"My
kitchen was very '80s, as my nieces would tell me," laughs homeowner
Kathy Sakuma. Kathy and her husband, Roy Sakuma, an authority of
ukulele instruction, built this Aiea house in 1988. But recently things
started to look outdated, plus they had a broken dishwasher that limped
along for more than a year. 'When I finally decided to look at new
appliances, I found out that they're not the same size after 18 years,"
Kathy says. "We were going to have to break the cabinets. That's when I
said, Ok, so now is the time to remodel."
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| The crema marfil marble flooring ties in with the countertops, but doesn't compete with it. |
The
kitchen is sandwiched between two opposing rooms: a huge, formal living
room with very high ceilings, lots of white carpeting, white furniture
and substantial architectural elements, and, on the other side, a cozy
family room with custom koa cabinetry and lots of family pictures and
keepsakes, including Roy's 2006 Na Hoku Hanohano Award for "Group of
the Year"with Holunape.
Because of the style differences of the two rooms, Kathy needed help deciding between a natural wood or white cabinets.
She
was referred to Scot Shimamura, of Ridgeview Design. "I called Scot, he
came over, we met and that was it," she says. "I got a couple of other
estimates, but Scot was the guy I wanted. He seemed really passionate
about it. Very caring."
In the end, Scot helped the Sakuma's with much more than choosing between white or wood.
Since
the kitchen's adjoining rooms have more of a masculine feel, Shimamura
wanted to provide a soft transition. Plus, he noted that Kathy spends a
lot of time drinking tea in the kitchen and hanging out with her
family. "Although the kitchen is modern, I wanted to give it a little
bit of a feminine feel for her."
The
original layout worked well for the homeowners, but with a few minor
modifications within the same footprint, the kitchen was opened up.
Shimamura explains, "The old oven and microwave cabinet was directly
next to the stove, so there was no set-down area. By moving the oven
cabinet to the kitchen's back wall, there is much more countertop
surface around the food prep area."
Taking
Shimamura's advice, Kathy steered away from a white kitchen and went
with natural maple wood, with a honey-red varnish. The Montalco
Cabinets, built in Canada, feature beautifully crafted, dovetail
drawers and full-extension, shock-absorbing Blumotion glides. The
easy-to-clean slab doors with rounded edges and curved, brushed pulls
give the kitchen a little roundness, softness and a more relaxed feel
than straight-cut doors.
 |
| Kathy
and Roy Sakuma, one of Hawaii's foremost ukulele instructors, prepare
dinner on their new cooktop. The stove's backsplash and counters are a
rare blue granite with waves of teal, mauve, cream and grays that pull
in colors from the outside through the kitchen window. |
Since
the Sakuma family is in the music business, their home is often a
gathering place for family events and jam sessions. To accommodate
cooking for hungry crowds, high-speed electric cooking appliances were
wired up. "Because the neighborhood doesn't have gas, I think this is
the most high-tech kitchen I've ever designed," Shimamura says.
'Everything is digital. All but one appliance has a microprocessor."
The
42-inch Monogram refrigerator has all the typical high-end features,
but its climate-control drawer is what makes it special. The drawer's
Express Chill can instantly chill a bottle of wine, while the Express
Thaw can quickly and safely thaw a steak and then keep it refrigerated
at a selected temperature.
The
30-inch trivection Monogram oven is also technologically advanced.
Shimamura says, "It's a speed oven, yes. It cooks eight times faster,
yes. But the reason I chose it for Kathy is that it cooks like a
commercial-grade appliance [without being commercial size]." According
to Shimamura, the oven's microwave and convection heating evenly cooks
a large turkey in two hours.
The
Thermador five-element, ceramic cooktop includes Zone Smart sensing.
The sensors calculate the size of each pot and heat the appropriate
surface area. "In some ways it's better than flame, because when you
have rings of flame, you still have hot spots," says Shimamura.
"Whereas with a ceramic disk, you have a flat, uniform surface. Plus,
it's touch sensitive and easy to clean."
But,
it was the old dishwasher that prompted the remodel. Its replacement is
the Bosch Integra. "The Bosch is so quiet. You could be standing right
next to it and you wouldn't know that it's running," Shimamura says.
For that reason, Bosch built in an InfoLight, a beam of red light that
shines to the floor to let users know it's on.
"The
appliances are great," Roy says, "but I just appreciate the whole
thing. Everything Ridgeview Design did is beautiful." Kathy adds, "Scot
really guided me. It was all the personalized attention that I really
appreciated."
| GK SUPPLIERS |
Designer: Scot Shimamura, of Ridgeview Design
Contractors: TLC
Backsplash and Counters: Blue Wave granite, from JMI
Bar stools: Courtesy of INspiration Interiors
Cabinetry: Sidewrap in Honey-Red Maple, from Montalco Cabinetry
Cooktop: Thermador 5-element, with Zone Smart sensing, from Servco Home and Appliance Showroom
Dishwasher: Bosch Integra, with cabinet overlay, from Servco Home and Appliance Showroom
Disposal: Franke, from Servco Home and Appliance Showroom
Faucet: Kohler Forte single control in brushed chrome, from Ferguson
Microwave: Monogram 30' Advantium, from Servco Home and Appliance Showroom
Oven: Monogram 30' Trivection, from Servco Home and Appliance Showroom
Refrigerator: Monogram 42' side by side, with Express Chill and Express Thaw, from Servco Home and Appliance Showroom
Vent: Thermador Downdraft, from Servco Home and Appliance Showroom |
