Kitchen Design
Scullery Design: The Most Useful Room in a South African Home
Why a well-planned scullery is worth more than an extra metre of kitchen
5 min read · Cupboards2Cabinets design team
The scullery is a distinctly South African standard, and it is genuinely brilliant: it keeps the dishwasher, the washing up and the appliance clutter out of a kitchen that is now part of the living room.
01What belongs in it
Dishwasher, double sink, drying space, bulk storage, and often the washing machine. Some households add a second fridge or a bar fridge.
02Minimum practical size
A working scullery needs about 1.8m of counter run and 900mm of clear floor. Anything narrower becomes a corridor with a sink in it.
- Counter run: 1800mm minimum
- Walkway: 900mm clear
- Full-height bulk storage on one wall
- Door positioned out of the dining sightline
03Finish level
Scullery cabinetry can be a step down in finish from the main kitchen — melamine instead of sprayed doors — but never a step down in hardware or board quality, because it works harder than the kitchen does.
The takeaway
If you can only add one room to a kitchen plan, add the scullery. It protects the calm of everything you can see.
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