If you’ve followed for a while (thank you:)) you know that I have a probably-not-so-unique condition where my job and life create a lot of “stuff” (not begrudging it, these are the facts), but my heart/mind/eye can’t stand clutter. I like a clear unstyled countertop, a single long throw pillow on my bed, and dedicated closets/rooms to throw the mess and pretend it’s not mine. It’s part cognitive dissonance, part denial, maybe some ADHD tendencies, and definitely a byproduct of my job. Containing the mess just makes it manageable. Today, I have for you our styled-out, non-messy version of our pantry and I’m SO excited to walk you through it.
So where is the pantry?
As you can see we created this room from the old kitchen, carving enough space to make it really functional.
Here’s a fun video to give you a real sense of the space before we get into the pretty photos! (Just wait for the ad to play:))
This is the first time that we’ve had a room for kitchen storage, and it’s obviously a luxury that is at the top of my gratefulness journal every day, y’all. I personally think it’s worth having a smaller kitchen if you can create a room to throw all the other stuff (I feel the same about a smaller bedroom + larger closet). This room is right off the kitchen, obviously, and after arranging and rearranging based on our needs, I finally put everything where it can go, while also giving myself some visual happiness. So much to say. Where to begin!!!!??
How Do We Use This Room?
This room is 75% storage and 25% coffee/tea prep. While I used to think that we would use the tabletop appliances in here, I tend to bring them into the kitchen (besides the toaster). I think this is because the kitchen is just so wonderful to cook in so if I’m blending a soup, I bring the blender out, not the soup in. That’s all to say this is not a prep kitchen, it’s for food, cookware, utensils, cookbooks, countertop appliances, and coffee/tea.
We also have not figured out where the kid’s school stuff should go (papers, so many papers). So often this becomes the mail drop and kid clutter zone (not by choice, but better than on the island).
The cabinetry is made by Unique Kitchen and Baths, laid out with ARCIFORM and myself, of course. They are SO BEAUTIFUL, high quality, and stunning. They mimic the style of the kitchen cabinets but were painted a beautiful deep blue/gray called Slate Tile by Sherwin-Williams. The color is perfect and I want it in more places. We chose a dark-honed granite as the countertop from Bedrosians, knowing that we wanted (at the time) to keep it moody and also there will be a lot of coffee making specifically in here so a light marble was the wrong choice. And if you are in the market for beautiful quality cabinetry I have a little discount code with Unique Kitchen and Baths: EH2022
What Do You Mean You “Wanted To Keep It Moody At The Time“?
Well, I think the main thing I would have done differently is painted the walls, shelves, ceilings, and door a complimentary color to the slate blue of the cabinets – but lighter. When you are in the kitchen this room can feel really dark because the kitchen is so bright. This was a huge debate in this blog post and a decision was made (to keep it dark). I’m not into big “I told you so’s” (many of you agreed with me) but yeah, I was right. I wish we had painted it a powder blue on top – not white, just not quite so dark. Again, it’s not the darkness that bothers me – once you are in the room it’s AWESOME, it’s the contrast from the kitchen. When you look into the room from the kitchen it feels more like a dark storage room, than a pantry that draws you in.
Interior Windows (vintage) | Drawer Pulls | Knobs | Switch Plates (Lewis Collection)
But I will say this – after I styled it out, I really fell in love with it. I leaned into all my favorite serving pieces in whites, blues, and woods and love how they pop off the blue. For accessories, I bought a few vintage ironstone pieces, then splurged on those incredible candles from a store in Portland called Spartan as well as some gorgeous pottery and plates by another local favorite, Notary Ceramics. I also shopped at a local shop, JP General (in Multnomah Village), which is awesome (and is where the cakestand is from).
We used the vintage original windows to flank the opening to the pantry (as seen above) and they let in so much light. (We tried cleaning them but when the sun hit the old glass it looked foggy like that haha, WHOOPS). The hardware, outlets, and light switches are all Rejuvenation in Oil Rubbed Bronze (which is really a very warm black – so pretty). I originally had baskets of food on the shelves, but they were bumming me out. So I attempted to fit all the food either in these decanted jars or in the cupboards and drawers. Once I did that and could display my pretty things it changed the whole room for me. We have plenty of storage honestly, so right now this is totally working, but should we need to put some salty snacks on a shelf we’ll do that, too.
