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Kitchen rebuild with new butler's pantry

brookoli_
Building a Reputation
brookoli_
brookoli_
Building a Reputation

This clever renovation turned a laundry into a butler's pantry that houses a fridge and frees up space in a small kitchen.

 

 

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The project

 

When we moved into our home we knew we needed to update the laundry and replace a few missing tiles. What we didn't know was that it would lead to us embarking on our own D.I.Y. journey, revamping the laundry into a butler's pantry and creating a whole new kitchen. 

 

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The laundry was pretty big relative to the size of our small home and we felt like it was wasted space that would end up as a dumping ground. 

 

At the same time, the kitchen was dark and crowded and there was no logical place for the fridge, which was up against a wall, blocking our hallway and a lot of light. 

 

So we decided to scrap the laundry and knock a hole through the wall to extend it into a butler's pantry where the fridge could live.

 

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First we literally drew our plan on the wall with a pen. 

 

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We ripped the old plaster off the walls and demolished the pantry, which had been water damaged, so we could see where the studs were.

 

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We used a jackhammer to break up and remove the tiles and we kept the ground damp with boiling water to help lift the glue and reduce the dust.

 

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We got to work choosing colours and textures and ordered our Kaboodle timber benchtop.

 

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We also picked up this glass-panel door from Bunnnings to let more light into the new butler's pantry.

 

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We had to reframe a new doorway – make sure you get a professional to do this if you don't have the skills as it has to be structurally sound.

 

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We plastered, sanded, patched and painted the whole space with Dulux Snowy Mountains Half. The colour is a great neutral white and doesn't change too much in different lights. 

 

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And so a new butler's pantry was born, complete with coffee nook and space to tuck away the fridge. 

 

Before and after

 

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More inspiration for your kitchen

 

Experienced Bunnings Workshop contributor Adam_W has put together this handy guide to planning a kitchen renovation. You can also check out our Top 10 most popular kitchen projects.

 

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If you just need a quick kitchen refresh, check out our collection of 10 kitchens transformed with paint. You can begin transforming your own kitchen with our step-by-step video guides to painting kitchen cabinets and painting a tiled splashback.

 

Let us know if you need a hand with your kitchen project. We're here to help.

 

Comments
Remarka6le
Amassing an Audience

This is a fantastic update @brookoli_ , so much more open and bright and you've created a space that you can access things like the fridge, sink or stove without interruption from someone else (a must for busy kitchens these days). I love the wooden beam going across the roof, warms up and brings the place together nicely. Well done! 

renonewbie
Cultivating a Following

wow @brookoli_  I love the renovation and how much more spacious and open your kitchen looks. Also that pantry nock is fab. Can I ask how you did the timber strut across the ceiling? also we are thinking of having our stove top on an island/peninsula bench but are concerned about how to vent it out. We are close to doors and windows and I'm thinking of finding a ceiling mounted rangehood for ventilation. What did you guys end up doing? 

 

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