IKEA Butler’s Pantry: A Modern Concept of Storage

Learning the benefits of an IKEA butlers pantry

A butlers pantry is a hidden gem inside your home!

Our IKD design team knows this and we know it’s especially true for IKEA kitchen designs to provide storage and additional counter space opportunities. Every inch counts.

As IKEA experts, it’s our job to find this extra space during the IKEA kitchen planning process and to make your IKEA kitchen design look — and function — as well as possible.

We also realize some of our customers may not be familiar with what a butlers pantry is or does.
As a stand-alone piece of cabinetry or even as an extension of your IKEA kitchen, the butlers pantry provides extra room for storage, prepping surfaces, and more.

An IKEA butler’s pantry is a great opportunity to design a space that truly has its own personality. Customers looking for design inspiration will really appreciate the following information, including seeing these recent IKEA butlers pantries we’ve completed.

Let’s take a look!

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What’s a Butlers Pantry Anyway?

Once used to store, count, and polish silver, china, and large serving dishes, butler’s pantries have resurfaced as a modern addition to the kitchen.

In some contemporary homes, the butler’s pantry serves as introduction to the kitchen or other living areas, so it doesn´t have to necessarily be an extension of the kitchen (although it certainly can be).

In fact, our design team can design an IKEA butler’s pantry with a personality and style of its own. And to do this we use IKEA cabinetry or custom door fronts to match any style, whether its traditional, modern or anywhere in between.

In fact, the New York Times recommends us as a design resource for customers considering custom doors for their cabinets.

We can also include our favorite — IKEA hacks — to maximize the space as well.

The important thing to remember is an IKEA butlers pantry will add storage, organization and style to your IKEA kitchen.

A Bold and Dramatic IKEA Butler’s Pantry

For IKD customers Matt and Linda, bold was definitely beautiful.

Matt explains: “We wanted a separate space from the kitchen, one that works as an introduction from the breakfast nook to the kitchen.”

However, this was quite a challenge as it was a galley-style transitional space. In order to make this IKEA butler’s pantry work required us to blend it with the rest of the home’s decoration and the needs of a breakfast nook.

The solution? Use custom Supermatte Night Sky Shaker fronts with gold hardware from Semihandmade to create a colorful and distinct built-in storage area that is an extension of the kitchen — but that makes a statement of its own.

For the wall cabinets we added glass doors to showcase their fine china collection, so, the area is practical and stylish all at once.

Plus, there are lots of drawers and pull-outs for the family’s silverware and other tableware, as well as seasonal items, such as holiday decorations, which needed to be stored, yet accessible.

The counter area also has space for wine bottles, decorations, and room to make cocktails as well.

Matt concludes: “We love our IKEA butlers pantry, it was a perfect accent and statement for our MidCentury Modern home.”

A Modern IKEA Butler’s Pantry Space for Any Home

If you love the idea of a butlers pantry, but space is a concern, look no further than the IKEA butlers pantry/beverage station we designed for IKD customers Amanda and Chuck from Chicago, IL.

“We had an under-utilized space near the side glass doors of my kitchen but weren’t sure how to make it work — it was very frustrating!” Amanda says.

To remedy this, we designed the space as an extension of their modern-styled kitchen; so, there was really no separation between the two.

To keep the cohesiveness, we used IKEA’s AXSTAD matte white doors — the same as in the kitchen — and added some glass fronts to visually separate the two spaces.

This also served the dual purpose of providing a display for china and glassware — ideal for entertaining. There’s also ample storage space with lots of drawers down below to keep table mats and silverware well organized.

“We are so pleased with our butlers pantry. Not only does it match the rest of our IKEA kitchen but it’s now an area we enjoy when we entertain, plus I love the beverage center idea!” Amanda says.

As you can see, an IKEA butlers pantry can really provide the storage and style options that fit your needs. So, as you’re researching examples of kitchen designs use these recent projects as inspiration and you too can have an IKEA butlers pantry no matter the space!