I love the large horizontal beadboard and the more decorative wood brackets are so old-world and charming (IMHO). Jamie and the ARCIFORM team did a stellar carpentry job.
Where’s All Your Food?
As you can see the big drawers hold most of our snacks, onions/potatoes/garlic (so nice to give them their own dark but airy home), and broths/peanut butter/popcorn, etc. I really like how we only did a 1/2 drawer – giving air to the perishables which sends a more utilitarian vibe. That woven wood box is a bread box from the online Amish store that indeed houses our bagels and bread.
Large Black Metal Basket | Slim Black Metal Basket | Wooden Drawer Divider
Once pulled out you can see how much these drawers hold – we have plenty of space and room for even more. We also have a basement (through that door) that is finished but empty (and only 6′ tall) where I might put in shelving to add backup canned goods or anything else that needs storage that we rarely use (thinking pots for plants, maybe cleaning supplies, our dumb huge Instantpot that we use once every two months exclusively for boiled eggs, etc).
We moved all the canned goods to the pull-out drawer with shelves which I really, really love. It’s a great way to free up space and while you have to bend down to choose the right bean, you don’t have to pick up each one to see what it is. The top two drawers house vitamins, aprons, and other miscellaneous items. All our spices and oils have designated drawers in our kitchen so we don’t need to house them in here. Same with our pots and pans, Tupperware, ziplock bags, etc. We are very, very lucky and grateful to have this much kitchen storage.
Where’s All Your Ugly Stuff?
Round Metal Basket | Cereal Containers
I got you. Don’t worry we have ugly stuff too, but as someone whose eyeballs really like to look at my pretty serveware (I know I’m not alone), I tried so hard to design this pantry to hide the less than nice looking stuff inside the cabinets. We worked closely with Tanya and her design team of UKB (and ARCIFORM) to make sure everything had a place. So on the left up there you have our water bottles and countertop appliances. I had them on the upper shelves before but realized getting them down was almost harder than pulling them up. I’ve had that food processor for a month and haven’t used it, and have only used the blender three times so I’m fine with them being enclosed. Then on the right, we have the kids’ cereal and a toaster in an accessible cupboard so that they can access it without us. We also have the bin of cookie/birthday stuff and the cookbooks that are a little less pretty to look at.
I have come to enjoy decanting our dry goods that I buy frequently in bulk (namely beans and nuts) but individual decanters can be so expensive and often too modern. So I found these classic canning jars, with the tops attached (no screwing on lids, just closing), that are airtight and come in different sizes. I bought three sets of 8 in different sizes and really really love how they look. They are labeled on the top with a sticker for now which is working. You might notice that in some of them (like quinoa) I shoved the bag inside of it so I know how to prepare it – quite the hack, I know.
Ohh how I love my pretty little things. At one point I had 9 white pitchers of different sizes in this pantry, obviously drawn to the shape and old-world vibe. I use them more for flowers than for cream or water. I’ve been collecting ironstone and vintage transferware platters for while and am excited that they all look so good together. The painting is vintage, in a vintage frame that I found and the stack of dishes on the bottom right and bowls on the top left are from Notary Ceramics – I love her stuff so much.
On the back of the door, we put some pegs and in my fantasy world, they hang aprons and brooms. Right now until the landscaping to the mudroom is done we come in and out of the kitchen door making this basement door the home of many a coat. But as of the week before Christmas, the flagstone was almost done and we started bribing the kids with an M&M every time they come in and out of that door – like baby seals. Real innovative parenting, I know.
The Vintage Window
First off, that window didn’t exist before and I’m SO GLAD we put it in. I found it on eBay for $200 (probably could have sourced locally from Aurora Mills) and liked how the pattern worked with the original diamond pattern. We made this decision before they re-sided the house so ARCIFORM and Jamie were able to frame it out and plug it in. It’s non-operable, but lets in so much light and is such a pretty architectural element.
The Coffee And Tea Station
Espresso Machine | Glass Mugs | Gray Mugs | Small White Mugs | Tall White Mugs
We are real coffee people and have various needs for various times of the day. At 6 am, I have drip coffee from a coffee maker to head out and walk the dogs before it’s even light out, so a programmable coffee maker is a MUST.
