A Butler’s Pantry Helps Serve Up Big Family Meals
High-gloss cabinets, hidden storage and warm wood make this kitchen beautiful and functional for entertaining
The dining table in the foreground of this photo is made of reclaimed boat wood. Rutnaish had a tempered-glass top custom-made to protect it.
The wooden cabinetry wall houses a separate full-height Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer. The family uses the cabinet above to store vases and other infrequently used items. Rutnaish has a short ladder stashed in the pantry so she can reach this high cabinet.
Rutnaish placed a desk and cabinets on the far right of the kitchen that the family uses for paying bills and working on laptops. The wall behind the desk is magnetized. Two cabinets above the desk contain mail slots and a place for magazines so paper items don’t clutter up the kitchen. Each bifold cabinet door opens upward.
Rutnaish’s husband Anoop loves the 12-by-24-inch travertine floor tiles, which the couple used in their previous home and wanted to keep in their new kitchen.
Dining table: Elte; dining chairs: Elte Market; pendant above dining table: Artic Pendant, Tech Lighting; floor tile: Saturnia Argento, Marble Trend; find more travertine floor tile
The wooden cabinetry wall houses a separate full-height Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer. The family uses the cabinet above to store vases and other infrequently used items. Rutnaish has a short ladder stashed in the pantry so she can reach this high cabinet.
Rutnaish placed a desk and cabinets on the far right of the kitchen that the family uses for paying bills and working on laptops. The wall behind the desk is magnetized. Two cabinets above the desk contain mail slots and a place for magazines so paper items don’t clutter up the kitchen. Each bifold cabinet door opens upward.
Rutnaish’s husband Anoop loves the 12-by-24-inch travertine floor tiles, which the couple used in their previous home and wanted to keep in their new kitchen.
Dining table: Elte; dining chairs: Elte Market; pendant above dining table: Artic Pendant, Tech Lighting; floor tile: Saturnia Argento, Marble Trend; find more travertine floor tile
Clever Ideas for Storing Cookbooks and Serveware
Just beyond the refrigerator and freezer is an open passageway that leads to the butler’s pantry, or servery. It has a second opening, not visible in this photo, that leads directly into the dining area.
The Prihars like to host family gatherings of her relatives from Vancouver and his from Ottawa. “When we all get together it’s quite a lot of people,” Rutnaish says. The butler’s pantry makes a convenient place to stage the meal, serve up cocktails and hide dirty dishes before they’re cleaned.
On the left side of the butler’s pantry are an integrated coffee maker and a microwave, and the cabinet next to them contains liquor. The glass shelving at the back of the butler’s pantry holds the family’s fine china and wine glasses, and the drawers contain entertaining dishes and platters as well as table linens.
The right side of the butler’s pantry conceals a hidden pantry. Though it’s hard to see in this photo, one of the vertical panels swings open to reveal the pantry behind it.
Rutnaish designed the irregular shelving to hold her large collection of cookbooks, and her cabinet maker, Top Notch Cabinets, built her design.
Just beyond the refrigerator and freezer is an open passageway that leads to the butler’s pantry, or servery. It has a second opening, not visible in this photo, that leads directly into the dining area.
The Prihars like to host family gatherings of her relatives from Vancouver and his from Ottawa. “When we all get together it’s quite a lot of people,” Rutnaish says. The butler’s pantry makes a convenient place to stage the meal, serve up cocktails and hide dirty dishes before they’re cleaned.
On the left side of the butler’s pantry are an integrated coffee maker and a microwave, and the cabinet next to them contains liquor. The glass shelving at the back of the butler’s pantry holds the family’s fine china and wine glasses, and the drawers contain entertaining dishes and platters as well as table linens.
The right side of the butler’s pantry conceals a hidden pantry. Though it’s hard to see in this photo, one of the vertical panels swings open to reveal the pantry behind it.
Rutnaish designed the irregular shelving to hold her large collection of cookbooks, and her cabinet maker, Top Notch Cabinets, built her design.
Ample Storage and Food Prep Space
The family tends to eat weeknight dinners on the island, but on weekends they use the dining table. The front side of the island has 24-inch-deep cabinets with touch latches, which the family uses to hold vases, barbecue tools and other rarely used items.
Not wanting to mar the surface of the kitchen island with outlets, Rutnaish placed a pop-up outlet on top of the island. In this photo it is retracted; you can see the silver circle on the far end of the island.
Rutnaish can unload items from the refrigerator onto the near end of the island, then work on the long side with her back to the stovetop to chop and prep ingredients. From there it’s a simple turn to the double wall ovens and range top. “It creates a perfect little working triangle right there,” Rutnaish says.
