When Ulf and Isobel Schaefer moved from their previous home in Waialae Iki to their hip downtown condo, they knew their new kitchen wasn’t quite living up to its potential. “We wanted a contemporary look,” Ulf says. “Something with a bit more pizzaz.”

The couple called on Mark Shigei, of Snaidero Hawaii, to take the kitchen from outdated to innovative. Well-known for his forward-thinking and stylish redesigns, Shigei had no problem diagnosing the kitchen’s major flaw: “The kitchen layout itself wasn’t that bad,” he says. “It was the kitchen in relation to the rest of the living areas that was really terrible.”

The kitchen’s open design made the entire room visible from any point in both the dining and living rooms—which wouldn’t have been a bad thing if the kitchen were nice to look at. Instead, an unsightly, large, freestanding refrigerator directly in the center of the kitchen was the first thing guests saw when entering the space. “It was a real eye-sore,” Ulf says.

In order for the kitchen to blend better visually with the rest of the home, Shigei’s first task was to move the fridge out of sight. A Sub-Zero 30-inch built-in refrigerator on the far end of the kitchen did the job seamlessly. Shigei added a 24-inch undercounter refrigerator near the sink for additional cooling space just for beverages. Because the locations of the rest of the appliances needed little change, Shigei was free to play with styles, textures and materials to turn the kitchen into the attractive focal point for which the homeowners were looking. 

The strategic addition of an undercounter beverage refrigerator and the replacement of the kitchen’s main refrigerator allowed for more space and helped the sleek design come to life.

The result is a modern, inviting and open space. Stainless steel appliances, including an almost sculptural cylinder vent hood, shine among a mix of light and dark finishes. Below, sleek, coffee-colored wood cabinetry, a hallmark of Snaidero’s unique, modern design, grounds the space and balances the glossy white cabinetry and white granite countertops above. In between, a long, narrow horizontal mirror looks almost like a window. Thoughtfully placed lighting along the cabinet wall, as well as inside the cabinets themselves, impart an overall airy, expansive feel to the relatively small condominium kitchen.  

Insufficient storage is no longer a problem for the Schaefers. Pull-down garage doors on both sides of the fridge are spacious enough to hide a microwave, while a fully integrated dishwasher, and even a stacked washer and dryer, are unobtrusively hidden from view, looking as if they were just another cabinet door.

A wide, U-shape peninsula showcases the greenish veins of the stunning granite countertop. “We looked for just the right granite for a long time,” Ulf says. “It really sets itself apart.”   
The peninsula also houses a barely noticeable under-counter convection oven and, above, a streamlined 30-inch cooktop perfect for preparing meals while entertaining guests in the living and dining rooms.

In the end, the Schaefers got a sleek, chic kitchen stylishly united with the rest of their home.  “It’s everything we hoped it would be,” Ulf says.

Where to Get It

Featured Designer: Masanori “Mark” Shigei, AIA, of Snaidero Hawaii
Cabinetry:  Idea coffee-brown larch wood and ice-white, high-gloss lacquer, from Snaidero Hawaii
Cooktop: Wolf 30” electric cooktop, from Snaidero Hawaii
Dishwasher: Gaggenau fully integrated, fully automatic, European-height dishwasher, from Snaidero Hawaii  
Garbage disposal: Franke Little Butler waste disposal, 3/4HP, continuous feed, from Snaidero Hawaii
Oven: Kuppersbusch 90cm convection oven, from Snaidero Hawaii       
Refrigerator/Freezer: Sub-Zero 30” built-in over/under refrigerator/freezer with automatic ice maker, from Snaidero Hawaii
Undercounter Beverage Refrigerator: GE Monogram 24” with electronic controls, from Snaidero Hawaii
Vent hood: Futuro Futuro, from Snaidero Hawaii