More recently around 10 am or 1 pm I’ve been craving an afternoon treat/boost but brewing another pot feels excessive. Kaitlin and Emily (who shoot at the house with me twice a week) practically forced me to buy myself this espresso/latte maker for Christmas – you know, for the crew 🙂 It’s WONDERFUL. It’s such a luxury that many people might not need if you don’t work from home, but we LOVE and is a fun treat for all of us.
I really upped my mug game for this pantry shoot – with the clear double-walled glass ones for lattes and espresso (so luxurious), pretty white pottery to support local artists (from Spartan and JP General), larger Rejuvenation mugs in gray, and then my deep Target mugs that I’ve had forever. I really like how it’s mixed up and interesting but not messy.
I’ve also upped my tea game for nights and consider tea a new healthy hobby. I found that vintage store drawer cabinet at a flea market and knew that I wanted it but it was expensive and unsure it had a purpose. Then I realized it could be the home for my tea bags, which fit in the bottom drawer. It makes me SO HAPPY.
Wait, Do You Have A Microwave?
We sure do have a microwave. We hid it behind retractable doors on this side of the pantry, low for easy access for the kids, and it’s pretty darn easy to use. In retrospect, we don’t use it terribly often and didn’t need a retractable option (which I’d imagine is more expensive than a normal hinge), but it’s nice to have as an option (just don’t feel the need to splurge on it – we normally just leave the cupboards open when we heat up anything).
What Would I Change?
I really, really love so much about this room – the color, the function, the space, the style – I love it. But I also love telling you all my thoughts and feelings (remember the first episode of DesignStar? It’s a pathological need). So there are three things that I might have done differently.
- Paint the walls/ceiling/door a lighter color (leaving the cabinetry the dark slate tile blue). As you can see in the above photo the contrast between the white of the kitchen and the dark blue is almost hard for your eye to process – the white becomes whiter and the blue comes darker. Not a huge deal, but just wanted to call it out. We might change this, but also might not.
- I would have added another pull-out trash drawer for additional recycling. We have trash and recycling in the kitchen next to the sink, but Oregon’s recycling is intense and we need to have a separate bin for glass, aluminum cans, regular recycling as well as trash and compost. So right now we have two freestanding garbage cans that crowd the pantry…
- There are many nights and mornings when I secretly wish we had put a small filtered water sink in here – for coffee and tea. Walking 15 steps to the kitchen sink is absolutely not a big deal, but it would be a three times-a-day convenience, so if you are wondering if I wish we had one the answer is “sure” 🙂 Not sure where it would have gone, BTW (maybe at the bar?).
We have plenty of storage and function, it works so well for our family.
Y’all. I love this room so much and we feel very grateful to have our first walk-in pantry, allowing for the kitchen to be easier to keep clean and clutter-free. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment and share (per usual).
Pantry Resources:
Cabinetry: Unique Kitchen and Baths
Paint Color: Slate Tile by Sherwin-Williams
Flooring: Zena Forest Products(Oregon grown and milled)
Countertop: Bedrosians Tile & Stone
Countertop Fabrication: Alpha StoneWorks
Hardware: Rejuvenation
Light Fixture: Rejuvenation
*Design by Emily Henderson and ARCIFORM
*Photos by Kaitlin Green
Looks great! I love how the dark color photographs but see that the light isn’t on so that you must have photography lighting. I’ve had one dark room out of a mostly white home in my current and last two houses: first, in Seattle a kid’s bathroom painted BM Hale Navy, then our next house here in Maryland, a navy dining room, and in our current house, painted the primary bedroom Clare’s Current Mood. I love the green/blue color, but man, it really is hard to light the room! And I kept the ceilings white. I’m replacing a single-bulb ceiling fixture with a new one soon.
In the Hale Navy dining room, we had the big Rejuvenation fixture that you used in the Portland flip dining room— stunning and I miss it— and it threw a lot of light. Our kitchen there had natural cherry cabinets, so it wasn’t as much of a contrast walking from kitchen into dining room.
I think this space looks amazing. It is hands down my favorite space in the Farmhouse so far. I do see what you mean about the contrast between the kitchen and the pantry but in my dream scenario (and I don’t live there so please you do you) I would love to see some of this moodiness infused back into other parts of the home. I know you decided to brighten everything up a ton during the renovation because you felt like the original home was lacking light but for the PNW I love the idea of leaning into something more moody like the way this pantry look.
