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My Finished Butler’s Pantry Remodel – Before & After

My butler’s pantry remodel is finished, and I’m excited to show you how it turned out! I came up with this butler’s pantry design to maximize this 7′ x 12′ space and be very functional, but also to look pretty since it can be seen through French doors at the back of my breakfast room.

The actual butler’s pantry design took me ten-and-a-half weeks to build and finish, which was much more than I had bargained for when I decided to be a guest participant in the Fall 2018 One Room Challenge. I must have been delusional to think I could get this room done in five weeks, including building the cabinets from scratch, building a wood countertop, building floating shelves, painting the freezer, building pull-out shelves, and hand-tinting over 200 resin/alcohol ink tiles.

But that challenge was just what I needed to give me the motivation to get started on the pantry. And while I didn’t finish it during the challenge, I did meet my main goal of finishing it by the end of 2018.

Butlers pantry design - floating corner shelves, DIY cabinets with pull out shelves, DIY wood countertop, and custom tile backsplash

I’ll give you the whole tour of the butler’s pantry design, and show you lots of before (waaaaay before, as well as before the One Room Challenge) pictures. But first, did you notice that I’m calling it a butler’s pantry now? I was reluctant to use that term because it seems so fancy and highfalutin for my house. But just calling it a pantry seems misleading since the only food you’ll find in here are Cooper’s bones and dog treats in the three canisters that sit on the countertop right below the window, and then the food inside the freezer.

Sooo, I guess I’m one of those fancy people with a fancy house that has a butler’s pantry! 😀

As soon as I finish up my kitchen organization projects, I’ll do a whole kitchen/pantry organization post and video to show you how and where I’ve stored everything, but for now, I just want to focus on the actual pantry building project.

Butlers pantry design - view through the French doors at the back of the breakfast room

The whole remodel, from the very beginning to the end, was actually a work in progress for over two years. When we bought the house in 2013, there was no pantry. There was just one big room that measured 12 feet by 24 feet next to the kitchen (and separated from the kitchen by a wall) that the previous owners referred to as a den. So the area that is now the pantry originally looked like this…

Butler's pantry was designed to fit in an area at the back of the den that previously had no wall separating the two spaces.

The area had two large windows with broken panes, a door that led to the sunroom, a dark plywood ceiling that awkwardly curved down around some interesting ceiling framing, and green carpet.

I took out all of the carpet shortly after we bought the house, and that revealed the asbestos tile floor.

The butler's pantry was designed to go in the back of the den where there was originally no wall separating the two spaces.

During the breakfast room remodel, everything was torn down, torn out, reframed, drywalled, etc. It was a big elaborate process which included my brother and I completely tearing out the back wall and rebuilding it with one small window in the center.

Butlers pantry design - walls being built to separate the back area from the front breakfast room

And then I framed out a wall seven feet from that back wall and put a 48-inch doorway in the middle to create a pantry at the back of the breakfast room.

So by the end of the breakfast room remodel, the pantry was its own separate room sitting behind cute French doors…

Butler's pantry design - built in an area at the back of the breakfast room with French doors separating the two spaces

And it sat like that — empty for a while, and then filling up with random piles of stuff — for a year-and-a-half until I decided to do the Fall 2018 One Room Challenge. That’s when I cleared out the room, devised a plan, and got to work.

The butler’s pantry design drawings.

The first thing I did was get the decide on a final butler’s pantry design and get it down on paper. That way I wouldn’t be making things up (too much, at least 😀 ) as I started the actual build.

Here’s what the design looked like on paper…

Butlers pantry design - lower cabinets with open shelves above
butlers pantry design - tall cabinet in corner with pull-out shelves
butlers pantry design - upright freezer with cabinet built around it

So with my butler’s pantry design down on paper, I was ready to get started. And after ten-and-a-half weeks, it was finished!

So after all was said and done, this area went from this…

butlers pantry remodel - back area of den before breakfast room remodel

…to this…

Butler's pantry design with lower cabinets, wood countertop, custom tile backsplash, and upper open shelves

But now that I’ve reminded you of how this room looked before any remodeling took place, I’ll just focus on the “before the One Room Challenge” pictures to show you what I did over the big ten-and-a-half week pantry build.

The Butler’s Pantry Tour

So let me give you a quick, wordless before-and-after tour…

butler's pantry design -- empty room before the pantry build began
Finished butler's pantry with dark teal cabinets, whitewashed wood countertop, resin tile backsplash, and white open shelves
butler's pantry before the build began
butlers pantry remodel with dark teal cabinets, whitewashed red oak countertop, and bright turquoise and green tile backsplash
empty pantry before remodel began
finished butler's pantry with lower cabinets, upper open shelves, and a tall cabinet with pull out shelves
empty room before building the butler's pantry
butlers pantry design with teal cabinets, upper open shelves, and a painted upright freezer
empty pantry before the cabinet build began
tall pantry cabinet with pull out shelves and open shelf for microwave
empty walk in pantry with upright freezer
butler's pantry design with talk corner cabinet built around a custom painted upright freezer, painted dark teal

Not too shabby, right? 😀 I’m so excited about how this pantry turned out. In fact, I find myself going in there several times a day just to look and stare. The new hasn’t worn off yet, and I think it’ll be a while before I’m used to seeing an actual pantry through those glass doors.

