Plan Your Perfect Butler’s Pantry

Having a little help behind the scenes is the secret to a pristine kitchen – enter the latest kitchen must-have, a butler’s pantry.

A butler’s pantry can be a game changer for anyone who loves to cook up a storm, entertain, or use their kitchen as a gathering space for friends and family – or all three! Not only does it give you a handy extra prep surface, space for an additional sink and appliances, and loads of storage, but it lets you hide all the mess of cooking away, so your main kitchen stays spotless.  

At Carlisle, we know that our customers love the convenience of having a butler’s pantry. So, we’ve included a butler’s pantry in all of our Affinity Collection homes, and offer them as an optional upgrade to several of our Inspire homes (you can find out which ones in this story). 

And just because this secondary kitchen space is out of guests’ sight, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be just as beautiful as the rest of your home. At our Spectra Showroom, you’ll find a huge selection of gorgeous cabinetry finishes, tiles, lighting, floor tiles, appliances and more, so you can make your butler’s pantry as fabulous as it is functional.

Read on for more ideas on getting the most out of your butler’s pantry.

Keep your colours and finishes consistent

Matching the colours and finishes of the benchtops, tiles, and cabinetry in your butler’s pantry with those in your kitchen creates a seamless look that effortlessly blends the two spaces together. As a result, your entire cooking space will appear more unified. 

And with Carlisle, there’s no shortage of ways to express your personal style. At our Spectra Showroom, you’ll find premium Caesarstone benchtops in over 50 colours and in over 40 colours from Laminex. Take your pick from soft, neutral tones like greige and cream, rugged concrete, beautiful stone effects, ones that give you the look of warm timber and classic terrazzo, and serene shades of green and blue.

The cabinetry in your butler’s pantry can be customised too. At our Spectra Showroom, you can choose from hundreds of potential colour, material, and hardware combinations, as well as several door profiles in both our standard and premium cabinetry ranges.

You can also carry through the same tiled or glass splashback from your kitchen to your butler’s pantry for that seamless aesthetic. Or add a twist, by switching to a different tile or glass colour – you’ll find all the options you need at the Spectra Showroom.

Hide your small appliances

While appliances like stand mixers and food processors are huge time savers when you’re cooking, there’s no denying they clutter up your benchtops and drown out conversation when they’re running. A butler’s pantry solves these issues by giving you an out-of-the-way space to keep all your benchtop appliances plugged in and ready to go, while keeping noisy operations behind a closed door.

You can make your butler’s pantry even more functional by adding a second sink and dishwasher, or housing your microwave here, all of which will help keep your kitchen pristine and serene.

Make it organised

One of the easiest ways to organise your butler’s pantry storage is to group like items into categories, such as baking goods, cans and jars, spices, cereals, and the kids’ snacks. This way, when you want to bake a cake or the kids are angling for an after-school snack, you’ll find everything you need in the one spot. If you're using storage baskets or boxes, give each category its own basket or box, well-labelled for easy identification.

Another approach is to store items according to how often you use them. So, those items you use daily, such as olive oil and cereal, would be stored on shelves between eye and knee height for easy access, while those you use less frequently, like flour and baking soda, would be stored on the upper and lower levels.

Top tip: Keep a small step ladder or stool nearby for when you need to access infrequent items stored on higher shelves.

Plan for uniformity

Glass jars, canisters, and plastic storage boxes will allow you to store and locate items on your butler’s pantry shelves with ease, while keeping pesky pantry bugs at bay. You’ll find plenty of stylish and affordable storage containers at stores such as IKEA, Kmart and Target, and a quick scroll through Instagram or TikTok will give you loads of ideas for how to arrange and label them nicely.

Invest in a spice rack

Getting spices out of their plastic bags and branded bottles, and into your own matching collection of glass jars is one of the easiest ways to elevate your butler’s pantry. Store them on a dedicated rack mounted beneath your upper cabinets or on a countertop lazy Susan so they’re readily at hand.

Include linen storage

Setting aside some shelf space in your butler’s pantry for your kitchen and dining linens, such as tablecloths, runners and tea towels, makes life infinitely easier, whether you’re setting up to host a crowd or simply getting the weekly dinner on the table.

And don’t forget about your aprons! Add a couple of wooden pegs or ornate hooks for aprons on the wall of your butler’s pantry or the back of the door, in a style that matches your cabinetry hardware for a cohesive look. You’ll find these hooks make a handy spot to keep your reusable shopping bags too.