Journal
Open plan living asks a lot of your kitchen. Family life, dining, entertaining and daily chores collide in one generous space. A modern scullery, or back-kitchen, restores order. It takes the hardworking, sometimes noisy tasks out of sight and out of earshot, so your principal kitchen can stay calm, clear and welcoming.
What is a Scullery?
Historically, the scullery was practical rather than pretty; a nineteenth century service room used for washing pots, or cleaning and preparing produce.
It sat apart from more formal family rooms on stone or flagstone floors with Belfast or Butler’s sinks and exposed drainage, and was operated by household staff.
By contrast, today a modern scullery reclaims this spirit of purpose, but with craftsmanship, comfort and quiet performance at its core.
It is a discreet, acoustically contained service zone designed for modern households, with refined materials and integrated appliances that still stand up to heavy use.
How Does A Scullery Differ From A Pantry Or Utility?
A pantry primarily stores food and ingredients. It benefits from cool, dark conditions, lined shelves and dry goods organisation.
A utility or laundry room focuses on clothing care, drying and household cleaning. In many country homes these spaces sit adjacent to one another for efficient circulation, yet each has a distinct job.
Think of the scullery as the engine room for wet and noisy work. It houses secondary sinks sized for real heavy duty tasks, so a deep Butler’s sink for soaking trays or arranging flowers is essential.
Bespoke cabinetry can be incorporated in to the design to house larger household cleaning items or integrated appliances such as dishwashers. Housekeepers cupboards can hide a secondary fridge/freezer, and some modern sculleries may even double up as an additional boot room.
Our design team advise a combination of storage options from bespoke cupboards to open shelves, with solid worktops to cope with all manner of tasks. The emphasis is on washing, preparation and keeping dirty chores away from the other back-of-house rooms.
Good planning ensures a modern scullery design works hard, especially if the scullery design allows for a flexible working space. The Guild Anderson design team are often challenged with incorporating multiple functions in to their modern scullery designs, so this is where bespoke cabinetry design really can transform even the most difficult space.
Materials That Last & Perform Quietly In A Modern Scullery Design
Moisture, heat and frequent cleaning demand robust finishes. We specify:
Worktops in stone, Caesarstone or honed granite deliver high abrasion resistance and a quiet, matte appearance. These surfaces can tie back to the main kitchen while masking day to day marks.
Floors that grip and shrug off water. Natural stone, brick or porcelain with a slight texture gives underfoot security. Where heavy soaking or flower work is common, introduce a gentle fall to a floor drain.
Hardware that dampens sound. Soft close hinges and runners reduce clatter, while magnetic catches and silicone buffers keep panels quiet.
Ventilation, drainage and the services you do not see must also be considered. In large houses services, cabling and pipework can be extensive. Bespoke cabinetry will conceal service voids and allow for pipework and cabling to be accessible without visual fuss. We also suggest that using the correct extraction in a listed building is key.
The Modern Scullery – Hardworking Service Room Or Back-Kitchen?
We treat our designs for a modern scullery as back-of-house cabinetry with a job to do.
Bespoke, handcrafted and built for decades of service, with finishes that can match or compliment your principal kitchen for a seamless aesthetic.
The result is a more relaxed rhythm to entertaining and daily life, especially in homes where the kitchen sits at the heart of family space.
If you are planning a country kitchen and want to preserve its calm, a dedicated modern scullery will make the difference.