This room is filled with DIY projects from top to bottom, including all of the cabinets, as well as the pull-outs that I made to go inside. The lower cabinet on the right has a pull-out shelf on top and a slotted pull-out drawer on bottom that holds all of my bakeware.

butlers pantry design with lower cabinets with pull out shelves and slotted drawers for bakeware

The lower cabinet on the left has three pull-out shelves that are all the same size.

butlers pantry design with pull out shelves in lower cabinet

And the lower section on the floor-to-ceiling cabinet on the right has six pull-out shelves.

butlers pantry design with pull out shelves in tall corner cabinet

I really wanted the storage above the countertop to be open shelves, and I specifically wanted that to be where I stored my dishes that I bought when I lived in Turkey. They’re just very simple and elegant gold and white dishes, and I have a lot of them, so I stacked them and spaced them out on the open shelves, and then filled in with some decorative items as well as the serving pieces from the Everyday White dishes from Bed, Bath & Beyond. Those are the dishes we use on a daily basis, so I keep the plates, coffee cups, bowls, etc., in the kitchen. But I put the serving pieces, like the big bowls, gravy boat, serving platters, etc., on the open shelves with my Turkish dishes.

butlers pantry design - colorful handmade resin and alcohol ink tiles with white floating corner shelves
white floating corner shelves in butlers pantry design

The craziest and most time-consuming project in this whole pantry was the tile project. These started out as just plain ole white subway tiles from Home Depot (the cheap ones that are about $0.20 each), and I layered on clear resin and alcohol inks in various shades of green, purple, teal and turquoise to create these crazy colorful custom tiles for the backsplash.

close up of custom resin and alcohol ink backsplash tiles in butlers pantry design

Those tiles definitely top the list as my favorite thing in this pantry. They’re just very “me”. But a close second is the painted freezer. That’s just an inexpensive and very utilitarian upright freezer that we bought at Home Depot. It originally looked like this…

white upright freezer in butler's pantry - before the freezer was painted

And after some paint and a new handle, it now looks like this…

butler's pantry design with dark teal painted upright freezer

That really is the same freezer. 🙂

I’m so thrilled to have this butler’s pantry finished! I still need to calculate just how much it cost, because I know some of you are curious. If I had to guess right off the top of my head, I’d say it’s somewhere in the $2500 range, including all of the resin for the tiles (resin is expensive!), all of the cabinets, and the new freezer. But I’ll see if I can figure a more accurate estimate.

In the meantime, you can check out all of the DIY projects that went into the butler’s pantry design right here…

[laurel_index cat=”pantry-diy-projects” title=”Pantry DIY Projects” cols=”3″ display_title=”yes” amount=”15″ display_image=”yes”]

Sources:

  • Cabinet color – Mythic Forest, Behr, eggshell finish
  • Wall and trim color – Polar Bear, Behr, eggshell finish
  • Pantry doors – Home Depot
  • Ceiling light — Home Depot
  • Thin recessed lights – Home Depot
  • Door pulls – Lowe’s
  • Drawer bin pulls – Amazon
  • Freezer – Home Depot
  • Freezer handle – Amazon
  • “Find Kindness” canvas – Pier 1
  • Wood cake stand – Magnolia
  • Small purple cast iron teapot – World Market
  • Glass canisters – Hobby Lobby
  • Porcelain wall flowers – Target

And I think that about wraps it up for the butler’s pantry design project! If I left anything out or you have questions, just let me know and I’ll answer as best as I can. Except for the cost. 🙂 I’ll figure today and get that info to you as soon as I can.

UPDATE:

I had intended to include a video tour of the pantry in this post, but technical difficulties prevented that. I wrote a follow-up post to this one, and included that video, plus some answers to the most-asked questions about my pantry. You can find that here:

 

 

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178 Comments

  1. I don’t know if ive told you this before, i lost my right eye in a home invasion about 5 years ago. I’m totally fine…….Anyway I can tell you today you brought a tear to a glass eye today your butlers pantry is stunning! Way to go.Xx

    1. I have no reason other than “I wanted to.” I love teal. It’s my favorite color. But I wanted something to break up all of the teal. They’re not painted, though. They’re whitewashed oak, which matches the countertop.

      1. Hey Kristi😊 this is beautiful! I just love the tiles💞 I also make alcohol ink tiles. I would love to do a half wall with them. Can I ask you…how did you grout them without ruining the resin? I know grout cleans right off but there is always a haze afterwards. Wasn’t that an issue?

  2. It just looks fabulous! It’s no surprise either!

    Know you’re glad to tick done on that project but all of us out here are looking forward to what 2019 holds! LOL

  3. Kristi:

    Your Butler’s pantry looks fabulous!!! I am so impressed. My absolute favorite thing is the resin tiles. Every time I see them, I think of carefree summer days playing in the pool with the tile siding at the top. While it is not exactly the same, it has that wonderful overall same look that has such good memories.

    I also love your freezer conversion . . . it makes me contemplate buying a more utilitarian refrigerator and making it into something with the designer look that you have accomplished.

    I know you put this project off for a while but kudos to you for doing all that you did in 10 – 11 weeks and finishing it before year-end.

    Your creativity and talents are amazing!!

    I’m looking forward to more of your projects in 2019. Happy New Year!

