Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Pantry Tea Time




When visiting the Deepwood Estate in Salem, Oregon at the end of January
I was fascinated by the butler's pantry in the house.
After doing a little research I learned that during the Victorian era large homes
were built with a separate room between the kitchen and the dining room.
The room was often used as a staging area for serving meals and also
as a place to store china, candles, and linens.
Sometimes it was used for preparing sandwiches or had a small sink
for washing the silver and small plates.

When I have visited homes such as this one I had always wondered what
the pantry was used for, so it was fun to finally have a better idea now of the
special needs this little room provided.

Wouldn't you just love a room like this,
one that you can keep all the beautiful teapots, teacups, and linens
ready for an impromptu tea party?

10 comments:

Deb said...

I sure would. I would make good use of a space like that. I love the old cabinet here. It reminds me of my grandmother's many years ago. Deb

Sylvia said...

Oh yes, a butler's pantry would be great!I have often thought of turning my coat closet into a cabinet for my tea cups and teapots, since it is between the dining room and living room.

Lorrie said...

A butler's pantry would be a lovely feature.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Oh yes, I'd love a room like this to store my linens and china. A friend's old farmhouse had a pantry off the kitchen with a sink in it, makes me think someone from England might have built the house? It's been torn down and they built a modern home with lots of cupboards in the kitchen and did away with the pantry.

Jeanie said...

Totally enchanted by these beautiful photos. I have friends who had a butler's pantry built when they redid their kitchen and I think it is one of my favorite spots in their house -- nice cupboards to store china (no perilous trips up the stairs with an armload of plates!) and good counter space for staging... I'd love one.

Madelief said...

I enjoyed to have a look into your cupboard Marilyn. What a lovely collection of porcelain you have!

madelief x

Joy said...

Oh, yes, I'd LOVE to have a room like this. I could fill it up, too! What fun that would be.

Linda Jennings said...

Oh how I would love to have a butler's pantry to store all my tea equipment, china, linens, and more for entertaining. The way it is now, I have too look all over in various storage places for what I need. Sometimes I find it months too late!

Angela McRae said...

I guess my staging area is called "the top of the washer and dryer in the laundry room off the kitchen." *Sigh*

Laura Morrigan said...

What lovely teasets! I imagine they would have been more matched in the past, but I like mismatched sets!