I am a gadget maniac. I know from experience that any gadget you park in a cupboard will probably never be used. So, I like them all on the bench, plugged in, ready to use. Regardless of how large your kitchen is (especially if you also want some bench space left to work on) it is impossible to do in the kitchen, so I think having them in a butler's pantry where they are all ready to use, but out of the way at the same time is the perfect solution. If you have no room for a butler's pantry, an appliance cupboard is a good substitute, but of course, that can only be so big. :-(

We usually do both. If carefully positioned you can have a prep area/butlers pantry where you can leave out appliances etc , plus have the traditional kitchen with island bench.

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i love my walk in pantry because i have about 4 metres of 2 metre tall shelves of various depths to store supplies and equipment and the outside walls of the pantry also have extra cabinets, shelves and counters that doubles the usable storage in my kitchen but i don't understand why some would have a sink or built in appliances in the pantry in order to keep the public kitchen tidy???

Allow me to explain, oklouise :-) Apart from being a gadget maniac, I am also a coffee snob. I have a serious espresso machine, which requires running water. As coffee making (apart from taking up a lot of benchspace) is a messy business, I like to have a "coffee department" where it can't be seen and I definitely need a (small) sink next to it. I certainly wouldn't want my main fridge in the butler's pantry, but an extra fridge/freezer is always handy. The ideal one (if money was no object) would be this one

P.S. I forgot, Houzz already had [these[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/wake-up-your-kitchen-with-a-deluxe-coffee-center-stsetivw-vs~14571687) :-)

Depends on your budget and priorities. With a architect designed house costing $2.5K+ per m2, and wet area probably costing more, I question the wisdom of spending money on an space that most people will not use. A smaller walk in pantry is great, but who wants to wash up and prepare food in a cupboard? Put the money into a real feature of your house that you will actually use, your ensuite, the kitchen the deck etc.

I too prefer the idea of a larger walk in pantry. Cooking is a social event and having appliances stored away but in sight when entering your pantry is a winner for me. If I built though, I think I would be inclined to go for a butlers pantry. As I am remodelling and have limited space I have allowed for a larger walk in pantry and island bench, the best of both worlds

we are in the middle of kitchen renos and yes we are having a butlers pantry. beside the kitchen was an old laundry that was moved out to the shed a few years back. this area was virtually unused except for the fridge that was too big for the kitchen. So now we are transforming it into the butlers pantry. It already has an internal sliding door. All we have done is to take out the back door & large window. Blocked it all off & added small narrow width window, which my husband made (just for the extra light). Recycled some kitchen cupboards and then adding lots of shelves. We have a small sink, extra power points for tea making, toast etc. all things to keep the kitchen clutter free.

I think they made the right choice as this kitchen is now a dramatic feature in the open plan living room. Practical design is always a balancing act. Bristow Architecture

I voted no because it didn't suit me with my build but I'm not against them at all and quite frankly would have loved to have been able to still have one.

I have one. It's not huge, and definitely no place to do prep (though it has a sink which gets used in emergencies). It's essentially a walk in pantry which houses the microwave, the wine fridge, the toaster, the kettle, cookbooks and some of the pantry goods that I don't use every day. My coffee station is in the kitchen just outside the pantry because that's where I like to make coffee, and where the cups and mugs are. My prep space is in the kitchen because it has bigger benches and because I am not doing prep in a windowless closet. I do admit to stuffing dirty pots and pans in the pantry and closing the door when entertaining. And there is that wine fridge...

Essentially, it's an extension of the working kitchen that can be hidden when we have guests, and that provides extra storage. I like having it, am not convinced that putting in the sink was necessary, and don't "get" the concept of doing cooking in there while keeping the kitchen itself virginal.

I don't keep my kitchen virginal either, :-) but I do some of the prep in there, especially when using a gadget that's in there. All prep done by hand is done in the kitchen. I don't have a lot of free bench-space in the pantry, so couldn't do the prep in there, even if I wanted to. My microwave is in the kitchen - no room for it in the pantry, but I prefer it in the kitchen anyway

I love my butler's pantry..wish it was a bit bigger if only I have the room

I love a big pantry - but only as a place to store food. I also love an open plan kitchen as it makes cooking really sociable. But the butler's pantry seems to be a step backwards towards a separate kitchen area, even if it is just for washing up, or some prep. Why would I want to work in a tiny, usually windowless room, when I can work out in my kitchen with lovely views? Yes there is mess involved with cooking - so what? Why should I pretend that meals evolve with no mess and no effort? If I wanted to entertain that way I would get some caterers in!

It isn't the mess I have a problem with, it is all the appliances taking up real estate on the bench, leaving very little room to actually work. When I'm cooking I like to have lots of clear space to spread out on. I think of the butler's pantry as a pantry with a very large appliance cupboard included. I don't wash up in there, nor do I do any prep, except for the prep that the machines do. I do make my coffee in there, mostly because my coffee machine is very big, (with the coffee grinder next to it it is 54x52cm, not including the other peripherals needed) taking up a lot of room and it does need to stand next to the sink

my butler's has my microwave and appliances more for breakfast stuff..toasts ..coffee..and also to store food once I've prepped as no room in the kitchen ..I've got a galley kitchen ..a big stove and 2 sinks ..2 drainers..

sometimes I do prep in there but most time in the kitchen or dining table..better view..

my dishwasher and sink are in the kitchen

VY your kitchen and butlers pantry sounds like a great setup, a very practical kitchen indeed.

