It's early January, which means: New Year, New You, right? I know we're all coming out of our holiday celebration comas and eagerly sticking to our resolutions to get organised, and healthy and really make this year count. I've tried to make my 2019 resolution something that is actually attainable by promising myself to start each morning with a hot cup of water complete with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and a dash of cayenne pepper... yum! Not exactly. But apparently it's great for your gut and digestion and I figured that my willpower is strongest in the morning, so it's best to start there.
As I've been participating in this fresh (yet not exactly enjoyable) morning ritual, I can't help but let my mind wander to the new, organised and spacious kitchen and butler's pantry my husband and I are in the preliminary phases of planning. Every time I reach for the cayenne pepper I narrowly escape being hit in the head with a bottle of Cholula or Tapatío hot sauce. I dream of a day where we will have ample storage for our spicy condiments. Some may say variety is the spice of life, but I would argue hot sauce is.
Living in a semi-detached home, space is a luxury and when you're redesigning, you have to be extra sure that you're using your space to its fullest potential. As I've continued my 3D mockup of our home (more to come with that in future posts!), we've concluded a butler's pantry is definitely a good use of space. If you're thinking about putting in a butler's pantry, here is some inspiration to get you started and a few things to consider to make sure it meet you and your family's needs.
Apparently, the butler's pantry has been around for quite some time, like since people had actual "butlers". The days of in-home butlers may be long gone but open plan living has been a coveted design feature for awhile now, and there are few signs of that trend slowing. Enter the re-emergence of the butler's pantry. It seems everyone wants an open, entertaining kitchen attached to all of the main living spaces. The problem is, if your kitchen space doesn't look tidy, the rest of the house won't either. The butler's pantry allows for your mess to remain behind closed doors to clean up later. If I'm honest, every procrastination and immediate-gratification bone in my body loves this idea.
Depending on your space and budget, things you might want to include are an extra sink and dishwasher, as well as an additional oven. I don't have the space for all of that, but I do plan to leave our toaster, sandwich press, blender, slow cooker and kettle in the butler's pantry. So it's important that the space for both storage and preparations be planned out ahead of time, and the power points needed for each appliance allocated accordingly.
The need to have a little workspace in the heart of the home is another growing trend we're seeing in the world of kitchens. By including a desk in your butler's pantry, you can carve out just enough space to be near the action with the added benefit of closing the door when you need a bit of concentration. Just be sure to put the junk food on the highest shelf so you're not tempted to snack while you work ;)
And finally, if you don't have the space for an entire room to dedicate to a butler's pantry, you might want to see if there's a way to incorporate some of their discreet storage benefits right into your kitchen design.
As I've mentioned before, I know storage is a major issue for most of us. So tell me how you plan to up your storage game this year. I love any and all organisation tips!