The Artful Kitchen: Butler’s Pantry at the SF Decorator Showcase

A vintage butler pantry morphs into a modern-day galley kitchen—with an artful Union Jack mural and dip-dyed cutting boards as wall art.

Designers Allison Bloom (a Remodelista veteran) of Dehn Bloom Design and Tinsley Hutson-Wiley took on the task of refurbishing a butler pantry at this year's San Francisco Decorator Showcase. The duo lined a wall with Heath tile, covered the countertops in zinc, and replaced the cabinet pulls with leather straps from Spinneybeck. Lots of ideas to steal here.

N.B. To see photos of the entire SF Decorator Showcase, go to Curbed SF.

Photography by John Merkl.

Above: The designers created a wall mural using milk-painted cutting boards from Lostine (the installation was inspired by MARCH in SF); the vintage boards are from Big Daddy's Antiques.

Above: "The lacquered Union Jack is a nod to the British tea-time tradition," Bloom says. "To create the mural, we removed the upper cupboards from the wall, covered it in plywood sheeting, and nailed strips of oak on top, which we then painted. We used Benjamin Moore Navajo White paint, a khaki- and kohl-colored stain, and then covered it in a high gloss lacquer to create a subtle sheen."

Above: The custom zinc countertops are by Copperworks and were mounted on top of the original granite counters, with a layer of foam pad in between. The designers had the cabinets refaced and installed Spinneybeck Leather Pulls. The canvas-colored, 6-by-12-inch Classic Field Tile is from Heath Ceramics. The designers added a vertical element to the tiled wall to break up the design and to counterbalance the flag on the opposite wall.

Above: Heath Ceramics on display on the painted oak shelving. The Union Jack was painted by Willem Racke Studio.

Above: A pair of Dustin Dodecahedron Wood Pendants by Ralph Lauren, shown in mahogany with antique brass ($483 from Circa Lighting) provides overhead illumination. The designers replaced the original dark wood floor with oak strips painted white.

Above: A pair of Vintage Toledo Bar Stools from Restoration Hardware (normally $315 each, currently on sale for $263) provide seating at the bar. The wire dress artwork hanging on the wall is by Kristine Mays. Bloom used Leviton Decora Switchplates in gray ($5.03 from Amazon) with brushed stainless switchplate covers.