Lots of new lighting and a new undersink water heater required plenty of wiring for the kitchen. “We did so much wiring that we had to break the panel. When you look at it, you can’t tell, but underneath, there are miles of electrical that went into this project,” says Sugawa.

BEFORE

It was nearly 40 years old and hadn’t once been renovated. Its ultra-deep, but inefficient cabinets and drawers were falling apart. The mostly white and closed-off kitchen was undesirable and dysfunctional. “It was cramped. It was cold. It didn’t really make good use of the space that was there,” says the homeowner, who stored items at the fronts of her shelves because the backs were so difficult to reach.

The kitchen needed a change.

To find the right kitchen designer, the homeowners flipped through Hawaii Home + Remodeling and came across EMEE Kitchens & Baths designer Ed Sugawa. “When we started talking to Ed, he immediately put us at ease. We thought he was somebody we could trust,” she says.

The cooktop is the homeowner's favorite part of her new kitchen. "I have everything I need to cook with right there, without having to go here and there in the kitchen to get it," she says.

The homeowners knew just what they wanted for their new space. Their wish list included opening up the room, adding more prep areas and countertop space, providing vantage points into the living room as well as outside, injecting some color and updating the kitchen. With the wish list compiled, Sugawa and his crew got to work.

They removed a bar from one end of the kitchen and tore down a portion of a wall to increase the size of a peninsula at the other end. Now, an enlarged Silestone countertop sits where an old Formica counter once was, allowing the homeowners to enjoy the kitchen, the outdoor views and the living room simultaneously. “The peninsula was the biggest Silestone job we’ve done,” says Sugawa. “It was huge. It came out beautiful. It’s really, really nice, and it completely changed the room.”

Next, maple cabinets with pull-down shelves replaced wasted space from previously too-deep built-ins. Travertine flooring, carried through from surrounding rooms, helps tie the space to the rest of the home. Thirteen can lights, three pendants and eight undercabinet lights, all with either CFL or LED bulbs, brighten up the space and eliminate the need for a central light. New, stainless-steel, ENERGY STAR® appliances help modernize the kitchen.

Rev-A-Shelf pullouts keep everything easily accessible, allowing the homeowners to take full advantage of their space. “Everything is pull-out. There are no straight shelves,” Sugawa says. “It’s a big deal not having to get on your hands and knees and reach to the back of the cabinet.”

The result is an updated, open space the homeowners can put to good use. “Now, when I walk into my kitchen, it just feels bigger and brighter. Now, I want to cook,” says the homeowner. “It’s more of a social spot now.”

Sugawa enjoyed working with the homeowners and is proud of the finished product. “It was a fun project,” he says. “It’s a ‘wow’ kitchen. You go in there, and it’s just like, ‘Oh, goodness!’”