  4. Bravo! It looks stunning and you’ve certainly put lots of thought into making it work perfectly for you.
    Maybe I missed a post, but I’m interested in hearing how you handled the install, wiring and switches for the under-shelf lighting. From reflections on the tile, it looks like it might be an LED tape similar to what you used on your front porch but I’m not sure.

    1. It’s LED tape lighting. I’ve had a couple of other people ask about the particulars of how it’s wired, so I’ll include that in a follow-up post with more details that I’m planning for tomorrow.

    1. Everythibg is beutiful, byt when yoy re-sell, that back-spash definitely needs to go neutral again, not too much demand for “out there” backslashes. They need to stand the test of time!

      1. We don’t plan to sell. 🙂 But even if we did, I’d never spend money on neutralizing things for future buyers who are just going to turn around and redo everything I’ve just redone.

        1. I agree with you Kristi! I think many people spend way too much time worrying about future buyers and they don’t make their house something that they truly love. Like you say, people will change it anyway to make it suit their style so there’s very little point in worrying too much about it.

      2. So disappointed by Chsrlotte’s comment – “out there”. So much time and money spent redesigning/redecorating homes to be neutral…for ‘future others’, Why? I want to live in a home that reflects my personality and makes me smile every day. And if that means colourful back splash tiles well, as Kristi has said, numerous times, those tiles make her each and every time she sees them.

        Well done Krisit!

      3. I disagree so much on the whole “re-sell” rhetoric, I have seen blah neutral houses sit on the market for years and highly decorated houses (done well) go in less than a day, especially decorator’s homes. This gorgeous house would sell so fast your head would spin. As for “the test of time” nothing withstands it. Your beige tile is going out of style just as fast as Kristie’s hand painted tiles. I despise that type of decorating advice, ” get a white sofa that way you can change your decor with new pillows.” Pillows are expensive and changing them out causes a domino effect and you end up spending a fortune and still not getting much of a change or the look you really desired. I have seen a sofa looked dated because it was the wrong shade of white. Plus so called “neutrals” tiles will get dated in a million other ways. Remember the “classic” glossy white 4 by 4 tiles of the 90s? Not much demand for them even in the most neutral color of all -white. Remember the solid marble brown bathrooms of the late 90s done in 8 x 8 tiles? Not much demand for those either. 2010s everyone was doing brown rustic tiles, and guess what not much demand for them either. What could be more neutral than brown? White subway tiles won’t be in style forever either. Get what you want and love. Plus what looks “out there” now will look pretty darn neutral in the not so distant future. Hand painted patterned tiles are very hot and might just take over the market like they did in the 70s. You can’t begin to guess what will be stylish in 10 years anymore than you can time the stock market. Buy what you love.

  5. Oh my goodness!!!! That is some kind of gorgeous! Been waiting for these pics (still loving those floors) – yes, aren’t you the fancy one 😀

    1. They would be crazy to re-do everything you’ve done…!! It’s beautiful…!!!
      I was going to respond to that comment but I’m glad you did Kristi…!!!

  6. Congratulations, Kristi, on a job well and beautifully done. Enjoy that butler’s pantry for years to come, and I’ll look forward to even more successful projects in 2019.

  7. Stunning!! So, so gorgeous! I would be in there multiple times a day also. To just stare and breathe deep at the beauty.

  8. You know it’s a masterpiece, don’t you? Oh heck yes you do, you go-getter you! Do you remember the song “Ain’t no woman like the one I got”? Matt should be singing that from dawn till dusk! OK, enough sillyness. I want to tell you how magnificent this space is. To have the ability to see it mentally, make a plan and EXECUTE it ALL yourself is more that amazing. More than great job! Thank you for the tutoring, motivation and inspiration.

  9. It’s gorgeous Kristi – you are an inspiration to this old lady who has been working on her house since 2007 …and probably is doomed to living in a perpetual construction zone until she turns up her toes. When you have a minute, can you address the under cabinet lighting you installed.? It’s perfect to showcase your tiles.

    1. I’ve had a couple more people ask for more info about those lights, so I’ll include more details in a follow-up post I’m planning for tomorrow.

  10. Congrats, Kristi. Beautiful.

    Rhetorical: so, did you plan out how you would place
    the visible goodies, or did you do it as you went along?

    Or, did the butler do it?

  11. Just stunning. I’m in awe!! It’s so happy, whimsical and inviting. You must fell like you’re walking into the best spring day every time you enter this room. I’m beyond amazed at your talent. I wouldn’t know how to even begin, but you built your own cabinets and drawers!! I love the painted freezer. How is the paint holding up so far? I’m thinking of painting our fridge since it’s the eyesore in my newly remodeled kitchen. There’s no room to wall it in since it’s only about four inches from the doorway but I’d still like to do something to integrate it into the kitchen. Painting it seems like a great choice, especially since your painted freezer is so stunning.

  12. Some lucky “butler.” Absolutely stunning! You must feel positively triumphant. Take a chair and footstool in there with you, as well as a cup of tea (of glass of wine), put your feet up and admire away. You deserve some pampering.

  13. So pretty! I’m impressed with how you finished the top of the freezer and micro cabinets. When I first scrolled thru the pics I didn’t even notice the ceiling slant. Perfect job as usual!

