighting and if there was no window, I'd want a skylight. I can dream.... Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 30Feb 04, 2011 8:51 pm I'm not a fan of mess and clutter either but a kitchen it meant to be used as a kitchen. I make use of my kitchen and clean as I go. (In the same way I'd shower and then wipe it down after I'd finish showering. Use it and clean it up! LOL) Even just for normal family meal I will normally dish up the food and wash the utensils I've used before we even eat. I don't tend to have a lot of different appliances in use at the same time so would prefer to have it put away in the cupboard when I'm not using it. My new kitchen has a small appliance cupboard so that frequently used items like toaster and kettle etc are close at hand near the bench but not visible all the time. I guess a lot of it comes down to lifestyle. I don't normally cater for big crowds. I come from a large family but we tend to all chip in and bring something along to whoever is hosting. I also don't do formal dinner parties- We tend to have more casual get togethers and I prepare as much as possible beforehand (and clean up before guests arrive) so I can enjoy the company of guests rather than spending a lot of time in the kitchen. We have reasonably sized alfresco area at our new house and most eating will happen out there away from the kitchen anyway! If I am to be completely honest I'll probably just get hubby on the BBQ so I can just sip wine and socialise LOL! I imagine it would annoy me to know that there was mess still in the butler's pantry. 'Out of sight' wouldn't necessarily be 'out of mind' for me....but I completely respect that other people would find their butler's pantry a godsend! Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 31Feb 05, 2011 10:14 am What is happening here........................Butlers pantry, scullery........whatever happended to Walk in Pantry? I am getting behind the times I know. Well I'm having a WIP in my new kitchen. One side will have 2 large fridges, the other will house my large appliances, elect frypan, mix master (OMG, yes I'm old fashioned.......it is after all 40 years old!! Then will be a bench, above that all the goodies in jars, and containers. Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 32Feb 05, 2011 10:44 am We are planning to have a scullery in our new build. I am hoping to be able to fit a cool room and shelving for food and appliances. I am not sure if I would put toaster and kettle and such in there too - I would much prefer a small appliance cupboard in the kitchen so I can prepare breakfast nearer to the meals area at the island bench. If I had the space I would like to fit a 600 stove and cooktop but this all depends on if we can get some natural light and good ventilation into the room. In our current house we have a second kitchen in a utility room outside in our alfresco - it definitely gets used when we are entertaining. It has a 900m oven plus a pigeon pair fridge and freezer which means I am not carting food in and out of the house. http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff519/vmr78/20101209151405.jpg I also use it if I am cooking things like chilli mussels or am doing lots of frying as I find that way my house doesn't have any lingering smells. Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 33Feb 05, 2011 11:17 am I'm just old enough to remember when the "separate" kitchen concept disappeared to be replaced with the very novel open plan layout. The prevailing philosophy was that the person doing the kitchen work didn't want to be shut away from the rest of the family while preparing food, not to mention the greater ease of serving across an open counter and eating less formal meals at a breakfast bar. This also allowed a break away from often traditionally smaller "scullery" type layouts as the kitchen began to be integrated into the common areas of the house and was afforded greater space. It was quite a radical concept that the food would be prepped and utensils cleaned in view of the dining table and this is possibly why a lot of people of that generation were imbued with the ethic of cleaning up as one went along, putting items away after being used and keeping the workplace tidy. More likely (in my hazy recollection) there was far less importance placed on a kitchen being a showpiece and greater acceptance that it is in fact a functional work area. (Perhaps) understandably there seems to now be less emphasis placed on keeping a kitchen ordered, whether through cultural changes or people just becoming more time challenged with often greater value given to the features and finishes of a kitchen than it's suitability for task. I am always going to be the sort of person who dislikes wasted movement, clutter, and gratuitous styling, but this is very definitely a personal preference, the same as my fondness for extreme minimalism, stainless steel, polished concrete and the ability for a kitchen to be cleaned out with a high pressure hose. What interests me greatly as a Designer is this apparent return to a concept that was supposedly abandoned in the name of bringing household members into more frequent contact and the lessening of stereotypical role based segregation. Whether I like it or not is besides the point but the observed preferences of a large number of consumers to achieve a partial physical division in kitchen work areas is something which bears greater examination. In the same way that we are moving towards a increased emphasis on alfresco living (about time given the prevailing climate) I believe that it is possibly time for a revamp of some common approaches to contemporary kitchen design. When the whole idea of "butlers" pantries started becoming more popular I was nonplussed by client's apparent enthusiasm for creating what amounted to two kitchens, the one for show and the one to do the work in. But after hearing more about people's needs and wants, particularly in threads with some excellent commentary such as this one, I am having more ideas about how one could functionally divide a well planned workspace into the "front