KBB - April 2009 - (Page 54)

Additions Pantry Raid Help your clients channel their inner Belvedere Regardless of whether your clients actually have a butler (or any household staff), frequently entertain or have a large kitchen, a butler’s pantry can provide more than just space for storing ﬁne china and fancy silverware. As designer Toni Saccoman, of New Jersey-based The Hammer & Nail Inc., said, “No one should feel restricted to what a butler’s pantry is supposed to be.” Indeed, today, this functional space has evolved to perform a variety of roles, providing convenience for any homeowner. According to David Stimmel, owner and chief designer of Pennsylvania-based Stimmel Consulting Group, Inc., butler’s pantries are making a comeback. As a result of home design shows, “the general public has more exposure to them,” he noted. In addition, “a wide range of small appliances have become so inexpensive that butler’s pantries have become a simple luxury that many people can now afford.” Butler’s pantries can contain appliances (top, left) or function as a display area to showcase ﬁne china (bottom, left). Photos: © Charles Meacham, Steve Rossi For those clients who love to entertain, a fully outfitted butler’s pantry can be a hub for hired caterers, or, noted Saccoman, a way to shield the bustle—and the mess—of kitchen activity from guests. And for those who don’t want to detract from the look and feel of their main kitchen, special requests make for some truly unique spaces. Stimmel has not only outﬁtted butler’s pantries with pizza ovens, margarita makers and coke machines, but also created a pantry—complete with microwave, steamer oven and oven—for non-cooking clients who wanted as few appliances in their kitchen as possible. On that note, some (especially specialty) appliances, “are perfect for a pantry when they will not be used everyday,” said Stimmel. WHERE AND WHAT Typically located between the kitchen and the dining room—as an open transition space, a hallway or an adjacent room—the butler’s pantry is by no means relegated to this spot. Stimmel said, “Between the kitchen and the garage was an area that used to be reserved for the mudroom, now it can be seen as an opportunity to have a butler’s pantry.” And that’s only one alternative site. Whether situated in a section of the kitchen away from the main prep and cleanup areas, or in what was once a laundry room, designers can get creative with the incorporation of a butler’s pantry that was not part of the home’s original floor plan. As Saccoman noted, “Some older homes have odd-shaped rooms with little nooks that are great spaces for butler’s pantries.” Also open to great interpretation is what to include in the butler’s pantry. This depends entirely on what it’s being used for and that, noted Stimmel, can vary greatly from client to client. “There is no ‘one way,’” he said. “Some clients use this space just for food, some for entertaining and some for menu planning.” At the very least, it can be used for showcasing ﬁne china, storing seasonal or specialty items or acting as a staging, prep or cleanup area for dinner parties. On the other hand, it can function as a second kitchen, complete with major appliances. As Stimmel noted, “The sky’s the limit.” SERIOUS STYLE Like the main kitchen, a stylish butler’s pantry can impart personality and charm. Whether it includes a sink and appliances or not, this versatile space provides plenty of room to play. “I ﬁnd that when a client is struggling over materials, one will often end up in the butler’s pantry,” said Stimmel. When picking tiles, for example, that are expensive or too dramatic in color for the main kitchen, a pantry can incorporate “smaller splashes that add the wow factor without spending an arm and a leg.” As Saccoman noted, depending on its location in relation to the kitchen and dining room, “The butler’s pantry can be a totally separate style, take on the same or similar style as the kitchen or relate in some way yet make its own statement.” Using elements like mullion glass doors and thicker countertops, she prefers to “dress it up a little more.” Despite the trend toward large kitchens, a butler’s pantry can serve a very practical purpose. Called on to entertain and display, this functional space has evolved from its humble beginnings as a hidden utility space and blossomed into a multifunctional room that can benefit practically any client. Traditional or contemporary, “it should be a very creative use of space,” said Saccoman. “Something to have fun with.” After all, it can be whatever you want it to be. s —Sallie Moffat 54 + K BB April 2009 / www.kbbonline.com / The Ofﬁcial Sponsor of K/BIS www.kbis.com http://www.kbbonline.com http://www.kbis.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of KBB - April 2009

KBB - April 2009
Contents
Online Contents
Online News
Editorial
Focus
Trends
Products
Options
Profile
Abroad
Design
On the Hill
Mixed Message
Green
Tech
Additions
Education
Editorial Index
Ad Index
Favorites

KBB - April 2009