  14. Wonderful work! I’m so glad this all came together for you and it looks like you really confidently found yourself/style in this room again! Hope that good mojo continues throughout the new year 🙂

  15. You are so, so talented. I love your creativity!!! Also … when you wrote that you bought the house in 2013, I was shocked. I remember reading for awhile before that and hadn’t realized I’ve been following your creative genius so long!

    1. I have no idea why an ad would be covering up pictures, unless (1) you’re talking about the banner ad at the very bottom of the screen, which can be closed by clicking the “x”, or (2) you have your monitor set to view websites at more than 100%, in which case most websites will be hard to read with elements overlapping.

      1. One ad covered half the page on the right side; I finally clicked on it to try to get rid of it; it took me to another page; went back to A2D page and the ad had reduced in size to about 1/3 of the page but still on the pictures. I checked the monitor to see what the view was set at; its less than 100%; I don’t know what else to do. Love your blog, Kristi. Cant wait to try some of your ideas in my own home. (sorry, I originally posted this on the wrong comment)

  16. So incredibly stunning! You definitely should be very proud, and yes, it is very fancy! Love it! Can’t wait to see what happens in 2019.

  17. Kristi,
    What a Beautiful way to end/start the year. Everything you do is always amazing. I loved the bi-weekly postings, and the daily postings at the rush. Really Beautiful. Very Inspiring. So looking forward to this years projects!

    On the left side of your pantry, over the top shelf are 3 “flower” sculptures hung on the wall. Would you consider posting a close up? Did you make them, or where did you buy them?

    1. Oops! I forgot to add those to my sources. Those are ceramic flowers from Target. I’ve had them for several months, hoping to find the perfect place for them. They worked perfectly to fill up that empty space.

      I added the link under the sources in the post. 🙂

  18. So beautiful!!!! And so much space!!! I am so envious! LoL but seriously, could you come and build one of these in my house? =)

  19. Ok, you’ve motivated me to paint my kitchen cabinets and add DIYed pullout drawers inside of them. : ) Love it! Soak in your fantastic accomplishment before you move on to your 2019 list – it’s AMAZING!!!

  20. I’m in love with your pantry! The colors, the tile…sigh! Then you go and appeal to my organized soul and do all those organized pull outs….bigger sigh!! You have ever right to be proud of your creation! You took and empty space and made it sing!!!

  21. Gorgeous! You have just got to be so proud of yourself. One question. When you found the asbestos tiles, did you have them professionally removed or did you do it yourself?

    1. I actually didn’t remove them at all. I chose instead to encapsulate them. They’re now buried under a thick layer of concrete, a layer of RedGard waterproofing membrane, one layer of 3/4-inch plywood, and one layer of 3/4-inch solid red oak hardwood flooring that’s sealed with stain and polyurethane. Those asbestos particles aren’t getting out. 😀

  22. I don’t know if I am more envious of the space or your skill and determination !!!! That space is every woman’s dream and you have both !!! I sure hope this is your “forever home” for !!!

  23. WHOOP! WHOOP!! FANTASTIC JOB!! You should be very proud of yourself! So much accomplished in such a short amount of time. Every detail is perfection!! 🙂

  24. As always…phenomenal work!!!

    Can you tell me where you got the white ceramic (?) flowers hanging on the left side of the pantry by the freezer?

  25. Just wonderful and it deserves the term ‘butler’s pantry’!! I would think it will take some time to get used to how beautifully it turned out. I would be just standing there, gazing at it. Your imagination and skillsets are limitless.

  26. I’ve been following along the whole way, and it’s clear I don’t have an eye for this at all. I could read what you wrote and see what you posted but I could never envision it looking like this. It’s great! Beautiful. I’m envious, honestly.

  27. Those tiles are just………………(speechless). I’ve been following since the condo days, and I’ve never liked a project more. They absolutely make the space.

    And a butler’s pantry is only fancy if it comes with an included butler. 😉

  28. I cannot find the words to properly praise you. This “pantry ” is magnificent.
    So, do tell, what was the “issue” with the ceiling fixture and how did you resolve it?

    1. Do you mean when it wouldn’t turn on once it was secured to the ceiling? Ugh…it was such a stupid mistake that caused me so much frustration. I was using the wrong size wire nuts to connect the wires. 😀 The ones I was using were too big and would’t properly grab onto the wires and hold them securely. So I’d connect the wires, turn on the light, and it would come on. But then as soon as I tried to push the light up to the ceiling, the wires inside the large wire nuts would lose connection. It pays to use the proper materials. 😀

      Now the other issue where the canopy wouldn’t sit flat against the ceiling was caused by the fact that the threaded nipple I was attaching it too was about 1/4″ too long, but I was using a very shallow junction box, so I couldn’t just twist it up into the junction box further to solve the problem. Instead, I ended up cutting a very simple, very understated ceiling medallion out of 1/4-inch MDF and attached it to the ceiling, then reinstalled the light. That medallion filled that gap perfectly, and the canopy sits flush against it.

  29. I’m going to call this the ‘miracle room’. I love the Find Kindness sign.
    After ten weeks of hard work, butler’s pantry it is.

