New Home Trend: Can You Get Behind the Back Kitchen?
There’s something just so beautiful about touring a new build.
You’ll never see a home so up-to-date on style trends in each and every room.
In London, Ontario, we have a lot of new builds going up that are affectionately referred to as McMansions, but I think they’re closer to the real deal, at a million dollars plus and spanning thousands of square feet. There’s no Mc needed. Straight up ‘mansion’ is more accurate.
In a recent tour of one of these homes, I came across my first ever ‘back kitchen,’ also known as a butler’s pantry. These nifty spaces serve as a second kitchen that, you guessed it, sits behind your kitchen. Great for storage, and hiding the mess, these spaces often contain extra storage space, an extra dishwasher and even a second stove/oven.
And I just have to know, can you get behind this?
Image: Royal Oak Homes, 2023 Dream Lottery Home showing a back kitchen adjacent to the main kitchen area.
Touring the Dream Lottery Dream Homes twice a year is one of my favourite outings with my wife. She’s a huge fan of the style of home created by Royal Oak Homes and this is the kitchen they created for their dream home in 2023.
At each dream home, there’s a book in which people can provide their feedback on the home, what they like and what they’d change, and I’m always astounded by the fact that there’s any negative feedback at all, but we see it. The top complaint? Not enough storage (shrug).
Well, with the back kitchen, you get extra storage for all your pantry items, kitchen gadgets and special occasion dishware, plus whatever else you want to stow away so that your primary kitchen maintains it’s pristine look. In fact, some people refer to their back kitchen as the ‘dirty kitchen,’ while the primary one is the ‘clean kitchen.’
A look inside the back kitchen in the Royal Oak 2023 Dream Home.
Back Kitchen Pros and Cons
And now, before I say what I’m about to say, please know that if my next home had a back kitchen, I’d use the heck out of it. One of the things that drives me absolutely bonkers is a messy counter. It’s to the point where each night, I have to make sure the counter is cleaned off before bed so that I don’t wake up to a cluttered kitchen.
But…..
I also think that having two kitchens is a strange status symbol and a bit of a compromise as we start to roll back on our desire for an open living space.
At first, open floor plans felt much more expansive and homey. A way to be able to make food for our friends and family while also being connected to whatever entertainment (likely a big screen tv) was going on in our livingrooms. But with an open floor plan comes the challenge of entertaining in the space where you’re also cooking… and being exposed to the mess that’s left there too. It’s hard to relax (for me especially) when you’ve got a pile of dirty dishes staring you in the face. And the back kitchen appears to be our way of having our cake (open living) and eating it too (hiding the mess).
In London, because we have century homes, it’s apparent that this form of hideaway is actually not new, but extremely old - dating back to when having servants in the house was the norm, at least among the wealthy. There are several expansive homes in Old South and Old North that still have butler’s kitchens tucked away, and even separate servant passageways to get to rooms (creepy old narrow staircases) so that servants weren’t seen walking around the main house.
And of course, part of modern life is that we’re expected to do it all: the only butler in that back kitchen is you.
Cost of a Back Kitchen
Although many people may consider their back kitchen to simply be an extension of the main one, the extra square footage and furnishing can come with a significant price tag.
Back in 2022, the New York Times felt that the back kitchen trend and the associated costs was worth writing about. At that time, the back kitchen home owners they interviewed estimated that adding this second prep space added $25,000 to $50,000 (USD).
“Building two kitchens is not cheap. Costs vary depending on the quality of the finishes and appliances, generally ranging from $25,000 to $50,000, according to designers. Mr. and Ms. Moss spent around $300,000 on their main kitchen and about $60,000 on the back one.”
What Do You Think? Is a Back Kitchen a Must?
What do you think? Is a back kitchen an awesome feature that you’re looking for in your next home? Or could you do without it?
