Photography by Spacecrafting/Rob Grosse
Some vintage home features come roaring back decades after falling out of favor—one of which is the butler’s pantry. Once a staple in wealthy Victorian homes, the butler’s pantry was where cooks would conduct food preparation out of sight, far from the prying eyes of lavish dinner guests and partygoers.
Nowadays, the butler’s pantry has made a comeback. While contemporary versions are similar to the spaces of yore (functioning as a secondary kitchen where food can be prepped and serveware stored), they also hold small appliances and keep the main kitchen clutter-free, as Shelly Peschel, owner and designer at Excelsior’s Melody Hill Design, explains.
Peschel worked with Excelsior-based Lake Country Builders to convert an existing dining room into a refined butler’s pantry for clients in Edina who desired an overflow space off their main kitchen that could house a larger food pantry, a second refrigerator, storage for entertainment pieces, and a dedicated coffee bar.
“It was a great collaboration,” remarks Renee Aldecocea, vice president and director of marketing and administration at Lake Country Builders. “Our goal is always to meet the client’s needs and create a home that works for a family.”
Using an existing window as an anchor, Peschel says it was important for the butler’s pantry to not only be functional, but also beautiful, “because it would be seen from the formal dining room through French pocket doors.”
Some of these visually stylish features include the two tall glass display cabinets, vegetable storage drawers with brass wire mesh to facilitate air flow, a coffee bar with open shelves, a sizable pantry, a tall column refrigerator, and a bench area below the window that is also an ideal spot to perch while sipping coffee.
“My client’s vision and goals are always my inspiration,” Peschel says. “It’s like solving a puzzle and creating just the right missing piece to complete the picture.”
The space is topped off with luxe accents, such as brushed brass cabinet hardware, a stained vertical wood paneled backsplash, marble-look quartz countertops, and checkerboard floor tiles in a diamond pattern. The perfect finishing touch? Deep-green cabinets painted in Sherwin Williams’ “Secret Garden” adding to the pantry’s chic, tucked-away feel.
Read this next: 5 Butler’s Pantries That Maximize Style and Storage
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