  30. You are amazing! I know I say that every time I post a comment ♡
    I’ve been reading your blog since right before you bought this house and your talent has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years, you have inspired me to tackle a few projects of my own, thank you for showing this 52 year old lady how to do what you do! I want to be just like Kristi when I grow up ♡

  31. I LOVE it all! I’m sure it looks even better in person, and I know you worked like a devil to finally finish it! You also styled it nicely! ( But I wouldn’t stack the plates so high, I hear it’s bad for them.) I would have to guess, if it took approx. 11 weeks for this, what is your estimated time for the studio/bath/storage? I’m thinking about six months, if you do all the work yourself. And do you need to have inspections done, or is that not a thing there? I am SO IMPRESSED by your talents with everything you do! I can’t even manage to get my Christmas stuff taken down and put away, LOL!

    1. I honestly don’t know how long it’ll take. I think the hallway bathroom remodel took me five months, and my original kitchen remodel took seven months. Considering how big the studio/half bath/storage closet/back entry areas are, and how much building they’ll require (so many cabinets!!), I think around six months is a pretty good estimate.

      1. I third that. Congratulations, looks so beautiful and am so happy for you. Thank you for all the pictures. Happy New Year!

  32. Looks nice but I’m a bit confused. By the pictures it looks like you have to walk through the eating area to get to the pantry. Why would that be?

    1. Remodeling a house built in 1948 to fit today’s needs and wants is a whole lot different than building a custom house from the ground up. When you’re remodeling an old house, sometimes you have to deal with not-so-ideal things. So I carved out space for a pantry in the only area where I could logically do that. You don’t necessarily walk “through” the eating area. The table and chairs are over to the right, and to the left is an unobstructed traffic path that goes from the kitchen, through the breakfast room, and into my studio. The pantry is at the back of the breakfast room on that unobstructed traffic path, and isn’t really close to the table and chairs at all. The pantry is literally six steps from the kitchen, so while it’s not directly connected, it’s also not like I’m having to walk a significant distance. And again, it’s not a food pantry, so I won’t need to be accessing it several times while cooking a meal like you might need to with a food pantry.

    1. It’s my all-time favorite blinds from Home Depot…that they no longer carry. 🙁 I’m on the lookout for something similar, but haven’t found anything yet.

  33. Absolutely beautiful! You are amazingly talented, and your vision is unbelievable! Love the way you styled your open shelving, the painted freezer and well, I just love everything! You are such an inspiration – makes me want to go buy a fixer upper!

  34. I see you updated your web site (nice) and added Felicity Smoke as a household pet. I am so glad you decided to keep her because she is so cute.

  35. This is above a butler’s pantry. You really should refer to it as “custom pantry” or “amazing pantry.” You deserve a prize for the space!

  36. Your pantry is absolutely amazing!!!!
    I love the color on the countertops and the chunky floating shelves… SO jealous of all your neat storage and organization!!!

    You know, to be honest, I was convinced I was absolutely going to hate those tiles, but now that I see them in the room, I actually think they’re kinda neat. For me personally, I think they’d be better without the purple in them. The other colors blend great I think, but with the purple, it ends up looking a bit too “blobby” for me.
    But hey, you’re the color girl so it suits you perfectly for your house.
    I wish I could see them in person to see how the gold sparkling changes the whole effect from the pictures.

    One thing I’d consider changing if I were you is the hinges on the cabinet doors which open towards the center of the room (as opposed to towards the wall or other cabinets). Right now those doors only open about 90 degrees it seems. I can’t tell from the pics if it’s because the hinges themselves limit their range or if the drawers are blocking them from opening more, but even if it’s the latter, they make hinges that have the door come out away from the cabinets a bit so that they can fully open even with a drawer or other door in the way.
    I think that getting that little extra swing on the doors will make it much easier for you to access all your stuff, though I’m sure that it’s finely functional right now.

    1. Wow, Jules. No she hasn’t been reading the blog long or she would know not to give anything but glowing praise on a “finished” post, but I believe you’ve made it CRYSTAL clear to her in a particularly tactless way. Pat yourself on the back for making the internet a better place.

  37. Can you teach a class on how to build cabinets? I would drive the 4 hours for an in person tutorial! my kitchen needs help!!!

  38. Congratulations on finishing your pantry in a way that makes you stop and smile each time you pass by. It is stunning.

  39. OMG! It is stunning! I also couldn’t envision the finished room! I would sit and stare at it too. It’s so beautiful!! Well done, wonder woman 😁

  40. You are so talented and I love your beautiful work!! Your visions surpass my imagination every single time!! Such great work! Be proud!!!

  41. THIS IS SOOO STUNNING!!! I love every single bit of this! After seeing this space I am so sad that I rent and can’t renovate my kitchen and pantry! LOL

  42. Hey Kristi, I’m thinking of removing some windows for some remodeling, but and trying to figure out what the outside would look like. What did you do to the outside when you removed those two windows. Our house is a 1966 Ranch and the brick is hard to replace, so I’m struggling. BTW, SO proud of you for finishing this! You absolutely amaze me.

    1. The windows we replaced were all on the siding side of the house, and we installed the new windows before the new siding was installed. I do have six windows on the stone side of the house that need to be replaced. I’m a bit nervous about how to handle that! I’m not sure when it’ll happen, but I’d love for it to be this year. If I were you, I’d probably handle a pro to do all of the repairs on the brick.

