Scullery Kitchen or Butler’s Pantry? Overhaul Your Cooking Experience
In the business of building custom luxury homes, we at EKA Build love to stay on top of trends and designs that homeowners are excited to incorporate into their projects. Scullery kitchens, butler’s pantries, walk-in pantries, and “dirty kitchens” aren’t new. They have been staples of fine homes for centuries. From Victorian-era sculleries for washing up to 19th-century butler’s pantries for staging tableware, and “dirty kitchens” in many Asian homes to keep heat and aromas separate, these spaces have a long history.
What’s changed is how we use them. Today, homeowners are reimagining these classics for open-concept living, adding hidden prep areas, extra storage, and seamless cleanup while keeping the main kitchen pristine. At EKA Build, we design these time-tested spaces to fit the way you cook, host, and live now.
An extra room off the kitchen can take many forms, but whether it’s a scullery, a butler’s pantry, a walk-in pantry, or a “dirty kitchen,” each has its own function and charm. As lovers of fine details, we’re here to share what makes each unique so you can decide which best fits your home and lifestyle.
In the world of modern homebuilding, we don’t have to strictly adhere to one definition of a scullery. Whether you are building a brand new house from scratch, or remodeling your existing kitchen, we encourage you to mix and match these kitchen features as you see fit!
So What Exactly is a Scullery Kitchen?
At its base, a scullery is a smaller second kitchen set off to the side that serves as a clean up area for your cooking needs. It also serves as a space to store your everyday dishes, pots, pans, and appliances away from the often crowded main kitchen.
This lesser known kitchen feature dates back to before the use of indoor plumbing, when having a separate wash room that was closer to a water source saved a good deal of time and energy. In larger estates and homes with staff, this separate kitchen was used by a scullery maid as a place to clean the dishes and often the laundry too.
Even as plumbing has become ubiquitous, having a dedicated room to wash and store dishes is still a huge convenience for anyone who frequently hosts a large number of guests. If you have hosted a large party, you surely have run into the problem of running out of space to put dirty dishes, pots, and pans.
A modern secondary kitchen can give you room to breathe when cleaning up while also preserving your more visible main cooking area from the messy aftermath of a large gathering. This can be especially important in the modern landscape of open concept living spaces where guests often congregate around the kitchen.
So what elements should you be considering in a modern scullery?
A Sink: First and foremost, a scullery needs a sink in order to be used for clean up!
Countertops: The more counter space you have, the more room you have to stack dirty dishes and dry out your special, hand washed china.
Cabinets: Cabinets and shelves make the transition from cleaning to putting away your everyday dishes, pots, and pans as easy as can be.
A Dishwasher: In a modern scullery, a dishwasher, while not necessary, can make the cleaning process extra convenient.
While you can certainly add even more features to your custom scullery kitchen, these are the main pieces that make up this classic cleaning space.
Our stunning custom build: the Ridge Residence features a more classic scullery just behind the main kitchen with beautiful blue cabinets, earthy wood countertops, and a single basin sink. It provides plenty of extra storage, counterspace, and a convenient place to do some washing up.
Then What Makes a Butler’s Pantry?
While the scullery might be a lesser known part of the home until recently, many people have heard of a butler’s pantry. This room is also a separate area off the side of your main kitchen, but it serves a different purpose.
In modern homes there is some crossover between a scullery and a butler’s pantry, with the two terms often being used interchangeably. Many houses you find might advertise a butler’s pantry despite the room having other elements like a sink or dishwasher.
If we want to go by the traditional roles, the butler’s pantry is a space that is more dedicated to storage. Different from a normal food pantry, the butler’s pantry typically houses tableware, serving dishes, fine china, silver, and other items that are used at the dinner table such as linens, tablecloths, and candlesticks.
Even without a butler to attend to all of these goods, a butler’s pantry can be a great addition to your home if you are someone who loves to host. Serving dishes are often large and bulky and hard to store. Having extra space that can be your one stop shop for setting the dinner table can take a lot of stress off of a big dinner party.
But don’t let definitions get in your way of having a convenient area for your special dishware. Our clients at the wonderful Rosewood Farmhouse wanted a storage space separate from their luxurious walk-in pantry that could also act as a bar.
With a gorgeous quartzite countertop and an integrated wine fridge, this side room doubles as the perfect place to prepare drinks when company is over.
Having a “Dirty Kitchen” Can Help You Avoid Just That
A lesser known second kitchen, the “dirty kitchen,” is really just that: a second kitchen. This design element acts more like a preparation area that is hidden away so your main, more visible kitchen can stay a bit cleaner when guests are over.
Extra counterspace for chopping and staging, more burners to simmer soup, an extra oven for that long cooking pot roast, additional fridge space to keep ready made appetizers and desserts – anyone who cooks for crowds often would jump at the chance to get these benefits out of their kitchen. On top of it all, you get to keep your mess and even some of that heat out of your main living area while you entertain.
If an entire extra kitchen is a bit overkill for your home, don’t be afraid to pull some of these “dirty kitchen” elements into a scullery or pantry.
Which “dirty kitchen” features are best for my home?
An extra fridge or freezer: even those who don’t host all the time find themselves needing extra cooling space, so any time you can fit more in is a plus.
A second oven: If you bake a lot or love making roasts, an extra oven will help tremendously with the logistics of multiple dishes needing heat.
A second range: More burners will always make the life of a chef easier - giving you space to leave stocks or sauces simmering while the main kitchen takes care of the more flashy stuff.
More counterspace: As with most of these secondary kitchen spaces, more counters are always a plus - giving you the room to prep lots of vegetables, roll out doughs, or even stage dishes for a plated dinner.
A sink: Having a sink nearby during cooking is always helpful whether it’s for cleaning pots or rinsing veggies.
Our clients at the lovely Innisbrook wanted a scullery kitchen with just a little more. They opted for that precious extra fridge, as well as a convenient wall oven, and plenty of counterspace for prepping.
Mixing and Matching Will Change Your Whole Cooking Experience
At EKA Build we always focus on the details so that we can make the best home for each specific homeowner. So with all of these elements in mind, it is key to put together the secondary kitchen space that will best suit your lifestyle.
In modern homebuilding, we don’t need to stick to the traditional definitions of spaces. We know that needs change, and that mixed use spaces are the new norm. Your walk-in pantry can totally house dishes and appliances as well as your food!
With a modern scullery designed to your exact cooking and hosting habits, you will be excited every time you invite someone over. Even your everyday family cooking will be improved by more organized and spacious dish storage, extra fridge space, and an easier clean up.
Picture your walk-in pantry where, among the bulky root vegetables and dry goods, you can easily store your dishware and infrequently used appliances, stash that backup fridge for overflow, and have double the space for prepping and cleaning. Imagine the reduced stress when cleaning up for company when you know the messier tasks are isolated and you can tidy up the kitchen well before dinner is even served.
Or take a look at the stunning scullery we installed in our custom Blue Ridge home with its striking blue cabinets and clean white countertops. The versatility of the space allows the homeowners to store servingware, dishware, and appliances, while also acting as a coffee bar with space for clean up.
The extra space and functionality that a modern scullery kitchen can provide you is the height of luxury for a dedicated host or an avid home cook.
Upgrade Your Kitchen Life With EKA Build
If you love the idea of a secondary kitchen space in your home, we would love to talk to you and get to know what you need out of a scullery kitchen. Whether you are looking to remodel your existing kitchen, or if you are in the market to build a new custom home, we are excited to help you out.
Contact us here and fill out our discovery form so that we can start learning about your project right away!
