19 pantry and scullery ideas (with advice from Rita Konig on how to do them right)
Strange as it might sound, there is something very luxurious about pantries and sculleries. Obviously, they are especially luxurious if there is someone other than yourself using them, but these back-of-house rooms bring order that makes life more comfortable, and ultimately luxury is about comfort.
The scullery and pantry are appearing more and more on architects’ plans, and they are very valuable, especially when the kitchen doubles as a dining room and living space. I am currently working on a farmhouse where this is the case, so all the washing-up is done in an adjacent scullery, relieving the kitchen of this heavy lifting and allowing it to remain attractive and calm. An added bonus is that it will have walls of cupboards for china and glass, which I find exciting.
When you are at the beginning of a project and about to knock down walls to make a large, open-plan kitchen, consider keeping a small room separate for a scullery. It really is lovely to have a place to retreat to, and being able to see into an adjoining but separate room from the main kitchen can give a much greater sense of space than another five foot tagged onto the end.
As for the design of the scullery, a wooden sink and draining board might be old-fashioned, but they are very practical – as wood is softer than stone, it is more forgiving when you are washing up china and glass. Add a couple of holes to a shelf by the sink to drain decanters, and consider built-in plate racks to display china, as in the ‘Longford’ pantry by Humphrey Munson. This design also has the clever option of rails on the front of the counter to run a small ladder along to get to high shelves and cupboards. Think of using sliding doors rather than hinged ones – they take up less room. If you are planning on having china cupboards, consider lining the shelves with baize to reduce breakages and think about the depths of the cupboards. You do not really want the upper ones deeper than a dinner plate, but make sure the lower ones are big enough to hold a large serving dish.
Order is not the only thing that these rooms bring – they can be fun, too. The butler’s pantry has been gathering pace in the States for a while. I am sure they have been made fashionable by Steven Gambrel, whose chic take on the room leaves one swooning – you just know you will have a good time there. While these rooms used to be all pitch pine and linoleum, they are now made in oak with wonderfully dark and glossy paint colours, and are like a bar that doubles as a place to wash up and keep the glasses.
I am installing a butler’s pantry by Plain English in a client’s house at the moment. This will no doubt be used practically during big weekends by staff, but in its everyday life I imagine it much more as a man’s playroom (no gender stereotyping here!). It is where drinks are mixed, the wine kept, decanters stored and ice machines housed – it is such fun having a room dedicated to this stuff.
New Orleans native Suzanne Rheinstein, an interior designer, had one of the most covetable butler’s pantries at her house in Hancock Park, Los Angeles. It was a long room lined on either side with china cupboards and a counter made up of a chic piece of marble with a pair of lamps on it, an ample drinks tray in between and refrigerated drawers underneath. What is lovely is how she combined the lamps and tray, which are more ‘front of house’, with the utility of the rest of the room. And just to finish it all off, it has a fabulous door upholstered in red leather with brass nail heads and a porthole window – Suzanne’s Southern take on a green baize door.—Rita Konig
Owen Gale1/19This comfortable house in Bath has a distinctly American-feeling kitchen, which comes complete with a bright white pantry to keep dry food and hide appliances and kitchen mess.
Will Slater2/19Plum Cottage, the historic Cornwall house renovated with charm and feeling by HÁM Interiors, features a pantry/utility room partitioned from the main dining space by a half-glazed screen. The effect is to separate out the practical space from the entertaining area without the heaviness of a door or thick curtain. A washer/dryer is concealed behind a curtain in ‘Carleigh’ Embroidered Ticking Denim by Ralph Lauren.
Helen Cathcart3/19In the strikingly pink statement pantry at a welcoming new build near Chichester Harbour by Isabella Worsley, open walnut shelves provide easy storage. The worktop is in the same wood, with an antique brass stud design. The door and panels were designed by Isabella’s team, and then built bespoke by a joiner. The skirt fabric is ‘Guell Lamadrid’.
Christopher Horwood4/19At her own Georgian house in Yorkshire, House & Garden editor Hatta Byng created a spacious pantry that opens off the kitchen-dining room. A pillar-box-red gloss from Papers and Paints was chosen for the cupboards, which are topped with black granite. ‘Walter’ wall lights from Jamb flank a wooden plate rack that was found in the attic, with vintage pendants from Retrouvius overhead.
