4 min readJust when you thought the kitchen had done it all, designers have found yet another corner to overhaul. Enter the bantry: a bar-meets-pantry. Part storage solution, part entertaining zone, the bantry takes everything you were already trying to cram into your kitchen (like coffee setups, cocktail supplies, snack drawers, and small appliances), and gives it a dedicated, better-looking home. Think cabinets that hide the chaos, shelves that show off the good stuff, and enough personality to make the whole thing feel intentional rather than improvised.
What makes it work is how unfussy it is. You don’t need a full renovation or even a walk-in pantry, just a bit of space and a smarter plan. Designers are treating bantries like mini destinations within the kitchen, layering in materials, lighting, and layout tricks that make them feel as considered as the rest of the room. The result is a setup that’s not only more organized but also way more fun to use. Here’s what to know about setting up your own bantry at home.
What Is a Bantry?
At its core, the bantry is less about adding space and more about rethinking how the kitchen actually works. As kitchens continue to open up into living areas, all the behind-the-scenes activities (and inevitable clutter) need somewhere else to go.
“The bantry is really the evolution of the traditional walk-in pantry,” says designer Dvira Ovadia. “What was once a purely utilitarian storage space has become a highly curated, multipurpose room that supports everything from food prep to entertaining.”
The goal is simple: keep the main kitchen looking clean and pulled together, while everything else happens just out of sight.
“A bantry might include a designated beverage fridge, wine storage, liquor display, and a coffee station,” says Micaela Quinton of Copper Sky Design + Remodel. “These spaces are often used by guests, and therefore homeowners want these rooms to feel more polished than a typical pantry; think cabinetry, countertops, and either closed or visually appealing food storage.”
How Designers Are Making Them Work
If the bantry works, it’s because it’s personal. Not in a “nice-to-have” way, but in a this-is-how-your-day-actually-functions kind of way.
“A bantry is essentially the evolution of the traditional pantry into a multifunctional extension of the kitchen,” says designer Amy Lee McArdle. “Part pantry, part bar, part utility hub, it reflects how we’re actually living today.”
That means designing it around real habits, not ideal ones. For some households, that looks like snack zones that kids can access without tearing apart the main kitchen. For others, it’s a fully built-out coffee station with everything—grinder, mugs, supplies—within reach, so mornings run on autopilot. In larger spaces, it can even include double-wall ovens or additional prep areas that take pressure off the main kitchen entirely.
But it’s not just about function. A bantry also permits you to loosen up a bit, design-wise. Open shelving might display glassware or collected pieces that would otherwise stay hidden, while richer materials, color, and pattern bring in personality. As McArdle puts it, the goal is to create something of a “unicorn” space, one that works hard behind the scenes, but still feels considered and a little special.
The Features Every Bantry Should Have
At a certain point, the bantry stops being an upgrade and starts being a full-on support system. Not decorative, not optional, but a space that quietly does everything the main kitchen doesn’t have time for.
“The bantry is essentially a pantry that’s grown up,” says designer Michelle Murphy of Demi Ryan. “It combines the storage depth of a traditional pantry with the functionality of a prep kitchen or butler’s pantry.”
In practice, that means it’s doing a lot. Secondary sinks keep prep and cleanup out of sight, while beverage zones (such as coffee stations, wine fridges, or both) create dedicated areas that don’t compete with the main kitchen. Add in freezer drawers, appliance storage, and real countertop workspace, and the whole thing starts to function less like a pantry and more like a behind-the-scenes kitchen.
The real difference, though, is how intentional it is. Layout matters. Storage is planned down to the inch. There are more outlets than you think you need, and everything has a place, from bulk goods to the blender that never quite fit anywhere else. Done right, it’s a space that disappears when you don’t need it and works overtime when you do, which is exactly the point.
Why You Need a Bantry
At the end of the day, the bantry isn’t really about storage or even entertaining. It’s about making the kitchen work better without asking it to do everything.
“A bantry is a secondary support space that takes pressure off the main kitchen,” says Jen Dean of Jede Interiors.
That support shows up in subtle but important ways. Dedicated beverage zones create a natural rhythm to the day, coffee in the morning, wine or cocktails in the evening, while a sink and layered storage keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes. Closed cabinetry hides the less attractive essentials, open shelving gives you a place to be a little more curated, and integrated appliances like ice makers or espresso machines make the space feel fully thought through.
What ties it all together is flow. The best bantries aren’t just well-designed, they’re well-placed, connected to the kitchen in a way that feels intuitive and effortless. As Dean puts it, it all comes down to how you actually live, how you host, what you reach for, what you’d rather hide. Get that right, and the bantry stops feeling like an extra and starts feeling like the reason the whole kitchen works.
