What Are Butler Pantry Swinging Doors and Why Do You Need Them?

Are you looking for new doors for your home? Replacing your doors is part of any full home renovation, but how are you supposed to choose?

Sure, you know that you want a strong and ornate door for your entryway, but what about elsewhere? What should go in the kitchen? What about the dining room?

Have you ever heard of butler doors or swinging pantry doors? A butler door is a traditional door that is located in a butler's pantry or between the dining room and kitchen. These doors are making a comeback in 2021 and we're here to tell you why. Keep reading to learn all about butler doors.

First: What on Earth Is a Butler Pantry?

If you're like most people who are living in 2021, the idea of a butler's pantry is likely confusing. The average person doesn't have a butler, so why would they have a pantry for one?

Butler's pantries were more common in the Victorian era where people who had money would also have butlers for their homes. Butlers would take care of all of the daily tasks including serving meals and cleaning up around the house.

A butler's pantry differs from a standard pantry that you would find in most homes today. While it might be considered a luxury item, butler's pantries are a great addition to the home because they provide a space to store kitchen accessories, food, and serving dishes.

These pantries are usually long and narrow rooms. Unlike standard pantries that house excess food and dry goods alongside pots and pans or cleaning supplies, a butler's pantry is more functional.

Butler pantries store food and supplies, but they may also have countertops, sinks, and small appliances to prepare food when you don't want to use the "real" kitchen. Think ultimate location to prep all hors-d'oeuvre for the party, tray veggies, prep all Thanksgiving dinner, and have the kitchen not be a wreck when company arrives. This hidden butler pantry is an awesome space included in your home, and a swinging door will help make the space easy to access.

They're great for when you don't want to mess up your nice clean kitchen when you have company over. Consider how nice it would be to have a holiday dinner where you can just duck into the pantry for food!

What Makes Butler Doors Different?

So what about butler doors? Why can't the pantries or kitchen just use regular doors like everywhere else in the house?

These butler doors are traditional a single door located between the kitchen and the dining room or a butler pantry and the dining room. The doors will provide privacy, coverage for a messy kitchen, and also a barrier for a noisy dishwasher etc. The name of butler doors comes from the traditional butler pantry, butler doors can be used anywhere. These simple doors can add function and design to your current space.

Historically, having a special door for these locations makes sense. These doors function differently from standard doors and that difference made it easy to rush in and out of them without causing a fuss and provides a door that can be opened without turning a doorknob. Adding push plates and kick plates will make the door(s) have some added bling and help protect the door's finish.

Butler doors swing both in and out of the pantry and are self-closing due to their double action hinges. The doors can be opened with a bump of the hip, arm, or elbow. Normal doors only open one way or the other and these doors also need to be open using a doorknob. The double action hinges it the door more functional and also make the door more convenient.

Their hinges are specific "butler door hinges", "double-action door hinges", "horizontal spring pivot hinges" or "swinging door hinges."

These doors are often (though not always) more narrow than standard doors to fit the narrow rooms that they're attached to. Butler doors can be double swinging doors or single swinging doors, making the door a stylish and statement piece with a bold color.

The doors will swing back and forth and close in the center position. The horizontal spring pivot hinges recessed into the doors, allowing the doors to be almost full height and offering a hold open feature. These hinges are great for commercial or residential applications allowing for an easy and quiet swing.

Can You Use Butler Pantry Doors Elsewhere?

So you don't have a butler or a butler's pantry. Why bother having a butler door in the first place?

There's no reason that you can't use one of these doors in your home even if you're without a butler or a pantry. While they're unconventional, they fit well into many rooms. These single swinging doors can add a statement to any room, a new trendy feature in home design.

You can use these doors anywhere, but there are a few places where they'll fit better than others.

First, they're great for kitchens. Kitchens are like large butler pantries. It makes sense that they'd also be suitable for these doors because you can still move in and out without having to put things down to turn the doorknob.

These may also work well in home offices. Allowing for the space to be sectioned off for your "day at the office," yet still providing an easy functioning door.

These doors work well anywhere you'd otherwise have a conventional door or another type of swinging door. They're not good as a security door that provides access to an outdoor location, however.

What Are the Benefits of Having a Butler Pantry Swinging Door?

With all of this in mind, what makes a butler pantry swinging door a good idea in comparison to other doors (both swinging and otherwise)? Why bother swapping out your pre-existing door?

Because this is a swinging door that stops in the center you shouldn't be able to slam the door. This helps you avoid leaving any unsightly marks on your walls and keeps your home quieter. If you have any light sleepers in the house, you know how important this is.

These swinging doors are also easy to open if you have your hands full.

Trying to take a giant platter to the dining room during a gathering? What about carrying groceries to your kitchen when you're not willing to make two trips? These things are no problem when you have a butler door.

Looking for a New Door? Look No Further

If you're in need of a neat new door for your home, why not try a butler door? These quiet and functional doors are great for your kitchen, pantry, rec room, dining room, and more. They're unconventional but that doesn't mean that they're not effective!

Are you on the hunt for a new door? We've got you covered. Check out our supply of swinging doors (and plenty of other doors for your home) today!