Yes! I second that! This is the room where I really feel the farmhouse vibe. And I love how all your collected art and nice stuff go so well with the colour. The wood comes to life pained as well as making the beautiful windows pop! I think this is a theme that would fit perfectly in the TV room area as well. But understand that you want less contrast between areas. Being Swedish, it’s very refreshing to see rooms that aren’t painted white tbh. 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
I second both these comments! I love this room and stick with what I said earlier – two paint colors in there would make it all more busy in my view. I think the all one color look is great for a small room and love how moody it is. I also love a contrast from a brighter room to moody. Especially when the bigger spaces are bright. Absolutely beautiful!
Came here to say this.
Same same!!!
I totally agree, too! I think the room looks fabulous this monochrome shade and would love to see some leaning into this vibe elsewhere. I also like the ideas below to add an interesting lamp and maybe some warm under-counter lighting to make it even more cozy. It’s a lovely pantry.
Same same, love that you kept it all dark!
I agree. This is the first room that really gives a farmhouse vibe. The cool white somehow feels a little off in the rest of the house..but I do understand your need for light and brightness.
So glad you said this about the white. That’s a light bulb comment for me. I thought I was having a problem with the bright white, because I’m kind of tired of white rooms, but it’s because old houses tend to look better with slightly off whites. Farrow & Ball has a bunch of these “old whites” for that reason.
And agree with the other posters that this is my favorite room so far. It looks amazing.
100% agree. I live in a Victorian era row house and the off whites are the move. I have a slightly cool off white that works. Coconut twist by behr.
I 100% agree. I live in a 1920s bungalow and just couldn’t handle the stark, cool whites so went against the advice I read on the internet (esp. given the house has wood trim) and painted the walls a warm-toned off-white (F&B’s Pointing). I love it so much. It gives the rooms a cozy, lived-in feel. And, for me, the warmer tone seems to lift my mood during the long, sunless Chicago winters. I read somewhere recently that you never would have had true or bright white walls in homes built around the 1900s or earlier because they didn’t have the technology to create paints in that hue. Any white paints that were used were off-white.
I totally agree! I don’t think the pantry is too dark, but the rest of the house is too stark white.
100000000 percent! I think the house would still feel light, but so much warmer and more harmonious with a warmer off white/cream tone (or other light neutral) replacing some or all of the ultra bright white. Would looooooove to see this.
Gorgeous Emily! I love how it ties beautifully with the kitchen backsplash too 🙂
Now off to google ironstone as I’ve never heard of it and I’m curious!
Me too!
Beautiful!!!
As to a suggestion about kids’ school papers, I would get them each one wall hung file basket and hang it where they can reach. Might work better in the mudroom. Then choose one day of the week to sort through it all. I like doing it on Friday afternoon to set up for the week ahead so then the weekend is available for fun and there’s no last minute freak out on Sunday night. This is not an area where I would invest $$$$. There’s much less paper coming in once they reach the upper grades.
Agreed! We did a three-slot hanging wire mail basket thing for the kids (cheap). We also hung a second one for us to contain/sort mail. In a small amount of wall space it contained all the clutter that used to move around the kitchen.
Why are your schools still using paper?
We have email, apps, web portals for payments and online permission note systems here in Australian public schools.
Reports are even digital now too!
It’s so beautiful!
My hack for decanted stuff is to cut out the directions and tape them to the back of the jar – unobtrusive but accessible.
me too!
I do that too!
Great idea! I was going to suggest creating a Pinterest file for photos of package directions. But your idea is much simpler and more practical!
Or write on the back with a Sharpie — It will rub off fairly easily if you change the purpose of the jar. Example: for Basmati rice, I write
11: 1.5 H2O; 15 min
That’s 1:1.5
It’s possible you’re right and just have an awesome photographer, but I still LOVE the contrast. I think you’re just not a “dark and moody” person, which is fine! But I actually prefer the pantry to the kitchen. (And I really like the kitchen!)
What’s the purpose of the hanging bust (Shakespeare?)? Is he just decoration or does he hold matches? Either way, weird in a good way. When our kids were in the bury us in school papers phase, I tried giving each a drawer. It worked ok. Then we found an old hanging plate rack and that worked great! We created folders for items to keep (artwork, stories), permission slips, homework and then recycle. There was plenty of room for each kid to have separate folders for each.