of house" where baking, light prep and serving takes place and a separate room where the heavier, less sightly and noisier work happens - which now that I read it reminds me of many commercial kitchens I worked in back in my hospitality days. I look forward to having a go at delivering some of these ideas in forthcoming projects and my greatest hope is that the clients who express enthusiasm for these features will also accept the cost and space requirements that making these sort of ideas work well will require. Cheers, Earl Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 34Feb 19, 2011 12:19 pm We are trying to work out our pantry space at the moment. I'm in two minds about it all. We have drawn the line at having a sink in the pantry, although I'm sure I'd use it if we did have one. Our pantry is a WIP 2.4 wide by 1.5 deep. We want to get a microwave and toaster in there but we'll keep the kettle in the main part of the kitchen. So the pantry will be used predominantly for storage. Great thread, been interesting to read. Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 35Feb 20, 2011 11:10 pm Hi everyone This has made interesting reading. I dont even know what a butlers pantry is. lol I have never seen one. From what i read some of them is like having two kitchens. I dont mean to be rude at all but what is the point? Is it to hide the mess? Being the time challenged, hater of housework i would think it would just mean more work? Even if you dont use main kitchen you would still need to clean it. We have four bathrooms and only use two. Its a major pain. They still need cleaning every week to get rid the dust. Or maybe i am getting old and looking forward to moving into a little apartment in the city that can be cleaned in a hour rather then spending all weekend cleaning house and doing yard lol Caz Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 36Feb 21, 2011 6:31 am I would be very happy with just a decent walk in pantry, instead of the awkward little corner we have now. Unfortunately, WHEN we get to do our kitchen we will be limited with space so there won't be any nice walk in pantry like I'd like Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 37Feb 21, 2011 1:05 pm movingGal Really, I am more excited about the pantry than anything else! (sad isn't it?) I'm with you there too... although there are several things that are a close second in the excitement stakes. Coming from a Hideous 70's rental kitchen without a pantry AT ALL.... my walk in/butlers pantry will be fantastic. No more needing a stepladdder to get the crockpot out of the cupboard (I wish I was exaggerating ) Mine will be combo small food prep bench, but mostly storage for all those appliances you don't use everyday, but want to access easily, and food. Lots and lots of food! Cassie 28/7/11 - Slabbed 15/8/11 - Framed 19/9/11 - LOCKED UP! 6/10/11 - Kitchen in! 11/11/11 - It's all OURS! Pg 12 Follow our build: The Noodle Family - Preston in the Hills Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 38Feb 21, 2011 2:40 pm We won't be having a Butler's Pantry though if money was no object I reckon I would have. In saying that our WIP is going to be rather large and we're going to house our microwave, kettle & toaster in there (damn I wish we thought of the exhaust fan whoever mentioned that before!!! Excellent idea!) to free up room on kitchen benches and keep it clutter free. We'll have a cavity slider closing it off and a sensor light so it will be rather seamless to pop in and out while making tea, using microwave etc. We're getting 5 levels of malamine shelving so there'll be plenty of storage for all food as well as pots, pans etc. If I were to do it all again and have a BP, I don't think I'd bother with a sink though. Only difference I'd have to what I'm going to have is a bench as that would be really handy. But I'll live There's a pic here on my blog http://karry327.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html Building an Eden Brae Saville 27 http://karry327.blogspot.com/ Building thread https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=44247 Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 39Mar 04, 2011 9:19 pm We're considering building our second home in the next little while (could be a year or two) and we're currently looking at display homes. Even before we set foot in one, one of my top priorities was a walk in pantry. I don't much care if it's a butler's pantry or not, but a second sink would come in handy. I don't want a stove in there, I love food scents through the house. I bake and cook a lot, so kitchen space and storage is very important to our family. With a couple of the houses we're considering at the moment, we're going to try and steal some space out of the "living" room to make an extra large butler's pantry. The "living room" will actually be turned into a second study. A friend of mine owner built a couple of years ago and her butler's pantry is one of my favourite rooms in her house. She even got them to put her dishwasher in there. Keeps the noise out of the rest of the house. ~ Sarah ~ First build was a nightmare, why are we considering a second build?! Plans on hold for a few years, doesn't mean I can't look. A lot! Re: Do you actually use your Butlers Pantry 40Mar 04, 2011 11:36 pm I love our pantry, and we haven't even moved in yet! The idea of keeping things off the bench tops and away has tremendous appeal and also just for food storage. For some reason, I have enough to feed a small army! Now: Building another new home Settlement: 8 July 2021 Construction due to start: In two months I visited a relatives house and he went with sink in kitchen and butlers, dishwasher in kitchen and butlers and has crockery spread out between the two areas depending on… 2 44060 Plasterboard Gyprock is very popular as a reveal liner these days. You need to provide a way of supporting it, we use a modified timber reveal or bracket. You will be… 1 2980 Basically. If the shelves are fixed then they will be screwed in just the same as the rest of the carcass. To re move the screws you need to remove that section of… 3 5191 |