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The HM pantry is a fresh take on the traditional English version of this vital ancillary room. Pantry, from the latin “panna” meaning bread, was originally a small room dedicated exclusively to the storage of bread and bakery items, however, by the mid-nineteenth century it had become a space for the general storage of dry goods.

Historically, English country houses would have a kitchen, scullery, larder, pantry, storeroom, coal room, housekeeper’s room and several large miscellaneous cupboards incorporated into the design and these were considered the absolute bare minimum. Larger houses had an almost bewildering array of other ancillary rooms including a gun room, lamp room, still room, pastry room, butler’s pantry, fish store, bakehouse, game larder, brewery, knife room, brush room, shoe room. A large country house in Wales even had a room dedicated to ironing newspapers while others could include a spicery, buttery, poultery or even a ewery – a room exclusively used for keeping water jugs.

Originally a cold, dark room that was purely utilitarian – the main purpose of the pantry was to allow servants easy access to dry goods – this was a room that was never seen and therefore never warranted any special attention. Today things are thankfully much simpler with open plan kitchen and dining spaces for the whole family to enjoy together. In order to keep the main kitchen area uncluttered, it’s necessary to incorporate storage into other areas – cue the modern pantry. The Longford pantry embraces all the usual HM design aesthetics of simplicity, symmetry, proportion and restraint with plenty of open storage.

Plenty of storage space under the countertops provides versatility in terms of what can be stored – things like wine cases, vases and hampers all take up a lot of space and can be heavy to manoeuvre so keeping them at a lower level makes sense from a practical point of view. Our classic artisan shelves are perfect for ensuring that smaller ingredients, cans and jars are instantly to hand when you need them. Open shelving means that items are instantly identifiable and accessible – there is no rooting around in the back of cupboards searching for a rogue pot of baking powder.

Pantry

Waterford House | Humphrey Munson

Haslemere Project | Humphrey Munson

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