Move Over Walk-In Pantries – Baker's Kitchens Are the New (Old) Luxury Must-Have for Passionate Home Cooks
And they're more versatile than you might think
Everyone is craving a kitchen that feels perfectly designed to suit both their style and functional requirements, but the latest trend making waves encourages people to take a personalized scheme one step further.
While most people utilize an adjoining room for a pantry or back kitchen, designers are going even more specific, creating baker's kitchens that are attached to the main cooking space. It's a kitchen trend that emphasizes personalized interiors, and it's a home upgrade we're seeing far more often.
It's a luxurious addition to a kitchen design, but one that forms the perfect place for baking and maximizes functionality across your entire cooking space. Here's why these versatile rooms are making their way to the top of wish lists across the country.
More specific than a back kitchen, a baker's kitchen is the perfect addition for a avid home cook.
If you find joy in baking or always look forward to homemade treats over the holidays, you've probably imagined the luxury of a dedicated room for experimenting and perfecting your favorite recipes.
'Homeowners increasingly dream about a baking kitchen for the inspiration to create a cake, experiment with a new cookie, or host a bake night at a moment’s notice. It doesn’t require a quick clean-up of the kitchen space after dinner or in between meals to start baking to the heart’s content,' says Stacy Chiavaro of Chiavaro Design.
'All the baking utensils are in the last place you set them. Measuring cups and spoons are ready to go. The desire to have one’s own cooking space without interruption and fumbling to find a pastry cutter.'
More can be kept on display in a baker's kitchen than a main cooking space as these spaces need to inspire.
It's about convenience and creating spaces in your home tailored to the activities you enjoy doing most. But it's also a functional room to have beside your main kitchen – even though it is designed for all of your baking needs, it can also facilitate overflow and become a back kitchen when required.
'A baking kitchen expertly located adjacent to a main kitchen serves as a valuable back-up for the need of an extra oven for a pie, refrigerator space to hold a holiday’s worth of food, an additional stovetop when the main kitchen is bustling, and one needs to tend to the gravy for a Sunday roast. All within a few steps of each other to create a seamless menu of food for a family meal,' Stacy adds.
Designing a baker's kitchen involves many of the same steps as the primary cooking space. But because this room is dedicated to a specific activity, the style of storage, surfaces, and flow is slightly more unique.
This baker's kitchen uses a freestanding prep table for extra surface space and flexibility while cooking.
In this more traditional baker's kitchen, Stacy worked with architects to create a space that felt like an extension of the main cooking space, yet included all of the features and functional elements that make baking easier. And the baker's table was the standout feature that had to be perfect.
'Amat Tujudin at EBTA Architects created the space during the remodel from what was once part of the original kitchen. We knew the baker’s table in the center of the space was the heart of the kitchen. We designed and built the table with our custom woodwork team led by Sandro Chiavaro,' she recalls.
'A vintage turned-leg style table with drawers for storing sprinkles and baking utensils. The marble countertop for rolling out cookies and flaky pie crusts, with a tabletop for grandkids to sit and take part in the festive decorating. Above, copper pans hang artfully from a decorative old-world iron rack for quick handling at the stove.'
It's a feature any well-designed baker's kitchen should include, with a cold stone top to make kneading dough and preparing batter a more seamless process. Aesthetics need to be just as considered here as in a main kitchen, and Stacy opted for an earthy green hue on the cabinetry to complement the wooden kitchen island. Because a baker's kitchen is a secondary kitchen, you can get away with a slightly darker color palette.
Open shelving gives this baker's kitchen a layered, lived in look but is also practical for keeping frequently used dishes, utensils and cookbooks close to hand.
Similarly, in a main kitchen, abundant open storage can make a space feel cluttered and leave too many less aesthetic items on display. But in a baker's kitchen, you have less to store, and the accessories and cookware you do need on hand are usually much prettier, doubling as decor on open shelving.
'The open shelf design was the plan from day one,' explains Stacy. 'We were inspired by the homeowner’s desire to feature open shelves with her collection of plates passed down through her family and a curated selection of cookbooks featuring an old print of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child.'
A baker's kitchen isn't a feature everyone has space for, nor is it a room everyone needs. But there's no denying its appeal, and it further signals a shift we are seeing in kitchens toward spaces custom to how homeowners use them, rather than following a standardized design plan.
And because a baker's kitchen factors in space for pantry staples, additional appliances, and overflow kitchen storage, it's a luxury room that works harder than a standard hobby room. Plus, it opens up plenty of space for unique design features that you might not be able to fit into a main kitchen. A win-win in our eyes!
Shop Baker's Kitchen Essentials
Personalized kitchens are here to stay, with dedicated rooms and stations custom to the homeowner's needs and lifestyle. Even if an entire baker's kitchen is out of the question, there's no reason you can't emulate some of these design features into a smaller station within your main kitchen.
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