This kitchen has room for everything, including a large granite-topped island, coordinating built-in-style dining table and plenty of cherry cabinetry.

When the Hong family celebrated the housewarming for their brand-new custom home last fall, it wasn’t a small get-together. The homeowners welcomed around 250 friends and family members to share in their expansive new space.

“When they entertain, they entertain,” says American Cabinetry designer Steve Pak, who worked on the Hongs’ kitchen, as well as several other parts of the home.  

“They have what [Lin Hong] calls a very large ‘adoptive’ family,” says Pak. “I told them to put me on the list!”

Hong, who, with her family, runs a metal-fabrication business creating custom designs for high-end commercial and residential projects, has indeed added Pak to the list.

“We’ve worked with a lot of designers throughout the years, and I’ve always appreciated Steve’s style,” she says. When it came time to map out the heart of her home, Hong turned to Pak to make the 450-plus square-foot kitchen work within the large house.

“The whole project started with the kitchen,” Pak says. The Hongs’ last kitchen was cold, all-white and “very ’90s” by Hong’s description. “I wanted something with a much warmer look and feel, using natural stone and dark wood finishes,” she says.

Pak was happy to oblige. “Lin and her family have very good vision and very good taste. This project was a collaboration of their design ideas and ours,” he says. “We have mutual respect for each other’s ideas, which creates a great working relationship.”

When deciding just how to divvy up the kitchen’s abundandt space for storage, Lin Hong had one request: drawers. “I wanted a lot of drawers because I don’t care for bending down and reaching into cabinets,” she says. “Here we have lots of drawers with the best hardware; they’re very durable and can hold a lot of weight.”

Together, the team crafted an open, free-flowing floor plan that interacts well with the rest of the sizable home. A substantial S-shape dining table welcomes guests into the kitchen from the adjacent corridor without getting in the way.  

“When we have guests over, they can sit at the dining table and we’re able to entertain them from the island. We can have 30 people all enjoying themselves together. It’s very functional,” Hong says. The shape also allows Hong to see all her guests sitting at the table at once.

Around the perimeter of the kitchen, Pak and Hong chose rich cherry cabinetry finished with a dark glaze that gives the cabinets the dramatic look of premium furniture. Even the molding around the windows was matched to the cabinetry. They chose stainless steel for the far countertop, with dark-granite countertops and backsplash used everywhere else. Pak also extended the backsplash to the ceiling for easy cleanup. “It makes a big difference when you have lots of parties with a high volume of people coming in and out,” Hong says. “Maintenance is key. Our last house had painted walls, which we painted and repainted all the time. I don’t see any problems with this. Wipe up is a breeze.”

The cooktop is thoughtfully located in one corner, rather than on the island, with a custom vent hood and fan created by Hong and her daughter. “My last kitchen had a similar setup; we don’t like wasted space,” Hong says. With a lot of cooking, kitchen surfaces tend to get a little sticky, but because of the cooktop and hood location, air is contained to the corner and exhausted much more efficiently. “It’s so fantastic,” Hong, an avid cook, says. “I don’t think we’ll have a problem keeping the cabinets or walls clean.”

Abundant storage, top-of-the-line stainless appliances and honed marble floors—chosen for their slip resistance—seal the deal.

“This is their dream home,” Pak says. “Lin didn’t take any shortcuts. She selected the best everything. The variety of materials, especially the light-color stone flooring against the dark cabinetry, really gives the whole kitchen character and warmth.”

“After any remodeling job, some people say they’ll never do it again,” Hong says, “but I had the most fun time and met so many talented people.”

Pak’s reply? “I’m just waiting for the next project!”

“Honestly, if you gave me a piece of land, we would do it again,” Hong says.