Butler’s Pantries Are Getting a Surprising Upgrade — Meet the “Bantry”

I love a hybrid room more than most. Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in smallish New York City apartments for over a decade, where square footage was always at a premium and every inch of my home had to work overtime. Because of that, multipurpose furniture, decor, and spaces feel like a prerequisite for me when I’m buying and designing — not just a nice-to-have — even though I now live in a 1,600-square-foot home. That’s why I love when a trend comes along and combines what might otherwise be separate rooms into a single, hardworking area. The latest version of this? The bantry, or bar pantry.

Walk-in pantries have been a dream kitchen design feature for a few years now. But the bantry concept takes what was once purely utilitarian and makes it a little more entertaining-friendly by introducing a bar setup to the mix. That means a storage space becomes a gathering place, which, if you like to entertain at home, can be another tool in your hosting bag of tricks. Read on to hear a little bit more about this kitchen trend that’s catching on here. 

A bantry is exactly what it sounds like: a walk-in pantry that also incorporates a bar. The bar doesn’t have to have all the bells and whistles, of course; it could be just a couple of bottles and maybe a countertop ice maker. Or, it could be tricked out to include a mini or full-size fridge, tons of specialty glassware, and even a sink and dishwasher setup for easy cleanup (and potential kitchen overflow). The only thing a bantry really needs is some space to congregate a bit — even if it’s just enough for one or two folks to enjoy a drink.

I first stumbled upon this concept at Behr Paint’s Color of the Year reveal event for 2027. The brand’s creative team outfitted what was envisioned as a small nook/pantry that would be off a kitchen or dining room. It, of course, featured cabinetry paint in Grounded, Behr’s 2027 COTY pick that’s a gorgeous olive green. But I immediately homed in on the fact that the space was outfitted with open shelving, pretty bottles, and a wet bar-sized sink. Shaped like a galley kitchen, the space provides a great spot to fix (and serve!) drinks, but it isn’t that much larger than a closet. So hopefully a bantry is something that you might be able to sneak into your footprint at some point, if you love the idea of it. 

If you’re renovating a kitchen, and you have a decent amount of space, it’s obviously very easy to carve out a corner or special little area for a bantry. But what about those who can’t remove (or add) walls to their home? Well, if you have a spare closet somewhere near your kitchen or dining room/living room, you could totally convert it into a bantry. You don’t need much more than a few shelves and a surface to set up a tray for cocktails or mocktails and all the little accouterments you might need for hosting — glasses, stirrers, a shaker, mixers, etc.

The concept works better when you are storing some of your dry goods and food items there, too, because you don’t want to lose the pantry functionality part of the equation. But you could always get creative with how you store these types of things. Maybe it’s by moving a small vintage dresser or nightstand into said closet, and putting some of your wares there. Or you could maybe pull off an IKEA hack with a little bit of SEKTION cabinetry sandwiched in there. 

However you go about this, the big takeaway here is that multipurpose spaces make the most of whatever square footage you do have — and allow you to get creative within your four walls. The bantry is one for the design books, IMO, because it marries form and function by giving you a cute little area to entertain in. Even better, although bar carts and cabinets have been waning in popularity a bit, this trend allows you to keep your love of at-home libations going strong.