      1. OR I can just knock that entire side of the wall out, expand it, and replace it with nice stone. A girl can dream.

  43. The under-cabinet lighting does something really special to your tiles. They glow in the best possible way.
    Something as bold and colorful as those tiles could easily veer into the garish category, but in this pantry, with the coordinating cabinets, bleached wood, classy accessories and the elegant cabinet hardware, they’re just perfect.
    Your finished (and nearly finished) rooms are coming together so cohesively. Each has it’s own, independent design but they seem so complementary of each other. I’m happy for you that you had your 2017 year of missteps (I hope it’s okay that I call it that!! 🙂 ), because it seems like it really set you on the path to create a house that is totally “Kristi” and absolutely beautiful.

  44. beyond beautiful! one question I can see the wall plugs in the before pictures but I can’t in the finished photos. did they go away or can you still access them could you please explain that part of the project thank you

    1. In the close up of the tiles, you can see the outlet cover that matches. I remember her doing these – I did almost the same with my ugly white covers on my granite backsplash. You can take a picture of the granite, print on paper and put on the cover with Mod Podge. I also sprayed over with clear poly for durability and shine. It is hard to even see the outlets now, but much more eye pleasing. I believe Kristi just made them just like she did the tiles. So beautiful, the entire project!

    2. Scroll up to the photo which shows the 3 drawers that pull-out. Starting on the left side, just above the countertop, follow the grout line between the first & second row of tiles. See where the line is “interrupted”? Those are two of the outlets. It is this attention to detail which elevates Kristi’s design into the realm of OMG!

  45. If you think about it you almost built a second kitchen in 10 weeks, and over the holidays. Pretty amazing.

    1. That’s true! And that makes me feel pretty darn good about it considering that my bathroom remodel took me about five months, and the original kitchen remodel took me seven months. So I guess 10.5 weeks on a pantry built from scratch isn’t too bad! 😀

    1. Yes, it’s a microwave, and it’s our only one. Strange, I know, but I bought it specifically to go in the pantry, and it’s the first microwave I’ve owned in 15 years. I still haven’t even used it, but I like knowing it’s there just in case I want to make a keto 90-second mug cake. That’s seriously the only reason I bought it. 😀

      1. Putting it there totally makes sense if you don’t ever use it. It’s shiny and pretty. I never can seem to finish a cup of coffee before it gets cold so I’m considering just putting one in my home office since I go to the kitchen so much for a reheat.

        I also like your new comments layout. Very nice.

        Going to look for a 90 second keto mug cake recipe now. 😉

  46. All I can say it I am absolutely astounded by your talents. EVERYTHING in your “Butlers Pantry” looks fabulous. I am so envious.
    You started out with the one room challenge, but most of those bloggers have help and hire out to build cabinets, etc. You did this with your own two hands. OMG I wish I had your talents.

    It is a beautiful space, Love the tiles, actually love everything about it.

  47. Beautiful! We have a room that used to be the dining room. It was so small and too small for our furniture, so we turned our formal living room into the dining room. Now that little room is our pantry room or butler’s pantry. It is off the kitchen, has an island in the middle and cabinets for food, and a couple other pieces of storage furniture. We don’t know what to call it either!

  48. There are no words for the creative talent and quality outcomes that you achieve. Can I adopt you and Matt? How are you going to top this???

  49. It’s just stunning ! All sorts of congratulations !
    And the white doors are just charming . I saw a two tone effect this year in a million dollar Patade of Homes home . You’re on trend ! 😉

  50. Congratulations with a standing ovation, Kristi. Your new butler pantry is both stylish and fantastically functional—all thanks to your own ingenuity. Undoubtedly, you will enjoy it for many years. Cheers, Ardith

  51. Unbelievable! The whole pantry is beautiful, but the tiles are my favorite! The decorating magazines should be beating on your door! Thank you so much for sharing!

    ps: remember when you said starting the pantry intimidated you. I guess you can put that behind you!

  52. Wow! That room is a symphony of color and form. The tiles pull it together beautifully. It’s like a functional piece of art. Love it!!

  53. I love the final look and the way the pantry flows together with the breakfast room! The colours are lovely together and I’m totally sold on the tiles now (after being a bit dubious about the look when you were still designing them and they were not yet on the wall). Btw, did you actually arrange them prior to glueing them to the wall so that the colours are mixed in that very beautiful way? That cannot be random, surely?
    I’d love to have a pantry like that, I’m glad you chose to use this room like this and I can perfectly understand that you have to go in there all the time and admire it – I would do that frequently, too!!

    1. Almost everything about the tiles is random. I intentionally did NOT allow myself to start arranging and planning and organizing and obsessing, because with my perfectionism and OCD tendencies, I just knew that if I even went there, I’d never get it done. So I forced myself to just grab tiles at random and adhere them to the wall in a totally random order, with two exceptions. (1) I did pick out my 10 favorite tiles and put them front and center along the back wall, and (2) I did allow myself to go through and discard any tiles that I thought were just downright ugly. Other than that, it’s all random.

      1. Well, I understand about doing it this way because otherwise it would have been a planning nightmare (very good that you know yourself so much to decide on this) And the result, as I mentioned above, is stunning! I’m with you that this version of the tile decoration is the most beautiful (glad you did them over again until you were sure they are perfect) and it really is a fantastic and unique look!
        I know that you don’t want to sell your house, but if you ever did, I wouldn’t change those tiles to something neutral either – what a horrible thought to get rid of this bautiful work of art (as that is what it is in my humble opinion!)!

