From 2024
If you toured the 2023 Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas, you no doubt swooned over the show-stopping scullery created by MORE Design + Build’s Kurt Bielawski. Once relics, these workhorse secondary kitchen spaces are now popping up with greater frequency in homes, providing additional storage and prep space for the unsightly (but necessary) work that goes into cooking and entertaining. While they can range from glorified butler’s pantries and bars to full-fledged working kitchens, most sculleries go beyond mere store-and-serve functions to facilitate food prep and cleanup. Of course, with this being Dallas, we’re not content to allow these functional spaces to languish in lackluster materials. See how four local experts have designed these practical rooms with smart choices and style to match.
Taking a Shine
While sometimes a dramatic departure is welcomed, in other cases, cohesion is the right approach. Take, for instance, this high-glamour scullery, which Cameron Drinkwater of Cameron Drinkwater Interiors designed to feel like an extension of the adjacent dining room. Incorporating features like marble countertops, glass-front cabinets, and lacquered paint, the designer ensured the space is as beautiful as it is useful. “These small spaces are the perfect place to express personality and make a statement,” says Drinkwater. “Small rooms like this can be functional and fun.”
Now You See It …
Despite its Zen appearance, this scullery has a surprising amount going on behind the scenes. “The primary function of this space is discreet storage,” explains Erin Sander of Erin Sander Design, noting that the millwork conceals the client’s coffee maker, a refrigerator, and a microwave. “This second kitchen is used daily as an extension of several functions in the homeowner’s main kitchen.” To accomplish her “visually quiet” aesthetic goals, Sander opted out of glass-front cabinets, saying, “The main kitchen has many dynamic moments, as well as an open wine display, so this space is intended to be the inverse and the definition of practicality.”
Go Big or Go Bold
When he was tasked with adding on a second kitchen to his client’s existing home, architect and designer Eddie Maestri of Maestri Studio kept the purpose of the room at the forefront. “We worked with the client to assess what the space would truly be used for,” he says. They decided that a connector between the kitchen and dining room would best serve the client, with floating shelves housing barware and libations for easy entertaining. “The small space, visible from the light-and-bright kitchen and dining rooms, was a good opportunity to go bold and moody,” says Maestri. “Don’t be afraid to have a small space make a big visual impact.”
Old World, New Tricks
Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas participant Kurt Bielawski of MORE Design + Build ambitiously opted to add an adjoining space to his kitchen project: a cozy scullery. “It’s essentially a dirty kitchen,” says Bielawski, who notes that an increasing number of his clients have been asking for such spaces. “You can use it during an event for catering, or if you’re a big cook, we have people use it as a baking or bread kitchen.” Inspired by his love of old English homes in the Cotswolds, Bielawski brought the room’s look to life through patinaed details—like stone floor tiles arranged in an intricate, historic-inspired pattern; a storage piece built to resemble an antique French pharmacy cabinet; and aged hardware.
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