The cook's pantry should contain cupboards in which are all the necessary paraphernalia for preparing pastries, puddings, etc., such as bins, bakeboards, crockery, pans and supplies, and should be lighted by at least one window.
The butler's pantry, or china-closet as it is often called—generally located and affording direct communication between the kitchen and the dining-room—is essentially a serving-room and should contain a sink with draining-boards, cupboards and shelves to accommodate the fine china, glassware and other requisites for the table. With such a plan the door between the pantry and kitchen may be either sliding or double swinging, but between the pantry and the dining-room, a noiseless double-swinging door. A slide, with small shelves or counters on either side, between the kitchen and pantry, for the passing of food and dishes, saves time and steps. It is well to have the communication rather indirect through the pantry to prevent in a measure the passage of odors or a direct view of the kitchen by those entering the dining-room or seated at the table. This can be partly accomplished by not having the communicating doors directly opposite each other.
The kitchen need not be large, if it is compact. In the house 25´ × 50´ the ideal size is about 13´ × 15´. A work table of this sort does away with many unnecessary steps, the lower shelf being a convenient place to put articles that are in constant use
The outside entrance to the kitchen should be so placed as to facilitate the delivery of provisions, preferably through an entry or an enclosed porch.
The laundry in many houses is combined with the kitchen or immediately adjoining, in which latter case it often serves as an entry and a place to store certain articles, such as brooms, buckets and possibly the refrigerator. The very best plan is to have the laundry in the basement, with separate outside stairs. In such a case, a chute for sending soiled linen, etc., should run from the kitchen or pantry to the laundry.
The butler's pantry or serving-room should be equipped with a cupboard and sink in order that the finer glass ware can be stored and the more fragile articles be washed without finding their way into the kitchen
A rather unusual plan, in which great economy of space is made by building the service stairs about the chimney. The pantry is exceedingly well arranged in that it takes up no room from the kitchen or the dining-room