Scullery designs: what are they, benefits, and design ideas (2024)

A scullery is not something people consider when planning their dream house, but it is something that any house should have. Don’t be alarmed if you’re not familiar with the word scullery. However, it has many benefits, and once you learn more about what a scullery is and what it can do for you, you will want one for your home. This article will introduce you to sculleries and some amazing scullery designs for your dream home.

What is a scullery?

A scullery is a room in a house where you can wash dishes or do your laundry. It also acts as a second and smaller kitchen where you can prepare food. If you’re a fan of Downton Abbey, this is the area where the scullery maids prepare food.

A scullery is different from a pantry because a pantry is mainly for storing dry goods and kitchen staples, while a scullery is for your china, utensils, and small kitchen appliances.

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Benefits of a scullery

Additional food preparation area

In most luxury homes, the scullery acts as the food preparation area, so you’ll often find the scullery adjacent to the main kitchen. A scullery can give you more space to work on your dishes before cooking them on your stove or popping them into your oven. If you don’t have a kitchen island, a scullery can provide you with more countertop space. If you love hosting dinners or parties, a scullery will give more than enough space to prepare several dishes at once.

Keeps your kitchen clean and odour-free

Tasty meals start with messy food preparations, and a scullery can help keep your main kitchen clean. If you’re cooking for guests, you can use the scullery to keep the chaos of food preparation out of your guests’ sight. You can use your scullery to hide dirty dishes while enjoying a post-dinner glass of wine with guests.

A scullery can also keep your house odour-free. You can prepare smelly seafood in your scullery without worrying about the smell spreading throughout your house.

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Additional storage option

If your kitchen cabinets are bursting at the seams, a scullery can provide you with more storage options. You can use your scullery to store dinnerware or seldom-used kitchen tools and equipment. Relieving your main kitchen of bulky kitchen equipment can make it look more organised and pleasing to look at.

What to consider in scullery designs

Storage options

Sculleries are smaller than main kitchens, so incorporating more storage options in scullery designs is critical. You can use a mix of different storage options cabinets for your dinnerware and open shelves for kitchen tools and equipment.

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Durable materials

Using durable materials is a must for your entire house, and your scullery is no exception. Since your scullery will take the brunt of your food preparation, you need to use materials that can withstand the constant chopping motions and countless washings. It is also important to use materials that can resist stains from your meats, vegetables, fruits, and sauces. However, your choice of material doesn’t have to be too expensive, and it also doesn’t have to be too flashy because you won’t be entertaining guests in your scullery.

Get the ideal countertop

Choosing the ideal countertop is important in a scullery because this is where you will do most of your food preparations. Aside from the durable countertop material, it would be best if you worked with an expert building designer to design a countertop that will suit you. It needs to be of the right height to make food preparation comfortable. Your countertop should also be wide and deep enough to give you ample space to work efficiently.

Make washing up easier

You will be doing a lot of washing up in your scullery, so consider your choice of sink. If possible, go for a double sink so you can wash more items or allow two people to wash simultaneously. Consider your choice of kitchen faucet, as well as it will affect your washing capabilities. You can add a power faucet spray head attachment that amplifies your abilities to wash away stains in your kitchenware to help you save time.

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Scullery designs

Scullery pantry

Although most scullery designs are purely for food preparation, you can combine your pantry and scullery if you’re working with limited space. You can get an expert carpenter to construct a pantry cabinet on one wall of your scullery, so your dry goods are separate from your dinnerware but within reach during food preparation.

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Laundry room and scullery

This is another way of maximising the space on your scullery because it lets you use your scullery for washing clothes when you’re not preparing food. You can install a drying rack on the ceiling of your scullery to make use of your ceiling space. Another option is to install a pull-down ironing board that won’t get in the way when not in use.

Scullery with a baking station

If you love baking, then this is one of the best designs for you. You can work with an expert building designer to convert one corner of your scullery into a baking station. Install a cabinet where you can keep your baking ingredients. Be sure to have a stainless steel countertop where you can knead your dough.

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Scullery with a kid’s zone

Most scullery designs centre on food preparation, but you can make it a child-friendly zone, especially if you are a parent with a small child. You can set aside a closed off portion where your child can play while you prepare food. It will be better to use a clear partition so you can watch your child closely. You can have a custom-made child-sized table and chair set where your child can sit and play.

