Many of us think of Downton Abbey days when we hear the word scullery.
A bygone time where domestic servants outnumbered the occupants of the house tenfold. It feels a fairly dated concept and yet it was one of the key must haves historically in many homes. And as we know, the Victorians and their predecessors knew a thing or two about how to run a household!
Some older houses here in the UK have sculleries. They are usually found adjacent to or just off the kitchen. This additional room is fast becoming a space that renovations experts and designers are incorporating into their plans. The functionality of the scullery space really is something rather special.
Historically a scullery was used for cooking preparation and also as a space for cleaning up. I guess you could call it an overflow kitchen. It would also have been a space for extra storage. And we all love extra storage (now you know where you can house your air fryer)!
Somewhere for housing the silverware and crockery not used for every day. I’m thinking Christmas crockery! And if the space is big enough it can also becomes an extension of a laundry room. It really is a room of many functions and uses.
Yes they do provide very similar functions. But here’s the key nuggets of information you need for your next dinner party and scullery vs. pantry conversation.
A scullery would have served as a utility space. Somewhere where the kitchen items would have been washed up. There would have been a large sink and space for drying and preparation of foods. And of course lots of storage.
A pantry, or to give it its correct term; a Butlers Pantry served the purpose of more of a serving area. A bit like a “pass” at a restaurant today. It’s the in-between space between the kitchen and the dining room to ensure a seamless serving of meals to those dining.
There’s nothing not to love about a modern scullery! Are you are thinking of incorporating one into your home or if you already have one? The first step in your scullery story is to talk to Meliora, the experts in renovation.
I think a scullery is going to be the next big thing. You heard it hear first! Its a true luxury for anyone who loves to entertain or cook to have essentially an over flow kitchen.
Are you feeling tempted? Then check out the images in this blog from a recent scullery renovation by the Meliora Team.
The first of these images show the scullery newly renovated ie before we got to work and styled it.
You can see that the walls are curved in some places. That they slope and taper in others. That the windows are a little wonky.
It was a challenge in the edit given that interiors imagery loves straight lines! However when you are working with a Grade II* home that we think was built in the 14th century and that incorporates both earlier elements and alterations and additions from the 16th all the way through to the 19th century, nothing is going to be straight!
“This project was a Grade II* listed residential renovation with the brief to transform the scullery into a fully functional useable secondary kitchen.
The team had to excavate the original floor to create a better ceiling height and install a limecrete system to manage the damp that would occur with the age of the property.
Showcasing the new kitchen and decoration details was key and also showing the historical features of the property. For example; the back of the original bread oven which is all original stone. And the small leaded glass window that looks into the new larder from the passage.
We knew that Nikki would take both the renovation and lifestyle shots we needed to capture this perfectly.”
“I have worked with Nikki on a few of our shoots now, and I always enjoy styling the shoots with Nikki – but also she has gotten to know our company so well it’s like she knows what we need!”
Hannah
“It’s always good fun to learn the history of the property, we are lucky enough to talk to the client who was more than happy to explain the features of the house.”
Hannah
“We have been working with Nikki with all our post project completion photos, we like the way Nikki styles the shoots but also keeps our brand consistent for our socials and website.”
“The shoot was fairly straightforward because I was able to send Nikki some site photos of the space so she could bring exactly what she needed photography wise and styling wise. The natural light in the scullery was perfect and as a result all of the images were perfect.”
Hannah
“The brief was to capture the new scullery kitchen as a whole – as the kitchen was brand new. We also wanted lifestyle shots to show future clients how wonderful a scullery renovation can be. With Meliora Renovations we feel it’s key to showcase our work on both social media, our website, and for us to be able to provide more background and details in our project blogs.”
To commission bespoke interiors/construction photography and/or film for your completed Interior Design and/or Build project to provide you with this high level of imagery to enhance your business, please get in touch.