34 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
January, 1914 
HELPS TO THE 
HOUSEWIFE 
TABLE AND HOUSEHOLD SUGGESTIONS OF INTER- 
EST TO EVERY HOUSEKEEPER AND HOUSEWIFE 
THE MODERN PANTRY 
By George E. Walsh 
Photographs by T. Ellison 
HE modern pantry, with all its facilities for 
storage of china and table utensils, and the 
many little convenient inventions that save 
time and labor, represents one of those little 
architectural details of the day which 
appeal forcibly to the housewife. The in- 
satiable cry of the housekeeper in the past seems to have 
been for more pantry room — pantries for this and pantries 
for that. Shelves and closets in pantries have been put up 
in ever-increasing numbers in recent houses, and some of 
them are so completely equipped in this respect that no one 
could complain of lack of space for everything. 
In the well-built house the pantry receives all the attention 
that it deserves, and instead of cramping the space devoted 
to this purpose architects are providing generously for it. 
Originally the word pantry meant a room in which the 
bread was kept, but in time it was applied to a room or 
closet in which provisions and table furnishings were kept. 
I hen in its evolution it was provided with a sink and run- 
ning water, with arrangements for cleaning plates between 
courses. In this latter sense it is used to-day and often 
referred to as the “butler’s pantry.” 
The modern pantry must first of all be a light and scrupu- 
lously clean room. I he most satisfactory way is to provide 
it with direct outside 
light and with all 
plumbing of the open 
kind, so that dirt and 
germs cannot be har- 
bored anywhere. The 
second consideration 
is plenty of shelf and 
closet space. These 
are the prime essen- 
tials of all pantries, 
whether built for the 
small or large house. 
In addition to the 
daylight from a win- 
dow placed over the 
sink, there must of 
necessity be good ar- 
tificial light so placed 
that it will brighten 
up every part of the 
room for night ser- 
vice. Even in the 
smallest house the 
pantry should not be 
less than 5x5 feet in dimensions, for with a room any less than 
this it would be difficult for one to turn around and work in. 
In the first illustration we have an ideal pantry suitable for 
the small family house. It contains within a compact space 
the very essentials of such a room. The sink with hot and 
cold running water is placed directly in front of the window, 
which provides ventilation as well as light. The chandelier 
is over the worker’s head, and closets and shelves, with drip 
board for dishes, are within easy reaching distance. All is 
open under the sink, so that no plumbing is concealed. * Four 
tiers of shelves are provided in the closet, and the highest 
is not above the reach of the ordinary person. 
For a larger house where two or more servants are em- 
ployed, the pantry in the second illustration is more suitable. 
This is a large, generous-sized room, with all the modern 
equipments necessary. The light enters from the left 
instead of directly in front, and closets and shelves are 
placed on three sides of the room. The closet space over 
the sink is particularly suited for the keeping of small things 
that are in constant service. The other closets are designed 
for holding articles of a various nature that must be handy 
in emergencies, but are not in demand every day. The 
drawers and dark closets for pans, trays and hardware are 
likewise arranged around three sides. 
A pantry of this size and equipment lessens the work of 
the house enormously. The storage facilities are so ample 
that it will save many steps from the dining-room to the 
kitchen. A water cooling and filtering device placed on the 
top of the closet on 
the right adds to the 
convenience of the 
place. 
In the third illus- 
tration we have a 
pantry well equipped, 
without sink and run- 
ning water. Even 
without the arrange- 
ment for cleaning 
plates, the pantry is 
of the greatest ser- 
vice in a small house 
or apartment. Some 
object to running 
water in the pantry 
where the family is 
small. If the sink is 
not used, the water in 
the trap is apt to dry 
out and permit the 
sewer gas to escape 
through the drain 
pipe into the pantry. 