Pendants: Arteriors; find more pendants
The family tends to eat weeknight dinners on the island, but on weekends they use the dining table. The front side of the island has 24-inch-deep cabinets with touch latches, which the family uses to hold vases, barbecue tools and other rarely used items.
Not wanting to mar the surface of the kitchen island with outlets, Rutnaish placed a pop-up outlet on top of the island. In this photo it is retracted; you can see the silver circle on the far end of the island.
Rutnaish can unload items from the refrigerator onto the near end of the island, then work on the long side with her back to the stovetop to chop and prep ingredients. From there it’s a simple turn to the double wall ovens and range top. “It creates a perfect little working triangle right there,” Rutnaish says.
Pendants: Arteriors; find more pendants
The counter that runs into the window wall has no ledge but runs straight into the window, a choice Rutnaish made to maximize the size of that window. “I wanted that window to be that focal point on that wall,” she says.
The island contains many of the tools Rutnaish uses for prepping and chopping food. The far end (toward the window wall) contains the waste pullout, and next to that is a knife drawer with slots. She also keeps mixing bowls, a hand blender and basics like aluminum foil and plastic storage containers in the island.
Range wall storage. Rutnaish separated the range top from the ovens, allowing her to use the drawers beneath the range top for cooking gear. Drawers on this wall contain items like wooden spoons, pots and pans, muffin tins and tea towels. She wanted open counter space near the wall ovens so she could pull out hot items and set them down nearby. The upper cabinets on this wall contain glasses, small appliances, spices, baking sheets and cutting boards.
To the right of the sink and hidden behind a glossy white and stainless steel panel is the dishwasher. It lacks a handle; to open it you simply knock as you would on a front door, Rutnaish says. The drawers on the back wall contain cutlery, everyday dishes and placemats. The corner cabinet hides a magic corner — shelves that pull out when you open the cabinet — that houses bulky items like her Vitamix blender.
Wall paint: Chantilly Lace, Benjamin Moore
Work with a kitchen designer
More
How to Design a Warm Contemporary Kitchen
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
The island contains many of the tools Rutnaish uses for prepping and chopping food. The far end (toward the window wall) contains the waste pullout, and next to that is a knife drawer with slots. She also keeps mixing bowls, a hand blender and basics like aluminum foil and plastic storage containers in the island.
Range wall storage. Rutnaish separated the range top from the ovens, allowing her to use the drawers beneath the range top for cooking gear. Drawers on this wall contain items like wooden spoons, pots and pans, muffin tins and tea towels. She wanted open counter space near the wall ovens so she could pull out hot items and set them down nearby. The upper cabinets on this wall contain glasses, small appliances, spices, baking sheets and cutting boards.
To the right of the sink and hidden behind a glossy white and stainless steel panel is the dishwasher. It lacks a handle; to open it you simply knock as you would on a front door, Rutnaish says. The drawers on the back wall contain cutlery, everyday dishes and placemats. The corner cabinet hides a magic corner — shelves that pull out when you open the cabinet — that houses bulky items like her Vitamix blender.
Wall paint: Chantilly Lace, Benjamin Moore
Work with a kitchen designer
More
How to Design a Warm Contemporary Kitchen
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Who lives here: Rutnaish Prihar, her husband, Anoop, and daughters Aneesha, 22, and Sumeeta, 21
Location: Oakville, a suburb of Toronto
Size: 465 square feet (43 square meters)
Interior designer Rutnaish Prihar and her husband, Anoop, have renovated or rebuilt multiple homes, but this Toronto home is the first that Rutnaish designed in modern style. An avid cook and baker, Rutnaish wanted to combine high-gloss white cabinets with the warmth of wood in a space that supported the couple’s frequent entertaining of their large extended family. The kitchen’s hardworking storage includes a butler’s pantry and a separate hidden pantry.
The glossy white cabinets are lacquered medium-density fiberboard, or MDF. Rutnaish introduced a wood cabinetry wall to prevent the white from feeling too cold. The wood — quarter-sawn rift cut white oak — is stained a custom blend to match the walnut floors that run through most of the house.
Rutnaish skipped handles or pulls everywhere but the refrigerator for a sleek look. The upper cabinets open with a press touch. Stainless steel between the base drawers adds a linear element and a place for fingers to pull the drawers. A stainless steel toe kick underscores the horizontal lines of the cabinets.
The island’s waterfall edge adds to the room’s modern feel. The island is 10 by 5 feet and serves as Rutnaish’s prep area.
The backsplash behind the range is back-painted glass.
Island counter: White Cliff, Cambria; perimeter counter: Carrick, Cambria; backsplash paint color: Distant Gray, Benjamin Moore