Across the U.S. housing market, homeowners are spending heavily on remodeling rather than moving as high prices, limited inventory and aging housing stock reshape renovation choices. In that environment, one long-overlooked design feature is reappearing in kitchens: the butler’s pantry, a traditional secondary workspace that new survey data shows is returning in a measurable share of remodels.
Houzz data shows a once-niche kitchen feature returning to remodel plans
Houzz formally documented the shift on January 13, 2026, when it published its 2026 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, based on a survey of 1,780 U.S. homeowners who were planning, undertaking or had recently completed a kitchen renovation. The company said more than three-quarters of renovating homeowners, or 76%, are adding specialty built-in features to their kitchens. Within that group, pantry cabinets were the most common built-in at 47%, walk-in pantries reached 16%, and butler’s pantries or prep kitchens appeared in 7% of projects, according to Houzz Research.
That 7% figure is relatively small compared with mainstream storage choices, but it is notable because the butler’s pantry had largely receded from many postwar floor plans. Houzz also reported that among homeowners who are adding or upgrading a butler’s pantry, 67% use the space for small-appliance storage, 61% include a prep counter and 59% install enclosed cabinetry. Those details suggest the feature is not returning as a decorative extra alone, but as a working zone designed to reduce visible clutter and shift noise, coffee makers, toasters and food prep away from the main kitchen.
The same study shows the comeback is happening alongside a broader move toward function-first remodeling. Houzz said 38% of renovating homeowners cited kitchen deterioration or dysfunction as a reason to renovate, up three percentage points from the prior year, while 41% said they were motivated by dissatisfaction with the old kitchen’s style. Major remodels carried a median spend of $55,000, and major remodels of larger kitchens reached a median of $75,000, which helps explain why secondary prep and storage spaces remain concentrated among households already making substantial investments.
Zillow identified a related shift in its 2025 home-trends analysis, which examined language in millions of for-sale listings from 2024. The company said “old-world” elements were gaining ground and specifically noted that the Victorian-era scullery was making a modern comeback. In the same report, Zillow said mentions of home libraries were up 22%, nostalgia-related language appeared in 14% more listings and “vintage” mentions rose 9%, indicating that buyers and sellers alike are paying closer attention to older architectural and household features that add utility as well as character.
The impact is national, but the local picture is still uneven
The butler’s pantry revival is showing up as a national remodeling pattern rather than a state-specific program or product rollout. Houzz’s kitchen study was conducted nationwide, and the company did not break out butler’s pantry adoption rates by state, metro area or region in the public summary. That means there is confirmed evidence of a U.S. trend, but there is not yet a verified public list showing where the feature is most common or which local markets are leading adoption.
What is confirmed is that homeowners are putting money into renovation at scale. Houzz said in its 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study, released April 22, 2026, that 54% of U.S. homeowners undertook renovation projects in 2025, while the national median renovation spend held at $20,000. The company also said high-end activity increased, with the top 10% of projects reaching $150,000 or more. In kitchens specifically, Houzz said spending rises with age and peaked among seniors at a median of $27,500 in 2025, nearly double the prior year’s level.
For local readers, that means the design feature may appear differently depending on housing stock and budget. In older homes, a butler’s pantry may involve restoring an existing service area, enclosed passage or original cabinetry zone that had been underused or removed from daily life. In newer homes or major remodels, it may take the form of a prep kitchen, appliance garage wall, hidden pantry room or scullery-style workspace that sits just off the main kitchen. Houzz grouped butler’s pantries with prep kitchens, which reflects how the concept is being adapted in current projects.
There are still several things the public data does not show. Houzz has not released a comprehensive list of affected states, neighborhoods or builders incorporating the feature. Zillow’s trend report points to rising demand signals in listings, but it does not provide city-by-city figures for sculleries or butler’s pantries in the public summary. As a result, the local effect is best understood as part of a broader U.S. remodeling pattern rather than a confirmed surge in any single state.
Why homeowners are reviving the feature and what it means inside the house
The clearest explanation comes from housing market pressure and day-to-day practical use. Houzz head of economic research Marine Sargsyan said kitchen renovations are being shaped by aging housing stock, a shortage of available homes and longer homeowner tenure. According to Houzz, those pressures are pushing more owners to improve the functionality of the homes they already occupy instead of moving, with storage upgrades and efficient layouts becoming a central priority.
That context helps explain why a formerly formal feature has been redefined as a utility space. The current butler’s pantry is less about entertaining traditions and more about managing appliances, bulk goods and mess in an era when kitchens serve as cooking space, social space and visual focal point at the same time. Houzz’s numbers support that interpretation: pantry cabinets lead all built-ins, and the most common uses for butler’s pantries center on concealed storage and prep surfaces rather than display.
Zillow’s analysis points to a second driver: taste is shifting toward older, more layered home features. Its 2025 trends report said old-world style was returning, with sculleries specifically called out as part of that movement. That does not mean every homeowner wants a historically precise room. It does suggest that buyers increasingly value spaces that break up the open-plan kitchen, hide clutter and make homes feel more customized than the simplified layouts that dominated many recent builds.
For residents and shoppers, the practical takeaway is straightforward. A butler’s pantry is still far from standard, appearing in 7% of renovating kitchens in Houzz’s latest survey, but it is no longer a fringe idea in upscale remodel discussions. Homeowners considering renovations should expect to see more plans that carve out secondary storage and prep zones, while buyers touring updated homes may increasingly encounter listings that use terms such as butler’s pantry, prep kitchen or scullery to describe the same basic function: keeping the main kitchen cleaner, calmer and more usable.