It looks like you have a couple of pin lights and the 1-bulb fixture? I would replace the ceiling light with a vintage flush mount with more bulbs. I love the paint as is.
Came here to say the same. I would replace the light fixture with one with more bulbs. This pantry is absolutely amazing though! I love it all!!
Omg, as a parent of 4 kids (plus a dog!), I am sooooo jealous of this amazing and beautiful set-up. I love the idea of being able to keep the kitchen clutter-free and am now scheming a (totally imaginary) kitchen reno in my house to add a pantry like this! All the storage touches (the half drawers!) are brilliant. Well done!
Looks good. Re the lack of contrast It seems like it would be extremely easy to DIY paint the walls a lighter color. I don’t think you’d have to do the door and likely not the shelves . Re the filtered water sink I drink lots of filtered water off my slow sink filter. I fill vintage jugs with filtered water, leave them on the counter and use/ refill them during the day. That gets you both fast filtered water in the pantry and uses your vintage jugs.
fun idea! Something pretty to look at, and functional? I’m tucking this one away, too 🙂
It looks so pretty! Where are the candles you splurged on? I was looking for them, but I can’t spot them.
Maybe she meant the candlesticks? https://erinclairedover.com/products/white-stoneware-taper-holder
Sorry, no, I’m wrong. I thought those were salt and pepper grinders on the top shelf, but they must be the candles.
Nevermind…I think they are the brown sculptural shapes…I thought they were wooden pepper grinders!
They are Carl Durkow candles. Here is his website: http://www.carldurkow.com/candles
They look like salt and pepper shakers, but don’t be fooled! 😉
It is really beautiful! I love the color and it seems to be so organized! I see what you mean about more recycling bins and a little sink, but everything about it is just lovely. I like the dark color. The windows are gorgeous too! Love it!
For the water issue, get a Berkey counter top water filter. It’s pretty and would provide your countertop water filter in the pantry. I think the pantry looks great. I do agree it’s a little dark (I was with you on team lighter paint), but it’s absolutely gorgeous.
LOVE it! I feel like the room begs for a little lamp on the countertop! Bring in a little cozy light to brighten the darkness? Just beautiful. I have recently moved into our newly-constructed home, and we have a smaller walk-in pantry that we left only semi-finished. We need to add shelves and actually organize the drawers… and style it. This offers me so much inspiration :)!!
Love the idea of a lamp instead of painting!
Looks lovely, and am glad you get to see all the recent stuff you have bought on the shelves and counters, but I think you really need to address function sometimes, and agree with other posters that you need a place for kid to put their papers, folders etc. Even if they come in the mud room door -(which the hardly ever will, really doubt you will not win that battle:) – where would they be putting their daily papers and school folders and stuff? I would try low baskets on the counter that is on the left when you walk in the pantry. Right now there is just styled “stuff” all over your counters, why not try functional stuff? At least they way the paperwork will be contained in one place and it will be in a place where you will see if at least a few times a day. And I would just add a second row of pegs on the basement door for their backpacks, which will end up on the kitchen bench otherwise. Finally, I would definitely repaint lighter as you wished it was. You are repainting everywhere else, why not here too! Glad you are… Read more »
I don’t understand why people are skeptical
that the kids will use the mudroom door? It’s relatively easy to form new habits, especially at that age and with parental encouragement/insistence. Emily has built a gorgeous and practical mudroom and I have zero doubt she will make sure it is used as intended. She wouldn’t be where she is in life if she weren’t darn good at making things happen.
Because Emily for some reason put the mudroom in the least logical place where no one will naturally use it. The whole floor plan is questionable, but the mudroom location is the worst. I have to wonder where Arciform was when that was decided?! Emily better get used to the kitchen island being the drop zone.
Whoa! So negative AND so darn convinced of your opinion. The mudroom is off the backyard/play area where the dogs are taken in and out for walks, etc., so that’s one great reason for its location. It’s also just a hop, skip and a jump from where kids will likely often be dropped off by the front door. Makes plenty of sense to me.
Plus, all she needs to do is lock the other doors and they will catch on real quick.
Apparently that sounded harsher than intended. I simply meant that an easy way to create a habit for the kids would be to let them know they only the mudroom door will be left unlocked for them.
