What you probably should not do is post your floorplan without expecting a comment on some other part of it.....

I think you need to go back to your designer and ask them. And won't people be in the kitchen and then it won't be that big of a deal? Freestanding bar maybe? Is there a sink in the butler's pantry to dump old ice or wash citrus?

I'd ask your butler. What's he think?

I had a feeling others would make comments about other parts of the plans. I’m ok with that. Love to hear other people’s opinions. No sink there. If we do a freestanding bar, what could I transform the pantry into? The reason why I want to change the butlers pantry is because the butler was the one that complained, lol.

Traditionally a butlers pantry should be between the kitchen a dining room. Your plans seem a bit off to make the easy walk from kitchen to dining room. It almost seems like it should be where the pantry is however that would make the pantry too far from kitchen. Perhaps your breakfast room is bigger than needed and that could be reworked to place pantry and move BP closer to kitchen? IDK I’m not a Butler nor do I play one on TV. I do however have a BP which gives me absolutely no authority on the subject.

The fridge is in a bad spot because the island blocks it from the sink. So you can rearrange the appliances and then make the bottom wall of the kitchen into a wet bar.

You specifically mention making the drinks for a party. In my experience, the butlers pantry in this design would be the worst place to put the bar for a party. The bar tends to be a hang out area. Your butlers pantry is not big enough or accessible enough for more than one person at a time. I like Emily ‘s idea of putting a werbar on the pantry side of the kitchen. Another idea is a wetbar on the breakfast room wall on the back of the stairs. That’s would be a center point during a party where friends are gathered in the family room and kitchen.

for the BP alone, it is small and a little awkward. Think of it and you may agree that you’ll tend to enter the dining room through the opening to the kitchen/family room and not use the bp opening at all. So, my advice/opinion is to open the pantry to the whole area set aside for bp. Easier access to everything. And who doesn’t want a large accessible pantry?

Or move pantry storage to mud room closets. Move BP to pantry . Move closets to BP

You guys are amazing. Thanks for all the advice. Love it.

Random thoughts:

- Agree this is a bar, not a butler's pantry.

- Agree that if it's to be a bar, you need to add a small sink.

- Agree that if people are in the family room, they must walk a long way to make another drink.

- HOWEVER, this also means that the clutter of bottles, etc. is out of sight.

- It also means that guests who are inclined to over-imbibe are free to over-drink (yeah, my mind goes there 'cause I come from that sort of family). And it means that teens may "help themselves" because of the out-of-sight location.

- The space is nicely situated to serve drinks (or dessert) to the dining room.

What you have is not a butlers pantry just a bar . This term is now like ship lap a word used in the wrong connotation. A butlers pantry is the space between the kichen and the DR it is where ther BUTLER serves food that the COOK made and removes dishes and makes drinks and coffe for your formal guests . Ther eis no way that area should be accessed from a trip past a pantry and clothes in a mud room and definately not next to a bathroom which is also next to the DR. This is just poor design and you need to figure how you actually live You entertain in the FR then the bar should be there and no need for the butlers pantry at all. IMO walk in pantries are a huge waste of space and how do guests even get to the PR. This is a job for a good independant KD and also a good interior designer.

I'd be more concerned with guests and home occupants needing to walk through the mud room to access the powder room than walking drinks through the kitchen or dining room. Maybe we're just slobs, but our mudroom is never as clean as the rest of the house. That's why we have a door to close it off when we have guests. It's not a public space.

The entire bottom left of the plan needs some work.

Is this a custom designed home or a tract house?

The best houses orient the public rooms towards the south for the best passive solar heating and cooling

The best houses are L, U, T, H, or I shaped.

The best houses are only one to two rooms deep. And covered lanai, porches, garages, etc count as rooms in this case.

The best houses make sure kitchens have natural light, meaning windows so one doesn't have to have lighting 24/7 to use the kitchen. (And no, dining areas with windows 10' or more from the kitchen will not allow for natural light.)

The best houses make sure all public rooms and bedrooms have windows on at least two walls.

The best houses do not if possible put mechanical rooms, pantries or closets on outside walls

The best houses keep public and private spaces separate.

The best houses do not have you walk through the work zone of the kitchen to bring laundry to the laundry room.

The best houses do not have the mudroom go through any of the work zones of the kitchen.

The best houses do not use the kitchen as a hallway to any other rooms.

The best houses do not put toilets or toilet rooms up against bedroom walls or dining areas.

The best houses do not have walk in closets too small to stand inside.

The best houses have an organizing “spine” so it’s easy to determine how to get from room to room in the house and what makes sense.

So how many of these best practices does your house have?

Agree the front left corner is poorly laid out. The powder room could be where the pantry is. The two weird closets on the exterior wall, could be one big pantry. You’re losing space with walls between those closets. The current butlers pantry could be closed off halfway and just be a built in bar in the dining room, or just a lovely built in buffet and China cabinet. You could put a small bar on either the breakfast room or family room side of that cased opening. Then the mud room could take over the space of the current powder room with the w&d in that space. The built in that is currently pictured on the exterior wall, could be nestled in the space reclaimed from the butler’s pantry. Then close off the mud room with some type of door. Rough sketch attached

I have to say, this is my first post on Houzz and you guys have been great. Really appreciate your input. For those that are regulars on here, I’m sure you will see me post more questions. Thank you all.

"For those that are regulars on here, I’m sure you will see me post more questions."

And while you're at it jump in with some answers and comments for others too. A coupla threads are near this one right now.