Homeowner
Judy West has lived in her Kahala log cabin for 25 years, raising her
family and filling the home with memories. The cabin’s stacked,
Canadian red cedar timbers frame each room and two-story windows in the
family room let in the lush landscape. Settled into a Kahala corner
lot, the cabin is unexpected, but not out of place.
 |
| When
a faucet wouldn’t fit beneath the existing windowsill,
architect/builder Jerome Irwin, of Restorations for Generations, built
a custom-created bay window with a stained glass window designed by him
and manufactured by Honolulu Stained Glass. |
Twenty-five
years of loving use took its toll on the original kitchen. Late one
night, the Wests awoke to a loud crash. They came downstairs to find
fallen cabinets and shattered dishes on the floor. The old pressboard
cabinetry was literally disintegrating off the walls. Displaced
appliances and dishes were crowded onto the countertops while West
carefully mulled over the potential of a new design. Just as the rustic
cabin is in harmony with modern Kahala, she wanted interesting, new
materials that could fit seamlessly into the log cabin’s worn-in feel.
Concrete
fit the bill. “I have always found concrete interesting, because it
offers so many options,” says West, who hired Lokahi Stone for her
custom countertops.
“Concrete
is a liquid stone that solidifies in the shape of the client’s
imagination,” agrees Jamie McGuire, of Lokahi Stone. Concrete can look
modern or old-fashioned, sleek or rugged, with customized colors,
special inlays and unlimited molding choices. Liquid concrete is dyed,
so the color is consistent throughout. Also in the liquid stage, stone
aggregates, such as jade or quartz, bronze faux petroglyphs or other
inlays are added to personalize the surface.
When
West walked into Lokahi Stone’s shop, a dinner plate-size ammonite
fossil grabbed her attention. Fifty million years ago, snail-like
ammonites were abundant ocean dwellers, says McGuire. Lokahi Stone
imports its fossils from suppliers in Russia, South Africa and Morocco.
West’s specific specimen came all the way from Madagascar only to be
entombed again ... this time in West’s concrete countertop.
Working
closely with Lokahi Stone, West chose to dye her concrete brick red.
“This earthy tone is a gentle contrast to the kitchen’s new white maple
cabinetry,” says McGuire. It is also a nice complement to the home’s
cedar timbers, West says.
 |
| The
ammonite, a snail-like sea creature, was fossilized 50 million years
ago. Now, it is again buried, this time in West’s concrete kitchen
countertop. |
Next,
West chose to build in three molded elements into the counters. A
drainboard slants into the sink so that messes from food prep don’t
leak to the rest of the counter. Three s-shaped drain channels in the
countertop pull water into the basin from drying dishes, without
requiring a bulky drying rack. A metal trivet beside the range is a
easy landing space for hot dishes. Lastly, West mixed in mother of
pearl aggregates and several smaller ammonite fossils to give the
concrete depth.
Once
the design phase was complete, Lokahi Stone made a template of the
kitchen’s structures to create a mold. The company poured her
customized concrete into the mold, then let it set for about a week.
Once it had hardened, it was diamond polished to uncover the
aggregates. “When you pour the concrete, it is homogenous in color.
Diamond polishing incrementally exposes wider and wider angles of the
aggregates,” which adds to the natural color spectrum within the
concrete, says McGuire.
The
final product, added to hardwood cabinetry and plenty of natural light
that floods through new windows, creates a calm, organic feel. The new
materials, especially the rustic countertop, fit seamlessly into the
log cabin’s appeal. “The countertop goes well with everything. It is
just right for this house,” says West.
| GK SUPPLIERS |
Designer/Carpenter: Jerome Irwin, of Restorations for Generations
Cabinetry: 11-ply, veneer core plywood, with Shaker-style, solid maple doors.
Cooktop/Oven: GE Profile, 30,” gas range, from Sears
Counters: Red-dyed concrete, with ammonite inlays and mother of pearl aggregates, from Lokahi Stone
Dishwasher: Kenmore, from Sears
Faucet: Grohe, from Ferguson
Floors: Slate flagstone, from Marblehaus Hawaii
Refrigerator/Freezer: GE Monogram, 36,” side-by-side
Sink: Elkay, from Ferguson |