I don't think enough people put enough effort into the thought of putting in a butlers pantry, these days, the kitchen being the hub of the home, it's so much more important to have less clutter in the kitchen area where people hang out.

So I believe that putting in some sort of extra rom, even if its just small one really does help, especially when food prep is happening and extra storage is needed.

Kitchen's are so much more than just an oven these days…. think more than just a sink!

Thanks for the great read, and fantastic tips….

In The Closet..I actually went around my old kitchen noted down how many cupboards I had ..how many drawers..how many more of each I wanted..sat down with graph paper and designed my kitchen ..

The pantry was suppose to have one extra shelf but because of pipes we ended up with one less shelf ..

So even with being in an apartment my kitchen is much more functional in terms of storage space than my old place..

hagan_38 doesn't look like you've got enough storage? for crockery ..pots etc are there cupboards below and above?

your bench next to the pantry I'd convert that into a whole wall of cupboards..this is mine lots of storage ..you seem to have heaps of bench on the other side..and your fixed shelves in the scullery can double as your pantry :)

That looks pretty good to me. I expect those drawers in the island will get a real workout - I wish I had more drawers and fewer shelves...

jmm the drawers are great ..they house my pots..my baking trays..chopping boards..drink bottles ..lunch boxes ..plastic wares..and the smaller ones cutlery ..utensils..baking stuff..cake decorating ..tea towels..and spices as I haven't found a solution for my spices ..no room for spice racks

hagan_38 worse comes to worse your pantry can double as storage..looks all right..

I keep my spices on one (well, actually two) of these:

jmm..I have no bench space ..so they are in one of those fridge compartment..second drawer below my cook top..

I read in one of those decorating articles the local newspaper links to, the ones where experts list the five next big trends or the ten things you should discard now, I read that butlers pantries are on their way out. Okay everybody, start ripping out walls.

How ridiculous. Surely this is another case of whatever works for you and your lifestyle. I have seen butlers pantries in display homes which are way bigger and fancier than we ourselves would need and like many people we manage without one at all at the moment, but since kitchens changed from a discrete functional room to a part of the living space I think having an area where clutter and dirty dishes can be kept out of sight is a good idea.

hagan_38 :) you'll love it ..so much space..

found out that with 5 double power points in my pantry and with all my appliances I can't have them all out anyway..so only got a rice cooker ..kettle..toaster..jaffles maker..and my daughter her magic bullet thingy ..

my cake mixer and processor and whatever else is being stored up high..

I have never been one to follow trends. I don't care whether my kitchen is suitable to appear in the next glossy magazine, as long as it is functional for what I want. I look at "trends" just in case there is something new out there that looks functional for my needs, but I certainly wouldn't care if something I like is no longer "on trend" What is funny, I think, is that (having come from Europe) my grandmother's kitchen, complete with butler's pantry (not called that, of course) was very much like the kitchen I want today (with more power points, of course)

I really think it is amazing how we are back to the future. When I came to Australia, no one heard of parquetry (or even timber - HAD to be covered with wall to wall carpet) I remember my Aunty was having a house built in the 60s and had huge arguments with the builder... She wanted ceramic tiles in her kitchen and laundry and the builder told her she was mad. She also wanted parquetry. She won the argument (had a lot of trouble finding a person the lay the parquetry) but the builder told her that she will be calling him back in 6 months to rip it all up.

We also had an indoor clothes line, that you could pull up and down to the ceiling with a pulley. I just read about someone "inventing" this here. :-)

Just remembered another thing we have recently invented here. Double glazing :-)

Vy, I suppose we all have different needs. There is no way I'd be storing my cake mixer and processor up high. Firstly, they would never be used, as I would need assistance to take them down every time I needed them. I suppose if I had no room for everything, I'd be storing things that are light, so easily moved. Even so, (being short) I'd store them below the bench, not above. I would move the toaster and kettle into the kitchen, as they are small, so don't take up a lot of bench space

I have actually seen shelves that can be lifted to bench height when needed (probably expensive)

The microwave, toaster and kettle are permanently set up in my butler's. We use them mostly for breakfast, and the coffee machine is on the kitchen bench right outside, so mornings are done and dusted, so to speak. I keep the rice cooker, slow cooker, sandwich press, blender and (very small) food processor (and, though I blush to admit it, the popcorn popper) on shelves in the butlers, but they get used in the kitchen. The bread box is in there, the veggie bins, the wine fridge (I think I've mentioned that before), the wine racks, and things like dried beans and lentils, rice and pasta, along with cookbooks. The arrangement works for me.

I do remember the indoor clothes lines hanging from the ceiling - my grandparents had one in their kitchen back in the 1950s. Everything old is new again, I guess.

I just want a butler and a chef lol

Well, don't we all! However, I'd guess that if you'd have a butler and a chef, you wouldn't need a butler's pantry, as you'd never go near the kitchen. In fact, from what I hear, people with chefs have very basic kitchens. They don't see the necessity to have everything that opens and shuts, as only the "help" will be using it.

Our "Butler's" is set up with a half sink, bar fridge, microwave, blender, espresso machine and grinder with other appliances on shelves below the bench making them easily accessible. Obviously food storage as well as alcohol. You could argue it is a glorified cupboard but it adds to kitchen functionality and tidiness such that we could not imagine life without one now.

I think any space you can hide stuff and close the door especially in a kitchen is always a winner.