A Look Into Our Simple Farmhouse Butler’s Pantry

Take a look into our simple farmhouse butler’s pantry. I gathered all the details from the floor, to the walls, to the shelving in our walk in pantry, why I decided to design it as is, and provided sources.

If you know the story of our farmhouse, you know that when we bought it, it was completely trashed. The bathroom was no different. We removed all the trash and quickly began gutting it. While gutting it we found that it was previously a porch that was later converted to a bathroom. It was very common in houses built in the early 1900s like ours. Plumbing was not a thought when they built the houses, so they oftentimes would just box in a porch, and that is exactly what they did in our case.

When we bought our early 1900s farmhouse I never imagined it would have a pantry big enough to walk in let alone a butler’s pantry. When we couldn’t make a move on our downstairs bathroom due to its small size and 2 doorways taking up all the wall space we decided to transition the bathroom into our dream pantry. I never saw it in the house plans but here we are 3 years later with a bathroom now turned farmhouse pantry. Don’t worry we aren’t getting rid of the downstairs bathroom permanently we are simply moving it to a bigger room downstairs. 

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What is a Butler’s Pantry?

A butler’s pantry is a small room or area located just off of the kitchen, typically used for storing serving pieces, tableware, and other items needed for entertaining guests. This space is often equipped with countertops, cabinets, and shelves for organizing and displaying dishes and glassware.

​​​​​​​In addition to providing extra storage space, a butler’s pantry can also serve as a staging area for meal preparation and cleanup. Some modern designs include features such as wine refrigerators, coffee stations, and even additional sinks or dishwashers.

Why We Decided on a Butler’s Pantry

The small corner pantry we built when we originally renovated the kitchen just was not big enough. After living with it for two years we quickly realized we needed additional storage space. 

As a family that cooks most meals at home from scratch, we need many ingredients on hand at all times. It is no secret that having many ingredients and pantry staples on hand takes up a lot of space.  Along with growing a garden and preserving a large amount of food each year, we need ample storage space for food in glass jars. So…the short answer we needed more space. 

Since we were going to be getting a larger pantry I began thinking of everything our kitchen lacked. one being countertop space for appliances. When we had large family dinners keeping up with dishes was a chore since we don’t have a dishwasher. To help we decided to add a sink to the pantry and use it as a butler’s pantry. 

Designing Our Pantry With Intention

When it came to designing our pantry I spent the better part of a year thoroughly planning it out to ensure it would fit all of our needs. At all costs, I wanted to avoid needing to renovate our pantry because it wasn’t serving us and our needs. 

Food Prep

After thinking about how our pantry could best serve us I decided I wanted to move all of my baking tools and ingredients to the pantry. I wanted to be able to prep all batters and doughs in the pantry so I could easily access my grain mill and kitchen aid without having to lug them into the kitchen. 

Food Storage

I would need to store mason jars of all shapes and sizes on the pantry shelves. Since we can the majority of our food we would need ample jar storage space. I wanted to be able to store all of our bulk grains in 5-gallon buckets. 

Appliance Storage

As a homesteader and an avid home preservation lover, I have many kitchen appliances. I wanted to ensure there would be ample storage for our Instant Pot, blender, food processor, and all other kitchen appliances. 

Farmhouse Butler’s Pantry Features

The room is pretty small, it is 7 feet by 8 feet with 7-foot 10-inch ceilings.

Walls

Since the walls were going to be covered with shelving and counters, we decided it would be best to keep it under budget. I wanted to keep the same beadboard look we did in the kitchen, so for a quarter of the price we did beadboard paneling. Since the majority of it will be covered, we didn’t have to worry about it warping or bowing in years to come.

Paint

The paint I went with was Springfield Sage by Benjamin Moore in a satin finish.

Flooring

Since the pantry floor would be meeting up with the kitchen floor, we wanted to ensure it would match. We used poplar flooring. We secured it by face-nailing it.

Floor Sealant

To seal the floors we used Minwax Polyurethane for Floors and used a lambskin applicator.

Countertops

I wanted durable wood countertops, and since we already had the wood on hand, we decided to use oak wood. It is a hardwood that is more durable than many other options.

Stain and sealant

To stain the counters, we used a Minwax stain in the color dark walnut. It is not food safe, but the food-safe wood stain we previously used in our kitchen has since been recalled and is no longer sold. (So use this stain at your own risk.)

Since the countertops are wood we treat them just like butcher block. To seal them I used Howard’s cutting board oil.

Sink

The sink we chose to use in the pantry was a steal of a deal! I paid $12.99 for it at our local ReUse store. If you’re looking to find a vintage sink for a bargain, try Facebook Marketplace, thrift stores, ReUse stores, or salvage yards.

The faucet is not really mentionable. It is the cheapest faucet that looked vintageish from our local hardware store. It was $60 and is just getting us by until we are ready to pay the steep price for a brass faucet we really want.

Shelving

My husband, Ben, built all the pantry shelving from the ground up. He used 2x4s for the braces and we purchased 1x12s from lowes as the top shelf board for a smooth surface. To cover all of the frame work a 1×2 worked perfectly to hide the framing and give the shelves a floating shelf look.

Take a Video Tour of the Pantry

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