13/10/2026
Do you need one? And if you do have one, how do you get the most out of it? Of course, the answer will depend on your home and the way you live in it – but let's look at Preston House as an example.
This home is in a regional area and was designed for a busy family, which meant two things: there was room to spread out, and incorporating abundant storage was absolutely crucial!
So, a butler's pantry was warranted in this case. A few things about our approach here:
1️⃣ If it feels nice to be in, you'll use it more
Nobody really wants to spend time in a cramped butler's pantry with no natural light. This one is fairly generous, with a very important skylight and materials that we've selected to brighten up the space and reflect the natural light (we love those splashback tiles!).
2️⃣ Open shelving is your friend
You don't want cabinet doors on either side of the pantry colliding with each other – clashes like this make it so much harder to be in the space with someone else. Open shelving is great for pantry items (especially because it's tucked out of sight anyway, so you don't need to worry about it being perfectly tidy all the time).
3️⃣ Think about how it looks from the kitchen
In that first photo, the glimpse you get into the pantry is of the darker cabinetry, tiling and timber shelving. Compared to looking in at a wall of cabinetry, this is a nicer first impression – a bit of dimension, decoration and contrast against the surrounding spaces!
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