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Conclusion

Sculleries are excellent additions to any home because they are useful in preparing your family’s favourite dishes. It can also help you keep your main kitchen clean and organised. You can also make your scullery multi-functional by using it as a laundry area too. If you want to have a scullery but don’t know where to begin, start by using Dreamspace. We will match you with an expert building designer to help you develop a scullery design that suits your needs. Dreamspace provides free design quotes, sign up to Dreamspace now and start your dream home renovation.

Scullery designs: what are they, benefits, and design ideas (2024)

FAQs

What is the features of a scullery? ›

A scullery is a working space and generally includes a sink and possibly additional appliances. "The scullery is an extension of the kitchen, which can allow a space to store platters for dinner parties, to use as a baking area, or as a clean-up space.

What was a scullery used for? ›

A scullery is a room in a house, traditionally used for washing up dishes and laundering clothes, or as an overflow kitchen.

Is a scullery worth it? ›

Similar to a butler's pantry, a kitchen scullery can be one of the best home additions. This nifty room can give you a little extra bench space, and you can use it as a dedicated storage zone for any cleaning products, tableware and linens, dishes and utensils and more!

What are the benefits of a pantry? ›

A pantry is the perfect place to house your appliances behind closed doors; including toasters, kettles, microwaves, slow cookers and air fryers. That will not only de-clutter your worksurfaces, but it can maintain the aesthetics of your kitchen without the appliances clashing in design.

What does a scullery look like? ›

A scullery is a room adjoining the kitchen where pots and pans are cleaned and stored. Sometimes the laundering of clothes is also done here. In Great Britain and the United States, houses built before 1920 often had sculleries located in the rear of a house.

How does a scullery work? ›

A scullery kitchen is essentially a smaller, secondary kitchen space that can help handle the extra dirty kitchen tasks or the overflow from your main kitchen. A scullery often has plenty of storage for appliances or fancy dishes that don't fit in your main kitchen cabinets, but don't necessarily belong in the pantry.

What do you do in a scullery? ›

A scullery is an area usually off the main kitchen sometimes called a “back kitchen” that is used for cleaning and storage. It's typically a tucked away or concealed space and for a good reason – it's purpose is to hide the kitchen mess!

What is a scullery easy definition? ›

ˈskəl-rē plural sculleries. : a room for cleaning and storing dishes and cooking utensils and for doing messy kitchen work.

What are the responsibilities of a scullery? ›

You must assist the Kitchen Maid with any food preparation for the Family's dinner and Servants' Supper and continuously wash up any pots and pans used. After the Family's Dinner has been served you must clean the Kitchen Passages, Pantries, Scullery and Kitchen.

What is an example of scullery? ›

`I wish you made as much fuss of me," Vera joked, going into the scullery to mash some fresh tea. She also noticed how quiet Thomasina in the scullery had become. As they continued down the corridor, they came upon a scullery maid curled up beside her mop and bucket.

What is a scullery girl? ›

in the past, a female servant in a large house who did jobs such as washing dishes and preparing vegetables: Cinderella is transformed from a poor scullery maid to a glittering princess. Scullery maids were expected to get up at dawn and spend up to 14 hours a day scrubbing floors and pans. Compare. dairymaid.

Did scullery maids get paid? ›

The Scullery Maid

She did not eat in the Servant's Hall with the other servants but instead watched over anything still cooking in the kitchen. She was paid around £2 10 shillings per year, worth approximately £12 today.

What is the difference between a pantry and a scullery? ›

No, a scullery and pantry are not the same thing. A scullery is a separate room or area dedicated to cleaning and washing dishes, pots, and pans, while a pantry is a storage space for food, ingredients, and sometimes kitchenware. Both serve different purposes in a home's organization and functionality.

Do I need a scullery? ›

For busy families, a scullery is part pantry, part prep kitchen and part convenience store. Individuals who love to entertain and do so frequently are also ideal candidates for sculleries. They welcome a hidden space to store dishes, linens, dry goods, small appliances, etc.

Should a scullery have a window? ›

Designing your Scullery

Ventilation is essential if you plan on cooking or using kettles within your scullery. An exhaust fan can also be used to maintain fresh air. If you don't have a window, it is possible that your space lacks natural daylight. Therefore, workspace lighting can be a crucial design element.

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