  54. Bravo …..BRAVO….👏🏻 ……. I know the Fall 2018 One Room Challenge is over…. but I sure would like to see you submit it anyway as a non-competitor…..

  55. Sorry, but I have to disagree with you. This is NOT a butler’s pantry! It should be called the king’s pantry because it is much too posh for a servant. Looks great…you are amazing.

  56. OH MY GOSH! Fantastic! Gorgeous! Stunning! The tiles, cabinets, colors. I would be in there several times a day just to stare and smile.

  57. I can’t remember and couldn’t find a post about it (because it might not exist!), but did you use the tiles over which you put an additional coat of white and gold resin? Which ever way you went–extra coat or no extra coat–you made the right call. They look great!

    1. The tiles that I used are actually those tiles…with a THIRD layer of resin/alcohol inks. 😀 I just kept trying until I got them just like I wanted them, and the third time (third layer) was the charm. I didn’t add any gold to the final layer, and I also didn’t use the heat gun to “marble” the colors. I just dropped the alcohol inks onto the resin, and let them do their thing all on their own without my help.

    1. Everyhing is gorgeous although I am concerned about the tiles. While beautiful, I dont think they are everybody’s of tea. I think you would have to replace them with neutral tile, to appeal to a broader range of buyers, if you were to eventually sell the house.

      1. Who cares, though? She designed it for her tastes. I don’t think people should live in bland houses just in case they might sell it in the proverbial someday. She’s made it clear that 1, they don’t plan to move; and 2, this is what she loves. And based on the comments, there are plenty of people out there who love these tiles along with her who would happily buy it. Why keep harping from a negative perspective when all her hard work should be celebrated?

      2. If everyone decorated their homes to be “everybody’s cup of tea,” the interior design world would not exist.

      3. I don’t understand this kind of thinking (and didn’t the first time the poster posted it). Unless you’re military, or other highly mobile work, and know you’ll soon. Or plan to add children soon and out grow a small home.
        I have no plans to sell my house before I (maybe) move into assisted living in two decades. And by then it’ll need lots of redoing anyway. Lots! I’m not living for the next 20 years with someone else’s idea of “acceptable” vanilla decorating (although I do love vanilla ice cream).
        Kristi has stated multiple times that they’re not selling. They intend to stay there for a long, long, long time. They bought a fixer upper and all the structure upgrades alone will have increased the selling price and made the house more appealing. So if in 30 years the colorful tile are still there… so what? The house offers enough extras (a butlers pantry at all is amazing! I would kill for that!) that there will be interest. Plenty.
        Stop living your life waiting on others approval. Make your life yours! Now! (That includes going all white if that’s your thing… you do you!)

      4. So disappointed by Chsrlotte’s comment – “out there”. So much time and money spent redesigning/redecorating homes to be neutral…for ‘future others’, Why? I want to live in a home that reflects my personality and makes me smile every day. And if that means colourful back splash tiles well, as Kristi has said, numerous times, those tiles make her each and every time she sees them.

        Well done Krisit!

      5. For one, I’d be glad if the “neutral color palette” went solidly out-of-fashion!! We used to not be concerned about having our houses whitewashed before we sold them—if people didn’t like the colors on the walls or the other fixtures, they changed them after they moved in or lived with what was there.

  58. My 11 year old daughter was just looking over my shoulder as I was reading and I had to brag on you that you did every single thing on your own. I think she’s used to me doing our home projects, but said “Wow, that looks so much better than what they do on the Fixer Upper tv show, really!”
    What a beautiful job, I would be on there all day petting the counters and backsplash! Love to follow your projects!

  59. Congratulations!!! The pantry is simply stunning!!! I’ve been waiting on pins and needles to see the reveal. It was more than worth the wait. You make me want to try everything. I have one question about the lighting. How does the pantry look with all the ceiling lights off & just the under-shelf counter lighting on? And, is counter lighting dimmable? I always like lighting that I can turn down to give a room a softer to achieve a more soothing feel until I’m ready to turn lights off completely.

  60. Bravo, Kristi!! You are way more than a designer, you are a gifted artist & exceptionally talented carpenter. This Butlers Pantry is a work of art! Your house is coming together beautifully. I would have difficulty getting anything done just from the amount of time that I would be admiring the already finished projects. You must be so proud of yourself! Looking forward to seeing what else you create in the coming year!

  61. Congratulations on these results. Your hard work and talents have truly created something special. I’m both jealous and drooling in anticipation of your next project!

  62. My gosh woman you are amazing! These colors are not my thing but you make them look awesome! Job well done! Love seeing every thing you do. You motivate me. I do a lot but you make me look like sloth.

  63. It’s all been said above, so congratulations on a magnificent job. The tile is great and does not need to be neutralized – ever. Should you ever sell the new buyers can have the pleasure? or bad deed of ripping it out, but I think instead it will be a selling point. Looking forward to what 2019 brings. Thanks!

  64. This is a somewhat unrelated story, but the tiles made me remember I wanted to share it.

    I recently stumbled upon a Facebook Group dedicated to posting photos of weird thrift store finds. Apparently, there was a fad in the 60’s or 70’s of encasing anything and everything in resin (pennies, dried beans, bits of nature, you name it…they resin’d it) and molding household items out of it like ashtrays, clocks (yes, clocks!) and whatnot. This group refers to such finds as “vomit” and it’s kind of like a warped scavenger hunt to find “vomit” pieces and post them to the group.

