What a hidden working kitchen is for
A hidden working kitchen (pantry, scullery, back kitchen) is there to keep the open kitchen clean after cooking and after a dinner with guests: dirty dishes, the coffee machine, toaster, mixer and bins are put away behind a door that looks like part of the kitchen wall.
In an open plan the kitchen is always in view of the living room. Any pan in the sink becomes part of the interior. If you entertain, cook every day or have someone helping, a second room behind the kitchen solves the problem completely: the island keeps a beautiful, almost decorative kitchen, and the messy work happens behind it.
It is a familiar solution in big houses, but it also works in an Eixample flat if you can find 4 to 5 square metres. Often this is a former service room, a box room or the passage between the kitchen and the corridor.
How much space does a scullery kitchen need?
At least about 1.6 m wide with units on one side and about 2.2 m with units on both sides, and from 2 m long. The numbers come from simple arithmetic: a 60 cm deep unit plus a passage of roughly 100 cm between fronts.
A 1.6 by 2.4 m room holds a sink, a dishwasher, a work surface, the coffee machine and shelves for small appliances. For a second person to work there, you need a second wall and a wider passage. In a 100 to 110 sq m flat this pantry is normally gained by taking part of the corridor or a room.
The door should be at least 80 cm clear. If it is hinged, check that it does not hit the units; if it slides, plan the pocket before the walls are finished.
Do you need a second sink?
Yes, if cooking is a daily activity and the island carries the main sink with a beautiful tap. A second, deep sink in the pantry takes dirty pots, trays and dinner dishes, with the dishwasher beside it.
The plumbing points are set before the screed is poured and the walls are closed: hot and cold supply, a drain with a fall, and a dedicated socket for the dishwasher. Under the dishwasher and sink go a tray and a leak sensor: in a hidden space a leak is noticed later.
If the pantry is to have a hob or oven, it needs extraction. Under the CTE (DB HS 3), at the cooking zone the extraction system must give at least 50 l/s and must not use the home's general ventilation ducts. If the hob stays on the island, ordinary ventilation is enough for the pantry.
How do you make the pantry door unnoticeable?
The door is designed as part of the kitchen front: the same material, the same thickness, the same 2 to 3 mm gaps and no handle. It opens with a push (push-to-open) or with the pull profile already used on the other fronts.
A tall door (up to the ceiling) hangs on concealed heavy-duty hinges or on a pivot: such a leaf weighs 30 to 50 kg and ordinary hinges sag within a year. The frame must be rigid and the wall around it flat, otherwise the front warps.
If the door sits in a wall panel or slatted cladding, the pattern continues across the door. We covered hidden doors in our article on full-height doors. Make sure the lock and hinges do not call for visible parts.
Ventilation and light in a closed room
A pantry without a window needs ventilation: otherwise dishwasher moisture, cooking smells and heat from appliances stay in. There are two solutions: a grille in the door or high in the wall, and a small extractor fan with its own duct that switches on with the light.
You need make-up air: for air to leave, it must come in from somewhere. A gap under the door or a grille in the front solves it and does not spoil the look if it is planned at the design stage.
The light comes on from a door sensor or a presence sensor. For work surfaces, neutral white light of about 4000 K goes above the sink and counter, without shadows. With the door shut, the light turns off by itself. It is a small thing, but it separates a considered solution from a "hole in the wall".
Does it make sense in a flat, not only in a house?
Yes, if the flat is above 90 to 100 sq m and you cook regularly or entertain often. In a smaller one it is better to build in deep cupboards and hide appliances in a tall column with bifold or sliding doors, where the coffee machine and toaster sit behind the leaves.
In a house the pantry is usually bigger and combined with the utility room and food storage. In a flat it is more compact, but works the same way. The cost of the solution is not in the square metres but in the precision: a sink, extraction and light in a small room demand careful work.
Whether you need such a pantry at all is decided by lifestyle, not fashion. If you hardly cook or entertain, the space is better used otherwise.
How to design it, and what BCN YARD does
Start with questions: what must be hidden, how many people work in the kitchen at once, what is on the island. Then draw a plan with the sizes of appliances and furniture and check the passage and the position of the door.
In the Urgel flat (109.80 sq m, Eixample) the kitchen is open, and such decisions are made together with the layout, services and furniture. We set the water, drain, electrics and ventilation of the pantry before the walls are closed, and the joinery is built from measurements taken after plastering.
If you want to move the messy work out of an open kitchen, we visit, look at where in your layout 4 to 5 sq m can be found, and prepare the solution with an estimate after the visit and measurements.
Frequently asked questions
How much space does a scullery kitchen need?
At least about 1.6 m wide with units on one side and 2.2 m with two sides, and 2 m long. That is a 60 cm unit plus a passage of about 100 cm. 4 to 5 sq m holds a sink, dishwasher, work surface and appliances. The door should be at least 80 cm clear.
Do you need a second sink?
Yes, if you cook every day: a deep sink in the pantry takes dirty pots and trays, while the island keeps a nice sink for vegetables and drinks. Water and drain are set before the screed and before the walls are closed, and a tray and leak sensor go under the sink and dishwasher.
How do you make the pantry door invisible?
Make it part of the front: same material and thickness, 2 to 3 mm gaps, no handle, push-to-open. A tall leaf weighs 30 to 50 kg, so it hangs on concealed heavy-duty hinges or a pivot in a rigid frame on a flat wall. The panel pattern continues across the door.
Does it make sense in a flat, not only in a house?
Yes, if the flat is over 90 to 100 sq m and you cook often or entertain a lot. In a smaller one, hide appliances in a tall column with sliding doors. It is decided by lifestyle: if you cook little, the space is better used for something else.