English Cottage Pantry Makeover

The pantry makeover in our English cottage is finally complete! Tour it with me and see what we did!

15 years ago, I would not have said that a pantry was one of my favorite rooms in the house.

In fact, pantries aren’t usually even considered “rooms” in the house. They’re typically more of a closet or cabinet space, or so I thought.

That was before I discovered the beauty of butler’s pantry designs, built our butler’s pantry in the pole barn home, and declared it my most favorite space ever. Once you see it, you’ll know why I loved it so much!

Here at the Lavender Blue Cottage, my love of pantries is still going strong. And while the term “butler’s pantry” doesn’t quite seem to jive with a cottage-style home, the idea is the same. A walk-in pantry, complete with both storage and preparation space.

This is a little room that saves my sanity and steals my heart at the same time. I’m thrilled to have this space finished and I cannot wait to show you!

Make sure you check out the video reveal of this space on YouTube for some panoramic views that the still shots just can’t capture. They are my favorite!

Shop This Room!

Before I get too far into this new pantry tour, let me give you a few resources for the things you’ll see in this blog post.

Paint Colors

We did a color-drenching technique in this room. There are two shades of blue in this space – a lighter shade of blue on the upper walls and ceiling, and a slightly darker shade for the trim, casings and cabinets.

The lighter blue is called Tornado by PPG.

The darker blue is called Solitary State by PPG.

Products

All of the products shown in this room can be found over at my Moonsift Board for Kitchen Favorites or my Moonsift Board for English Cottage Kitchen. Check them out for full details and product links! Though keep in mind, most of it is thrifted, antiqued or DIY.

Where We Started

Care to join me for a look back at how this room began? A good before and after always sparks my interest!

This room was originally a dining room, but after loving the butler’s pantry in our pole barn home, I knew how valuable that prep and storage space was.

Here are a couple of our “before” shots.

Not terrible, but as always, I had my own vision for this room. I saw it going in a totally different direction, with less carpet, cooler colors and a different purpose altogether.

Pantry Makeover Reveal

Pantry Makeover: Cabinet Wall

If you look to the left as you enter this room, the first thing you’ll see is a floor-to-ceiling combo of upper cabinets, open shelving and cabinet curtains which provide hidden storage for whatever we want to hide.

Do you recognize those upper cabinets? They came out of our kitchen prior to its remodel. Rather than buy a new cabinet set, the originals have been painted and hung high to help us achieve this built-in hutch design.

Mr. TIDBITS installed a bead board backsplash, shelves and wooden pegs. They nicely display some of our prettier storage containers.

He also made a wooden countertop for me to use as workspace, which was much appreciated. It holds small appliances and often-used tools. Baking ingredients like oats and flour are also kept over here.

Behind the cabinet curtains you’ll find 5-gallon buckets of food storage, pots and pans, all nicely hidden away.

I love all the little details and trim pieces!

A glance over the shoulder towards the door frame shows you a cute little shelf with hooks that is the perfect place for hanging aprons.

Pantry Makeover: Back Wall

Adjacent to our wall of cabinets is a back wall with double windows.

I adore the large windows, but they make storage planning tricky because I knew I’d need to find a furniture piece that fit just right in the space between the windows.

Luckily, this painted hutch was just the perfect size for a pantry cabinet!

We store baskets on top and glass jars with labels that hold herbs and other goodies inside it.

The outside of the cabinet is a reddish-brown color that has been growing on me ever since we put this room together. What do you think of it? Should I paint it a different color or does it work?

Pantry Reveal: Island

Smack dab in the middle of this very square room is a kitchen island that Mr. TIDBITS made from an old desk. He cut and honed a marble remnant for the top. My kids and I use this island counter for baking projects all the time.

Pantry Reveal: Single Window Wall

Moving around the room we come to a single-window wall. Again, I didn’t want to lose the light and the view, so we planned around it to make the most of this space.

We installed another lower-cabinet and countertop set which a cabinet curtain that matches the one on the other side of the room.

Those little fruit baskets I thrifted are a darling organization idea. They were just begging to be filled with produce.

Above the counter, we hung a few open shelves built by Mr. TIDBITS. I think they are adorable, and I opted to use them solely for decoration.

Pantry Reveal: Baker’s Rack Wall

Finally, we’ve come to the last wall of this walk in pantry. This wall was interesting because it featured two doorways on the same wall, leaving little room for storage.

I decided this was just the place for Mr. TIDBITS baker’s rack. We’ve used it for storing everyday dishes and garden herbs. It’s a beautiful sight!

More Pantry and Room Reveals

We’ve reached the end of our tour. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have! It feels good to have an organized pantry again. Regardless of whether you have a small kitchen pantry or a large custom pantry, I hope you were able to find a few ideas to help make that space look and feel like something you love.

Until next time, my friend! And until then, feel free to look at my other room reveals for more inspiration.

• Our Butler’s Pantry Reveal with English Country Charm
• European Farmhouse Master Bedroom Reveal
• Split Bathroom Design Ideas and Room Reveal
• Shared Kids Closet Design Reveal with Rolling Library Ladder
• Homeschool Room Reveal
• European Farmhouse Master Bathroom Reveal
• European Farmhouse Kitchen Design | Reveal Tour
• Basement Food Storage Room
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes