Textured glass panels, framed by a metal edge, add contrast to the faux-wood cabinetry.

It was inevitable. After years of bumping into one another in their poorly laid-out kitchen, the homeowners were ready to create a more usable space. But they didn’t just want to remodel, they wanted to green-up their lifestyle. They selected Glenda Anderson, of design firm Details International, for the task. While design changes made this kitchen more livable, reusing materials and installing green, energy-saving products turned this kitchen into a more organic and mindful space.

The homeowners hadn’t renovated their home since 1987. As a result, the kitchen and adjoining living room felt outdated and disjointed. The space was unbalanced and sat stagnant next to the family room rather than flowing into it. “When I saw their original kitchen I thought, ‘Boy, would I like to change this,’” says Anderson. Using green products and creating an ecological design, Anderson and her co-designer, Nicole Puakea, opened up the kitchen into a bright and airy space that streams seamlessly into the family area without exceeding its original square footage.

To unite the kitchen with the family room, Anderson used a piece of natural granite as a large, extended countertop. The kitchen counters feature two types of natural stone, granite and a quartz material called Caesarstone — a durable material that doesn’t require any harsh sealants and is GreenGuard certified for indoor air quality. “I don’t like to do just one thing,” admits Anderson. “I like to blend architectural materials in-house. We used various architectural materials because each one has its own unique energy, and you can get a much better feeling of comfort and coziness if you have the proper balance.”

Amber-glass pendant lights illuminate above the granite countertop.

The granite’s rich, gold undertones give the kitchen subtle warmth and correspond perfectly to the fiery specks of color in the Caesarstone. Wasting nothing, Anderson and the homeowners incorporated every leftover piece of granite and Caesarstone into other areas of the house. 

Honey-color, faux-wood cabinetry adorns the kitchen from top to bottom. These eco-friendly cabinets, produced by Canadian company Downsview Kitchens, get their naturally forested look from a photo of real wood applied to the post-industrial, pressed materials. The cabinet components are manufactured with a formaldehyde-free resin derived from soy. Downsview Kitchens doesn’t just boast a bounty of chic, Earth-loving products, the company also runs an EPP (Environmentally Preferable Product)-certified facility — a clean, green factory. 

These faux-wood cabinets are not only better for the environment, they are better for the homeowner, as well. The materials from the Downsview cabinets will last much longer than real-wood cabinets in Hawaii’s tropical climate. “I love to make sure people don’t make expensive mistakes,” says Anderson. “People buy things that, especially in Hawaii, won’t age well. Part of ‘reuse and recycle’ is to have something that won’t have to be changed.”

Trying not to use too much of one material, Anderson incorporated glass paneling and metal accents to embellish the woodlike cabinets. Other features include a 27-inch Sub-Zero under-counter ENERGY STAR® refrigerated vegetable drawer, built-in Euro-style drawers for cookware and cooking utensils and a pull-out spice rack, conveniently placed next to the stove.

The short-bladed ceiling fan and perforated aluminum ceiling help cool down the kitchen without using much energy.

To integrate different architectural materials into the space, Anderson blended the granite and Caesarstone together to create one large countertop.

To top it off, the new kitchen was outfitted with eco-friendly and energy-efficient products, including a water-efficient Miele dishwasher, an ENERGY STAR® 36-inch Sub-Zero refrigerator with two freezer drawers, a French burner and a Wolf gas cooktop and a GE Advantium micro-convection oven. “We have always tried to do whatever we could to help the environment,” says the homeowner. “With the increasingly high cost of energy, we wanted to make sure we used energy-saving appliances, a water-efficient dishwasher and LED (light-emitting diode) lighting throughout the kitchen and family room. We even reused the slate flooring from the original kitchen.”

The remodeling process was a family affair, with the homeowners doing most of the carpentry work, and letting their daughter, an architectural design student, choose the kitchen’s color scheme. The family chose unique elements, such as a textured aluminum ceiling and sage-green walls, to add their own personal style to the space. The natural elements comprise an environmentally sound and energy-efficient sanctuary for the homeowners. 

“It is important to have everyone living in the house happy with the finished product, because then their good energy floods the space,” says Anderson.