Christopher Horwood5/19The clients in this London house by Laura Stephens wanted a walk-in pantry that was open, so Laura used reeded glass panels which let the light through, and give a glimpse without creating a cluttered look. “I felt it was quite brave to just put everything on display like that. But they are very tidy and organised, and keep everything in pretty jars,” says Laura. The pantry was designed together with Boffe kitchens.
- British Standard Cupboards6/19
The bright blue pantry in Lisa Mehyedene's London kitchen is painted in ‘St Giles Blue’ from Farrow & Ball for an explosion of colour. Decorative touches include Howe’s ‘ Folies Bergère’ fabric and tiles by Wayne Pate for Balineum.
Christopher Horwood7/19The pantry in Lucy Williams' house features reclaimed taps and worktops (reclaimed lab worktops via Retrouvius), as well as new pieces. The wall tiles are Topps Tiles, with Otto Tiles under foot. The walls are Farrow & Ball's Drab. The two-tone curtains were made by East London Cloth and hide drinks fridges, cleaning equipment and dog feood. The outside glazing is painted in Farrow & Ball's Cola.
Paul Massey8/19In Carlos Garcia's Norfolk manor house, the pantry/utility room adjoins the kitchen. open shelves display homemade jams and chutneys. Curtains in a gingham from Ian Mankin hide additional storage. Carlos bought the table from his gardener for £5 and painted its legs in ‘Mole’s Breath’ by Farrow & Ball.
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9/19Designed by Berdoulat’s Patrick Williams, this galley-style scullery makes the most of the narrow space, with a glazed dresser for china and glasses, and a pair of fitted oak sinks – softer than stone, these minimise breakages – with drying racks above. The tide-line walls echo the Victorian tradition of painting the lower half in a dark, durable gloss to protect from wear and tear.
10/19‘Internal glazing can actually make a space seem larger,’ says Plain English’s design director, Merlin Wright, of this tall, pale-painted pantry. Floor-to-ceiling units – handily numbered to ensure items can be located easily – provide plentiful storage for foodstuffs and kitchen equipment, while the area accessed through half-glazed doors offers a practical mix of cupboards, work surfaces and open shelving.
Owen Gale11/19Charlotte and Angus Buchanan, the dynamic husband-and-wife duo behind Buchanan Studio, created this practical pantry area in their Harlesden home. Appliances are hidden away behind curtains made from Buchanan Studio's ‘Stripe Two Vert’ linen.
12/19A small space is made infinitely more cheerful when painted top-to-toe in yellow. Designed by Plain English Design, this pantry packs in a sink, plenty of storage and extra countertop space.
Yuki Sugiura13/19The designer Matilda Goad has spent the last two years turning a typical London house in to an imaginative, stylish home packed with clever and unexpected ideas. In her larder Matilda has used red grout between the white tiles. The curtain is in a Jean Monroe fabric from Turnell & Gigon.
14/19This striking pantry by Herringbone Kitchens incorporates floor-to-ceiling wine storage in hexagon shaped shelving. We also love how the space is drenched in colour – a great way for livening up a more muted kitchen scheme.
15/19Blakes London avoided having a dark, awkward corner in this kitchen by sectioning it off with steel-framed glass doors and windows. Not only do the glass partition walls allow for plenty of light, but they make a striking design feature too. A cohesive colour scheme and floor pattern help to unify the space. The striking pantry space incorporates an extra sink, plenty of hidden storage under the countertops, and wall-mounted open storage for displaying wine. A ladder keeps bottles within reach (and looks rather lovely too).
16/19A similar kitchen nook has been used as a pantry here too, except this time with a country aesthetic. Plain English Design used a soft sage colour palette and framed the pantry with wood panelling. An AGA sits at the heart of the kitchen peninsula.
Dean Hearne17/19At Asthall Manor in Oxfordshire – former home of the Mitford sisters – Rosie Pearson has restored the Jacobean house and gardens, which now provide the setting for a biennial celebration of contemporary sculpture. The scullery leads off the open kitchen and dining area, with a half glazed door to allow for a sense of flow between the spaces. Wall-mounted plate racks allow for easy access and a place for dishes to dry.
Simon Upton18/19Antique dealer Ken Bolan and Emmy Award-winning television producer Caryn Mandabach have seamlessly combined their individual styles in their Wiltshire farmhouse. French windows lead from the scullery, with its simple panelled storage and open shelving, to the terrace and garden.
19/19Rather than being separated from the kitchen with a wall and a door, this pantry space by Blakes London features a more integrated, open-plan approach. While the sightline into the pantry connects the two spaces, they are still separate.
