Breakfast's Ready: The five-burner gas cooktop with adjoining seating gives the homeowners an intimate, comfortable setting for free and easy mornings.

Showcase: Versatile and beautiful, this space is adorned with pretty details, such as one-inch glass tile, frosted doors and spotlighted shelves.

The particular shade of green wasn’t loud, but it wasn’t neutral. Something about it drew the homeowner in. She had spotted it while perusing color palettes in her designer’s showroom, Kitchen Concepts Plus—and as soon as she saw it, she knew. That’s what she wanted for her new kitchen.

“It’s a nice, quiet color,” agrees Michael L. Smith, CMKBD, of Kitchen Concepts Plus. “It’s so pleasing. You’d never get tired of it.”

Smith was already familiar with what the couple liked, since he had designed their previous kitchen in years past. “My whole philosophy is to listen to the customer, to what they want,” he says. Smith knows how important listening is to the finished product, based on his 40 years of experience in designing kitchens and baths.

“We knew we wanted the island to be different,” the homeowner says, so that the whole kitchen wouldn’t be too green. Smith designed the island to look more like a piece of furniture, yet complement the kitchen with tawny, subdued hues that break up the green wash. He added architectural details, such as tongue-and-groove beadboard and carved accents, to elevate its style.

For both the island and the cabinets, Smith went with Rutt HandCrafted Cabinetry, from Amish country in Pennsylvania. Working with the homeowners, Smith designed AutoCAD drawings, then e-mailed them to the Mainland factory. Rutt then built the cabinets to Smith’s custom specifications—within an eighth of an inch. But the artistic pains were worth it; these Old-World custom cabinets are made to last, and guaranteed for life. Smith’s son, Anthony, of Interior Creations, and a carpenter by trade, performed the Honolulu installation.
Such computerized drawings make redesigns, as well as pricing, simple, Smith points out. “You can move things around; I like to do that with my kitchens. Every inch counts to me. If I have to move a sink cabinet over a half-inch to ensure the lazy Susan is the right size and shape, I’ll do that.”

Coffee for Two: This built-in Miele coffee system comes in handy when Starbucks is closed. The dual dishwasher handles mini to mega loads.

*pic*-Coffee for Two: This built-in Miele coffee system comes in handy when Starbucks is closed. The dual dishwasher handles mini to mega loads.


Besides its exceptional level of quality, Smith respects that Rutt cabinetry is certified to meet the strict requirements of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association’s Environmental Stewardship Program. The program promotes sustainability and encourages practices that benefit the environment. The cabinets’ low levels of volatile organic compounds, for example, ensure better air quality in the home.

Responding to the homeowners’ needs, Smith’s main objectives for the kitchen were convenience, functionality and easy upkeep. The Zodiaq countertops and Toli flooring require little maintenance, yet provide plenty of sophistication and character. Baking is the wife’s primary use of the kitchen. So, Smith went with a double Wolf oven, which helps accommodate extra people (and thus, extra baking) during the holiday season. Flush to the oven’s right-hand side is a long vertical cabinet, which creates easy access to (and viewing of) her many bakeware pans—all filed away neatly and vertically, and all at her fingertips.

“I just wanted her baking options to be convenient for her,” Smith says. “When a client comes back a second time, third time, there’s a reason. You make sure it’s done right.”

The homeowner adds, “My kitchen was the fastest thing done in this whole new house. I knew that, because we’re working with Mike and Kitchen Concepts Plus, it would all go smoothly—and it did.”

WHERE TO GET IT

Designer: Michael L. Smith, CMKBD, of Kitchen Concepts Plus
Cabinetry: Contemporary cherry wood with a thinned, whip-on paint, and maple with a tawny glaze (island), from Rutt HandCrafted Cabinetry
Coffee System: Built-in stainless steel whole-bean system, from Miele
Cooktop: 36” gas five-burner with 36” downdraft vent system, from Wolf
Counters: Zodiaq Astral Pearl and Desert Lime CaesarStone quartz (island), from Pinnacle Distribution Concepts
Dishwasher: Integrated 24” double dish drawer, by Fisher & Paykel
Microwave: 24” GE Monogram built-in
Oven: 30” double convection double ovens with front warming drawer, by Wolf
Refrigerator: 42” built-in refrigerator and freezer with icemaker, from Sub-Zero
Wine Cooler: 24” undercounter stainless steel, from Sub-Zero