Ok would someone please explain the downvoting to me???
My guess is that Emily’s team can moderate the comments to remove the anti-Emily trolls, but can’t moderate the upvotes and downvotes. Ignore the downvotes – most of us non-pathetic, genuine, kind, thoughtful readers agree with you! (Not to say all negative comments are trolls, at all – there are lots of thoughtful constructive comments – but there are lots of trolls on this site, for some inexplicable reason.)
Why not put a Birkey water filter somewhere in there on the counter, they have different sizes, and you’d solve the water on hand for coffee etc. problem. Plus they are quite lovely to look at, as far as a utilitarian piece goes, AND one of the best water filtration systems on the market, insound like a salesman, but they are that good. This room is my favorite you’ve shared so far. It has a lot of soul, but still feels fresh. Beautiful work 👏.
FYI – Berkey water filters aren’t NSF or ANSI certified and independent labs don’t back up their claims. See Wirecutter article. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/big-berkey-water-filter-system/
Still very pretty though!
I drink straight up city tap water and I’m fine with that. But I have admired the Berkey solely on aesthetic grounds.
I agree with ALLL of this!!!
It’s gorgeous! to lighten up the the space a bit – what if you just painted the ceiling a lighter color? white?
I agree! If you were to just paint the ceiling white to match the window walls you can keep the moody vibe of the dark cabinetry and walls but also lighten up the space.
Agreeing with other commenters who say this really feels Farmhouse. And I love it all dark blue. I get what you’re saying about seeing it from the kitchen, but I’m also thinking that if you get your living room sorted out, which might have a lot more variance in hue and shade and texture, the simplicity of the pantry could be a tonic. Love the windows, love the teabag container, love all the function, love the display shelves. Seems like the secret heart of your space and who does not love a secret heart?
Agree! The one-color simplicity of this space is integral to its beauty.
This is beautiful, and so helpful to see all the details! Would you mind sharing what kind of paint you used for the cabinets – lacquer?
I know Emily’s boots have been linked before, but I can’t find them for the life of me! Does anyone know where they are from?
Madewell’s Camry Chelsea: https://www.madewell.com/the-camryn-chelsea-boot-in-leather-NH205.html
Thanks, Kj!
FYI – Berkey water filters aren’t NSF or ANSI certified and independent labs don’t back up their claims. See Wirecutter article. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/big-berkey-water-filter-system/
I can see where the darker color is somewhat jarring, but I really like the fact that everything in that space is one color. I also think the darker color helps to hide clutter a bit. (Your prettiest things tend to me white/light, whereas many of the “uglies” are darker.) I second the idea, above, to cut out labels for decanting items where you want to preserve the directions. My husband does this because it makes it easier to use and frees up storage space in the jar itself. (He definitely doesn’t care about how it looks.) Regarding recycling, would it make sense to have a separate sorting area, maybe in the basement? We keep a small bin for recycle-ables under our sink and then transfer to the basement where we sort sort and transfer to large bins. (I guess it’s more convenient to have it in the kitchen, but it’s not a big deal to walk to the basement. Also, it’s a chore we can easily give to our kids.) I find it interesting that the goal is to hide things in the pantry. At one point, the pantry was surely just a utilitarian space to free up the… Read more »
Ha good point! What’s next, a pantry closet?!
Ooooh……luverly!🤗
There’s absolutely gobs of storage open , closed, hidden, nifty drawers…it has it all!
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I get what you mean about the paint, but it’s kinda slick as is, like Sara’s vibe is.
The windows are gorgeous (even if they need a clean as you said 🤣) snd the whole space is so special and functional!
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Please be mindful about packaging choices – tetra packs are a conundrum (they’re not as ‘recyclable’ as we’re led to believe).
https://mashable.com/article/tetra-pak-recycle
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I love the space. So many more butler’s pantries could be as gorgeous as this, as well as functional.💗
I would love to see a project or room where you make all decisions following your initial instinct, because it sounds like you are SPOT ON about what would look exceptional / fun / cool / new. I love this pantry. A two-toned pantry would have also been very cool.
Wow this pantry looks good! I love the practical half drawers and open shelving. I see what you mean about the contrast from the kitchen but I still looove the color.
My favorite element is for sure the windows though! I am so impressed with your clever solution to reusing the existing vintage windows, and I also love the coordinating one off Ebay.
