"It's a miracle, you know!"says Nora Kamai of her daughter’s shining new Kaimuki kitchen. Having lived with the “before” kitchen since the original house was rebuilt in 1979, Nora should know just how dramatically different the “after” really is.
Recently, she moved downstairs to accommodate daughter Leslie Hosoda’s growing family upstairs, and the kitchen wasn’t cutting it. A general lack of counter and storage space left little room for much of anything but clutter. Outdated appliances, linoleum floors and an old-school pot rack hanging from a recess in the ceiling were all screaming for a 21st-century update. Bulky walls closed off the kitchen from the dining and living rooms, making the rest of the house hot—and not in the fashionable way.
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A Great Room with a View: An open layout allows the kitchen to flow unobstructed into the dining and living areas.
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The kitchen simply wasn’t practical, much less for a family with two active boys and a new baby. Their new kitchen had to be fully functional and open to the rest of the home. “Leslie wanted a great room,” says her brother Mark Ahsing, “but she didn’t know how to get it.” Recalling his old running buddy Mark Olson, president of JohnCookKitchens, Leslie’s brother helped connect her with the perfect kitchen designer for the job: JohnCookKitchens designer Shelley Tanner. With the company’s 25 years of experience and philosophy of exceeding client expectations, the Hosodas couldn’t go wrong.
When it came time for the big redo, everyone was involved. Tanner worked closely with Nora, Leslie, Mark and the rest of the family to come up with an open kitchen design for all. She drew up several possible plans, and the family decided on the best fit: a warm, inviting island-centric space, open on both sides to the other living areas.
For three months, the family waited patiently for the great kitchen, and the final results were well worth it. Taking down the walls separating the kitchen from the dining and living rooms created instant impact. The family gained a greater view of the outdoors and a ton more open space. As Tanner explains, “After the walls were opened up, I said Hey! You can see the ocean from here!”
The grand island at the center of the kitchen includes plenty of storage space and three different counter heights: one standard for prepping and cooking, the second for a breakfast bar and a third high enough to house the microwave at a perfect height for the kids to use. A second, smaller fridge covered with small handprints and fingerprints is obviously popular with the boys. “This fridge has become their domain!” Ahsing says.
Classic alder cabinetry in a sienna shade creates a sense of warmth throughout the kitchen, while gold-flecked granite gives it a subtle sparkle. Tanner spent extra time designing the placement of the kitchen’s lighting, resulting in perfectly placed recessed lighting, three glowing pendants over the island eating area and a wall-mounted fixture over the sink—all with dimmers. “I think it’s really important to add dimmers on all your lights. It’s a little bit more expensive, but you can totally adjust the mood and ambience of the room,” Tanner says. “It makes a big difference.” All-new appliances, including a dishwasher—“We were the dishwashers before!” Kamai says—make cooking and cleaning a breeze.
Finally, this close knit family can enjoy their new kitchen the way they should—together. “We’re loving actually using the kitchen,” an excited Hosoda says. “The kids have even started cooking now!”
Where To Get It
Designer: Shelley Tanner, CKD, of
JohnCookKitchens
Cabinetry: Windsor slab-front cabinets with rounded edge in alder wood with sienna stain, from Pacific Crest Cabinets
Cooktop: 30” GE Profile stainless slide-in all-gas range with cast-iron grates, from Servco Home & Appliance Showroom
Counters: Colonial Gold granite, from Stoneworld
Dishwasher: Bosch 500 Series fully integrated, from Servco Home & Appliance Showroom
Microwave: GE Profile stainless, from Servco Home & Appliance Showroom
Refrigerator: 22.6 cubic foot GE Profile counter-depth side-by-side with CustomCool technology and Slide’n Store freezer baskets, from Servco Home & Appliance Showroom
Undercabinet Refrigerator: 24” GE Monogram fresh-food refrigerator, from Servco Home & Appliance Showroom
