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(847) 847-4148 contact@deltaremodels.com1212 Ranch Rd
Lake Forest, IL 60045
A butler's pantry is a service room between the kitchen and dining room, with cabinets, a counter and often a sink, coffee station, bar or wine fridge. On the North Shore it is usually built with custom cabinetry and stone counters as part of a kitchen remodel. Quartz counters run $60 to $120 per square foot installed and natural stone $120 to $300, and running plumbing for a pantry sink adds $5,000 to $25,000. A one-sided pantry needs about 5 feet of width.
A butler's pantry started as the room where staff stored silver and plated food on its way to the dining room. Today it takes the clutter out of the main kitchen and gives you a second place to work when you entertain.
Most of the butler's pantries we build hold one or more of these: a coffee station with a built-in machine, a bar with a sink and an ice maker, a wine or beverage fridge, glassware and serving pieces, small appliances that would otherwise sit on the kitchen counter, and a counter for staging food during a party.
The North Shore has a long history with them. Many early 1900s homes in Kenilworth, Winnetka and Lake Forest were built with an original pantry between the kitchen and dining room. In newer homes, we often create one from a closet, a back hall or a corner of the dining room.
A walk-in pantry stores food, usually on open shelving behind a door. A butler's pantry is a finished room with cabinets, a counter and often a sink, built for serving and entertaining. Many larger kitchens have both: a walk-in pantry for groceries and a butler's pantry on the way to the dining room.
A scullery is a back kitchen for messy work: a full sink, a dishwasher, prep space and sometimes a second oven, so the main kitchen stays clean for guests. A butler's pantry is lighter work and storage and is usually finished to be seen. If you host large dinners with caterers, a scullery earns its space. For coffee, cocktails and serving, a butler's pantry is enough.
Often more than you think. A one-sided pantry needs about 5 feet of width. Good spots are an existing pass-through between kitchen and dining room, a coat or linen closet next to the kitchen, a back hall to the garage, or one end of a large dining room. We look for these at the first visit.
Yes, if the cabinets and counters can work alongside your existing kitchen. Most of the pantries we build are part of a larger kitchen remodel because the wall changes, the plumbing and the matching finishes are easier to do at the same time.
The price depends on what goes in it. These are the North Shore figures from our 2026 North Shore kitchen remodel cost guide that drive most butler's pantry budgets.
| Cost item | North Shore range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Butler pantry cabinets | Priced with your kitchen cabinetry, which runs 29 to 40 percent of a kitchen budget | Stock, semi-custom or custom, wood species, glass doors, inset construction. |
| Counters | Quartz $60 to $120 per sq ft installed. Marble or quartzite $120 to $300 per sq ft. | Length of the run, stone grade, edge detail, a full stone backsplash. |
| Sink and plumbing | $5,000 to $25,000 to run new plumbing | Distance to existing lines, basement access, adding a dishwasher. |
| Walls and framing | $5,000 to $25,000 when a wall is removed or moved | Whether the wall is load-bearing and what runs through it. |
| Appliances, lighting and power | Depends on selections | Wine or beverage fridge, ice maker, built-in coffee machine, dedicated circuits. |
An 8 foot run of counter at standard depth is about 16 square feet of stone. At North Shore installed prices the top alone comes to:
Cabinets, plumbing, appliances and lighting are added to that, which is why we price the pantry inside the kitchen project.
A sink. Water, drain and vent lines are the biggest single jump in cost.
Moving walls. Turning a closet or hall into a pantry often means reframing.
Glass and lighting. Glass-front uppers with lit shelves need finished cabinet interiors and wiring.
Specialty finishes. Lacquer, inset doors and figured walnut take more labor.
Appliances. Refrigerated drawers, ice makers and built-in coffee machines need their own power and sometimes water.
See how a pantry fits each budget level in our cosmetic refresh vs full gut comparison. We give a firm range after we see the space, because a closet conversion and a new pantry room are very different projects.
The space you have usually decides the type. These are the butler's pantry layouts we build most.
A short passage between kitchen and dining room with cabinets on one or both sides. The classic butler's pantry and the most useful for serving.
A small room with one entrance off the kitchen. More storage and counter space, and the door can close on dishes and clutter.
A single run of base and upper cabinets in a hall or alcove. The narrow butler's pantry option for homes short on space.
Cabinets on both sides of a walkway. Doubles storage and counter space and needs about 7 to 8 feet of width.
Built around a coffee machine, a bar sink, an ice maker and a beverage fridge, with glassware above. A popular modern butler's pantry.
A working back kitchen with a full sink, dishwasher and prep counter, so the main kitchen stays clean during parties.
| Compare | Butler's pantry | Walk-in pantry | Scullery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main job | Serving, storage, coffee and bar | Food storage | Washing up and prep |
| Typical features | Cabinets, counter, often a bar sink | Shelving, sometimes a counter | Full sink, dishwasher, prep space |
| Finish level | Finished to be seen by guests | Practical | Practical, durable |
| Plumbing | Optional | Rarely | Yes |
Start with how you entertain and where the space is. These are the recommendations we give most often.