Lol @ the instant pot comment. I have an unsolicited cookbook rec – if you want to give it a go before you eventually donate the appliance, “Instant Family Meals” by Sarah Copeland has actually delicious food that I think you’d like based on your cookbook selection. Unlike random internet recipes they are creative and reliably turn out well. (Plus… making homemade chicken stock in an instant pot is a soup game changer =))
I think the color is delicious and perfect for the pantry, especially the way it shows off your pottery and things. All this room really needs is a cozy little lamp, like that rattan one you bought recently or something similar. I have a small lamp in my kitchen and I love turning that on in the morning instead of overhead lights.
Emily! This is so beautiful! Have you considered adding under-cabinet lighting to just the bottom shelves to better see the counters? That would be an easy, brightening solution. Overall, the moodiness is a great contrast to the kitchen and yet the two somehow go together so beautifully. Amazing job!!
Great idea!!
Beautiful! And my first thought during your video was wondering why you didn’t put in a sink. What about a Berkey for filtered water?
What about some kind of glass water decanter or bottle?
The use of the windows for the pantry was so smart with a gorgeous result.
I know this is not the point of this post but where did you get the organizer you use for the water bottles? Right now we have them standing up in our cabinets and they take up so much room and the tops fall off etc and I hate it. I never would have thought to put them sideways!
But also … I love this room. This and a mudroom are the practical storage solutions I wish I had in my house! And the colors are great.
My suggestion for the kids’ papers is … recycle it 🙂 After three kids I have come to realize that you really really don’t need to hang on to most of that stuff.
I agree with your #’s 2 & 3, but I love the monochromatic, dark, moody and as a mom to SEVEN, the dark goes well in entry places like this room as well as pantries. Remember, when your kids are driving and their friends are driving, this room will become Grand Central Station and the dark is fantastic. If you want it lighter, change the light- bigger/lighter somehow and add some cute lamps or under-shelving light that you leave on. That will soften the dark….but the moody really is fantastic. This is a beautiful room and while I’m no interior decorator and didn’t vote if you offered a vote on the paint color, I’m glad you lost. 🙂
Why does it feel like big news to hear you have a basement?? I’ve commented on a landscaping post asking about the flow in terms of parking/groceries/entry, but didn’t see a response. At some point, can you talk about that? You lost me when you said you were bribing the kids to use “that” door. The kitchen door? Why are there coats on the pantry door if it leads to the basement?
Love the space! I can see how a powder blue would be pretty and inviting in here, but the slate blue looks great, too! Love the vintage windows so much. What a dream space!
Grace, I am lost too! Hope there is a post update!
Eventually she wants the kids to enter via the mudroom door and hang their things in the mudroom, but now they are entering via the kitchen door and hanging their things in the pantry. The cars park right by the kitchen door, so it makes sense and isn’t a surprise that that is where everyone is entering.
I think she means that she wants the kids to walk PAST the kitchen door, which is right near the driveway/parking area, and walk all the way around the house to the other side to use the mudroom entry (see her house plan in the post). Most kids will not want to walk past a door and all the way around the other house to enter via the mud room – so she is giving them a single m&m to do so.
What a dream pantry! For storing the kid’s paperwork I use files in a cabinet drawer. Perhaps the empty drawers under the coffee/tea area would work. Then empty the files into the recycling when they are done or no longer need them.
Fantastic! The space is beautiful and so functional. I grew up in a house built in 1910 with a butler’s pantry that functioned as this one does. My mother even had it painted in a very similar slate-cadet blue. Ours had a sink as well which was quite handy. It’s a wonderful use of space!
Beautiful and practical, the best pair! Can you just paint the ceiling a lighter shade of that same blue? And then add lighting under the shelves to generally lighten it up? I love the dark and moody personally but I can see how maybe lightening up certain elements might help.
I LOVE the slanted wall with the window at the tea coffee bar. This is what dreams are made of! *cue the Hillary Duff,.. hey now hey nooow..*
Oh my gosh this is the post I needed! You just solved my butler’s pantry dilemma and finally got my husband to sign off on the project! Also, my husband walked up when I was looked at the post and he said “wow that’s beautiful!”
