A Wall Apart

When Skip and Janet Byron bought their four-bedroom Kailua home seven years ago, they loved every inch of it—except for the kitchen. They were mainly discontented with a wall separating the kitchen and living room, making it impossible for anyone in either room to share in conversation. "Since the house was already built, we didn't get a say in the design, but we bought it anyway, knowing that, in five or six years, we were going to take action and tear down the wall," Skip says.

Party Time: The deep refrigerator/freezer, even-baking convection oven and convenient undercounter wine cooler provide ample storage and preparation space for cooking up feasts and hosting parties.

The kitchen is an important room for the Byron family, as Janet is "an amazing cook," says Skip, and their 19-year-old son, Andrew, is following suit and starting to create his own recipes.

Those five or six years came fast for the Byrons, but they stuck with their plan and met with various designers. They decided to go with Corrine Tadaki, from Inside Addition. "Corrine's age [27] was actually the determining factor, because we wanted a more contemporary look, and thought her generation would help bring what we were looking for—and we were right," says Skip.

The overall goal of the remodel was to create a more open design. The suspect wall was taken down, but the Byrons didn't want to stop there. They wanted the wall next to the sink to go, too. However, Tadaki explains, "We couldn't take it down due to structural purposes, so we created display holes in it to make it feel more open."

Since they were already doing some heavy-duty structural changes, the Byrons decided to go for it and redo the entire kitchen. They started with the cabinets, choosing the Polo Club door style in maple and spice. "We liked the color, and intentionally chose the flat doors, with no carving or decoration. It gives a real smooth look," says Skip. Suspended cabinets were also placed over the main counter, allowing a place for their formal, less-used dishes, while adding extra style to the kitchen.

From there they moved on to the flooring, deciding on Pergo Paradigm laminate in carriage-house maple, which extends throughout most of the downstairs area. Skip says, "We went with laminate for the ease of care, and the floor is very complimentary to the whole color scheme."

For the countertops, they visited Stoneworld and chose ivory fantasy granite for its natural stone look. Janet also had a specific request for the counters: no clutter.

"She really wanted to have a clear counter, so we designed an appliance garage in the corner so everything could be out of sight," Tadaki adds.

They selected the GE Monogram series, with its contemporary design and cylindrical handles, for most of the appliances. However, for their electric cooktop, they decided on a GE Profile series model. "We wanted a flat look, and the Profile had a touch top, which we thought was really neat," Skip says.

Another added design feature is the 12-inch space on each side of their cooktop. "This way there's plenty of working room, which is nice to have when cooking," Tadaki says.

The Byrons and eight other families on their block take turns throwing parties. Last December, the annual Christmas party was held at the Byrons' house. "We had about 25 people over and it really worked out well. You felt like you were involved in conversations clear across the room," says Skip.

Janet, a Food Network junkie, is enjoying the everyday luxuries of her new kitchen. "Now I can watch the show right from the kitchen to expand my recipes and get more cooking ideas," she says.