For homes where the pantry connects kitchen and dining room. Continuing the kitchen cabinetry ties the rooms together, as in our Lake Forest walnut kitchen and butler's pantry.
For families who want morning coffee and evening drinks out of the main kitchen. Built-in appliances behind doors keep the counter clear.
When there is no room for a separate space. Floor-to-ceiling cabinets give butler pantry storage inside the kitchen, as in our Long Grove kitchen.
For early 1900s homes that still have the pantry between kitchen and dining room. We keep the character and add modern plumbing, power and lighting.
These are the planning sizes we start from. Custom cabinets let us adjust them to the space you have.
| Element | Typical size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base cabinets and counter | 24 in deep, 36 in high | 15 to 18 in deep cabinets work in a narrow butler's pantry. |
| Upper cabinets | 12 to 15 in deep | Run them to the ceiling for glassware and serving pieces. |
| Walkway | 36 in minimum | 42 in if two people work there or it is a main route. |
| One-sided pantry | About 5 ft wide | Counter plus walkway. |
| Two-sided galley pantry | About 7 to 8 ft wide | Two counters plus walkway. |
| Bar sink | 15 to 18 in wide | Enough for glasses, coffee and rinsing. |
| Beverage fridge | 15 or 24 in wide | Fits under a standard counter. |
Length depends on what the pantry holds. Six to ten feet of counter covers most coffee, bar and serving setups.
Because the pantry is a small room, it is the easiest place in the house to try a bolder material or color.
Warm wood with fluted panels and brass hardware gives the pantry a furniture feel. It can match the island and contrast with painted kitchen cabinets.
A Chicago butler's pantry in black lacquer is a classic look: deep gloss doors, brass hardware, mirrored or glass backs and a marble counter. Lacquer shows fingerprints and fine scratches, so a satin black is easier to live with.
Glass-front uppers with lit shelves turn glassware into display. Finished cabinet interiors and a dimmer make the pantry glow from the dining room at night.
For more on door styles, wood species and durable finishes, see our custom kitchen cabinets page and the custom cabinets buyer's guide. Our under-cabinet lighting guide covers task lighting for the counter.
A butler's pantry works when it is planned with the kitchen, the dining room and the route between them. We design and build all three.
Design, cabinetry, plumbing, electrical, stone, lighting and permits run through us.
3D plans show the pantry layout, storage and finishes before anything is ordered.
39+ years in older homes across Glenview, Wilmette, Highland Park, Winnetka and nearby towns.
A 3-year workmanship warranty and a 4.9★ Google rating.
Every photo on this page is a Delta project. Browse the full project portfolio for more.
Walnut cabinetry continues from the kitchen for coffee service and lit display shelves.
A built-in coffee bar with glass-front uppers and a stone counter.
Floor-to-ceiling pantry storage with glass-front uppers.
A large entertaining kitchen with room for serving and prep.
A butler's pantry is a small service room, usually between the kitchen and the dining room, with cabinets, a counter and often a sink. Today it holds dishes, glassware, a coffee station, a bar or a wine fridge, and gives you a place to stage food and hide clutter when you entertain.
A walk-in pantry is food storage, usually shelving behind a door. A butler's pantry is a finished work space with cabinets, a counter and often a sink, built for serving, entertaining and storing dishes and glassware.
A scullery is a working back kitchen for messy jobs such as washing up and prep, usually with a full sink, a dishwasher and sometimes a second oven. A butler's pantry is for serving and storage and is often finished to be seen by guests.
A one-sided butler's pantry works with a counter about 24 inches deep and a 36 inch walkway, so roughly 5 feet wide. A two-sided galley pantry needs about 7 to 8 feet of width. Length depends on what it holds, but 6 to 10 feet of counter covers most needs.
No, but most of the ones we build have one. A bar or prep sink makes a coffee station or bar far more useful. It needs a drain, a vent and water lines, which is easiest when there is a basement below.
For people who entertain or want a cleaner main kitchen, yes. It moves small appliances, glassware and serving pieces out of the kitchen and gives caterers or family a second work area. In larger North Shore homes, buyers often expect one.
Often, yes. Many early 1900s North Shore homes still have the original pantry between kitchen and dining room. We can keep or copy the original cabinet style and add modern plumbing, lighting and appliances.
A good butler's pantry sits on the route to the table, does one or two jobs well and matches the quality of the kitchen beside it. Find the space first, decide what it will hold, then choose the layout, cabinets and finish.
If you are thinking about adding one, we will look at your kitchen, dining room and the space between them at the first visit and show you where a pantry fits. Many clients pair it with a larger island or an open concept kitchen, and the pantry keeps the open kitchen tidy.
We find the best location, talk through how you entertain, and give you a realistic budget range for the pantry and the kitchen around it.
(847) 847-41481212 Ranch Rd · Lake Forest, IL 60045
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