The second dilemma for the butler’s pantry for me is water, because I also want a tea station (we don’t drink coffee but for resale a coffee bar I suppose). The wall I want it can only do a 15″ deep cabinet. Is it crazy to put in a pot filler only? I feel like dumping out water is so rare it’s no biggie to walk to the sink, but having a tap to fill water for the teapot/dog’s water would be so helpful. Is that a terrible idea?
If I only had 15 inches to work with, I would still do a tiny sink and faucet, but I have a thing for tiny sinks plus also am freaked out by pot fillers – the concept of a running tap with no drain – scary! Obvs this is just me. This could be an opportunity to inject some personality too – a tiny hammered copper sink (like a cocktail bar sink) or a fun colored bowl that you’d never commit to in your main kitchen. Plus if you’re doing anything with dogs in there, you know they’re slobs, and you’ll want to wring out a rag or wipe up a mess.
Love a house with a quirky or tiny sink! Super fun idea and agree about the drain.
That was the other option but I was having trouble finding a sink that would work, and figured it would ultimately be kind of useless since it would only be able to be ~10″ deep to leave room for a faucet. I could put in a sink on the opposite wall where I could do standard 24″ deep cabinets and there’s already a drain line, but I plan to have to-the-ceiling open shelves on that wall so they’d have to start higher than I’d like to allow room for the sink
Cici, our laundry room sink is only 14” square by 6” deep, and it seems to be large enough for most things. If you can find a I0” deep sink that fits your space, I wouldn’t hesitate to install it.
Gorgeous!! The windows are my favorite part.
I love the dark color on the cabinets and onto the walls. I would probably choose this for the actual kitchen, then the lighter options for the pantry since moody is my favorite, there are more windows in the actual kitchen and it seems like it would be easier to keep looking clean. But, as is, the kitchen/pantry are what dreams are made of! Beautiful, functional, appropriate to the house style, just really well done.
Love! Moody, functional and beautiful. I adore the contrast between pantry and kitchen and honestly would not change a thing. Although, I finally found bins that fit our pull out drawer so I get wanting that for recycling. I like one commenters suggestion to put in a few lights under some of the shelves. It could add a nice warm glow. Now I’m seeing your vision for the tv room more. They seem like they will be sister rooms in their one-hue moody vibe. Adore!
Agree with others, that it is best room so far for those of us that like colorful interiors, but I can see why it is not Emily’s normal California style. I’m not sure she needs to try to make the rest of the house look like this, since it is generally unsuccessful decorating in a style that is not your own. For example, i don’t think it was successful when Emily tried to go more “Granny” in her last house by putting a dark, upholstered chaise in an otherwise bright or sunny room, or the eclectic, multi-patterned bed canopy mixed with more modern furniture and accessories. When she leaned into what she liked (the mountain house), it was cohesive and made sense.
This made me smile in how people can have such different opinions on rooms. I loved her little bit of granny that she added to that house as well as that eclectic bed canopy!!
So pretty! My hack for decanting goods is to cut out the instructions and tape them to the lids (I had candy jar decanters). You’ve got to have them.
My favorite room so far!!! ❤️
So pretty and functional. My favorite has to be the vintage windows. Such a nice touch and I love the color in there. A cute lamp on the counter would be great 👍. Well done!!
I love the pantry! You could put a 3/4 swinging door between the kitchen and pantry to break up the contrast of the white and dark blue.
I LOVE how the warm woods and whites play off the blue- a few dashes of copper & brass would be delightful too, in moderation. I’m still firmly in the pro-dark camp but if you really feel like it’s too much of a cave, consider painting the ceiling in the lighter color- I think that will help a lot with bouncing light around, and won’t make it feel busier, which is my concern with painting the walls a different color- there’s always going to be a lot going on in there. Having a light fixture that casts light up- to reflect off a lighter ceiling would help too, though I love the current fixture (a classic milk glass schoolhouse pendent would work). If you do paint the walls, paint the shelves the same color, and I’d wait until it wasn’t the depths of winter to make this call though.
Love following you and all your projects. However, I’m deeply disappointed that you have an ad by some MAGA idiot sponsor promoting some tax bologna.
The internet ads pop up based on each user’s browsing history, I think. I don’t have any political ones on this site, ever.
This is so pretty Em! I’m gonna move in. To the pantry. Where I will live forever. The color is gorgeous. Don’t change a thing.