    I’ve seen some really weird resin pieces this way… It also made me see my gorgeous resin and nature plate that I brought back from Italy (and that I emailed Kristi about) in a slightly new light. 🙂

    1. So I was reading your comment and where you said “bits of nature” my mind saw it as “bits of manure.” 😂😃 I immediately thought, “OH MY GOSH, WHY WOULD SOMEONE DO THAT?!” When I realized my mistake, I laughed until I cried at the thought of “bits of manure encased in resin and turned into items like ashtrays and clocks.” 😂

  65. Kristi, you are a miracle worker! I love all your projects. Sometimes, I think “oh no”! But then you put it together it’s so beautiful. I am hopeless at any type of reno work. I have trouble pounding a nail correctly to hang a picture! I love, love, love your work. I have recommended your blog many times over. I am always delighted and inspired when a new one arrives via email. Keep up the great work! Looking forward to the studio and more work outside but you have already transformed this old ugly bungalow into something spectacular! I agree with the writer who said “Contact Better Homes and Gardens” – absolutely!

  66. AMAZING!!!!! well done hon! this is an absolute triumph!
    and all for roughly $2500?! That is seriously an achievement which makes it all the more incredible.
    much love and all the very best for 2019 xx

  67. A beautiful job as always. I’m so in love with those tiles and jealous of your pull out cabinet drawers. I’ll definitely be fancying up my own freezer yours looks so good.

  68. There’s not one comment I could make that hasn’t already been said—but I am still amazed at this pantry fit for royalty! This teal is absolutely rich and lush—I think I want this on a powder room vanity with a glorious wallpaper. I found just the one on eBay. I’ve forgotten, did you decide to use wallpaper in the studio? Painted cabinets? The cabinet build should go easier now that you’ve got your groove down on them, don’t you think? That freezer is still the bomb—painting a plain white fridge is a whole lot cheaper than buying a Smeg!! 🙄

  69. Kristi:

    I was thinking about the electrical details of your Butler Pantry project as it relates to a project of mine. How many electrical outlets to do you have? 6? (4 on the tiled walls, 1 for the microwave and another 1 for the freezer?) Or more than 6?

    Thanks!

  70. Absolutely stunning!!!! You are a constant inspiration to me as I am remodeling a historic home and I always utilize the advice that you graciously share with your readers. Thank you Kristi

  71. Sorry I’m so behind. This pantry should be featured in a magazine. It is sooo beautiful and looks to be very usable (the main thing, right?). My favorite things are the tiles, the open shelving and those bultins. You are AMAZING!

  72. Sorry I’m a little late to the party, but this is NOT a butler’s pantry; it’s a work of art. Well done!!

  73. Fantastic job! The photo that is taken from the breakfast room(?)- looking in through the doors makes the pantry look really deep- you DID say it’s only 7′ deep- right? For a pantry- 7′ seems luxurious and that looks really roomy. Love it. The cabinets- did you buy unassembled cabinets or build from lumber? My kitchen would fit in your pantry – so would my laundry area and my pantry “closet”- with room left over to tap dance! Ha! Beautiful job. Time to kick my husband’s butt into a higher gear.

  74. You should put an “S” on your chest because you are definitely THE Superwoman. Awesome and incredibly intimidating!!!

  75. Did you end up routing a duct for vent in here from your studio HVAC? I read where the only food you keep in the butlers pantry is dog treats, so you may have opted out of that for the sake of the design?

    1. I did’t have one in there when I took the pictures in this post, but the guys currently working on my studio did that for me last week when they rerouted the rest of the ducts. So it has one now. Even though there’s no food in the pantry, I still didn’t like walking into a cold room these last couple of months before the vent was added.

  76. I just stumbled upon your site.
    I LOVE THE TILES!!!
    Question, how (process) did you paint/color the refrig. in the pantry to match cabinets.
    I hate how all they make is either white, black or stainless steel home appliances these days. Boring…is an understatement.

  77. I stumbled across your page via a Pinterest pin for the divided drawer tutorial you did for the pantry. Oh.My.Stars. Like, I wish you lived next door to me so that I could see your pantry in person. IT IS GORGEOUS! And I hope, over a year later, that you still love it so much! I watched the video you did of your home tour as well (pre-pantry completion) and it is precious. I am in love with your decor style and can’t wait to look through your blog and ideas more!

  78. I absolutely love your vision!

    Questions – (forgive me is you’ve already answered these from a previous commenter)
    1. Did you add another layer of clear resin on top to seal the tiles?
    2. How did you grout the tiles in without damaging the finish?

    Any step by step or product information you can give me would be very appreciated. I’d love to do this in my kitchen.

    Thanks so much for your inspiration!

  79. I did a fridge makeover and used the handles you referenced and it is absolutely beautiful! I went with a dark peacock green, and those handles make it particularly eye catching.

  80. Love your pantry. How wide is the cabinet? I’m trying to figure out if 14” is wide enough for each side. I have space for max, 30” wide pantry.
    Thank you

  81. I think you are amazing. A good woman who is taking care of her home and disabled husband. Love everything you have done love the color and if someone calls it a circus we’ll bring that circus to me!

  82. I think you are amazing. A good woman who is taking care of her home and disabled husband. Love everything you have done love the color and if someone calls it a circus we’ll bring that circus to me!