By the Way, Do You Do Kitchens?

 When the owners of this capacious home overlooking Kapiolani Park called, merely to ask if Susan Palmer, CKD, CBD, of Susan Palmer Designs, could supply some famously well-engineered and “green” Miele appliances, she didn’t think her almost 25 years’ experience designing kitchens in Hawaii would be much of a factor.

But then came the follow-up question: “By the way, do you do kitchens?”

Miele appliances, Pedini cabinets and plenty of natural light save energy and help bond the homeowners with their Diamond Head hillside environment.

This set off a labor of love. Palmer signed on to update and modernize the kitchen’s traditional themes and make it more environmentally friendly in the process.

The main kitchen, besides wasting energy, was claustrophobic and contrasted with the flowing, open spaces that dominated the rest of the interior. “A lot of molding and cabinets were hanging from over head, blocking the view into the family and living rooms,” Palmer says. “My design called for something much more modern and easy to take care of, and we wanted to make it feel more spacious.”

However, the remodel would have to abide by the space limitations of the original kitchen because, from an environmentally-responsible perspective, the newer Viking appliances and hardwood floors could be saved rather than just tossed out. So, Palmer took down the obstructing overhead cabinets and extended the flow of the kitchen area into the adjacent spaces. “The existing pantry had a tiny little door and inexpensive vinyl shelving; it was a pretty good-size space, but not very interesting to be in,” she says. Palmer removed the door and the adjacent wall, creating a line of sight through the kitchen to the red Pedini cabinets she selected to “add some spark” to the pantry.

A redesigned pass-through connects the main kitchen to the great room’s wet bar. The adjoining space is outfitted with more of Palmer’s green additions. Photo by Jeffrey Asher

Palmer also connected the kitchen to another adjacent space that had been reserved for laundry, which was relocated. In its place, a snack preparation area was created that would allow children to make their own food without getting in the way in the main kitchen.

To tie the expanded kitchen together, Palmer selected countertops made of Silestone, a nonporous natural stone alternative with Microban protection for resistance to bacterial growth and GreenGuard certification (no chemical vapor emitted). She reconfigured the Silestone countertops to connect the kitchen to the living room wet bar, with a bigger opening for improved flow between spaces.

Palmer’s eco-friendly changes also carried into the remodeling of the home’s other kitchen areas. The pool-and-guest-service kitchen downstairs utilizes repurposed marble from the main kitchen, and the master bedroom’s wet bar has the same Miele coffee system as the main kitchen. Like all Miele appliances, it’s Energy Star-rated. They’re also “extremely clean and modern looking and complement Pedini cabinets just beautifully,” says Palmer. “Miele appliances may look simple on the outside, but the inside features are phenomenal” and have a compact, user-friendly design.

The white-oak Pedini cabinets are a fantastic marriage of cutting-edge style and advanced green manufacturing methods. Pedini is a member of the Ecological Consortium Furniture Panel. Made only from sustainable, renewable, recycled or recyclable materials, the cabinets nevertheless create a feel that is “modern and linear, without a lot of trims and moldings,” Palmer points out. And because they’re manufactured in a nontoxic and environmentally responsible manner that exceeds U.S. standards for green building materials, they feel good for the planet, too.

Susan Palmer’s latest kitchen remodel is proof that a top-quality design can be as easy on the Earth as it is on the eyes.

Designer: Susan Palmer, CKD, CBD, of Susan Palmer Designs Cabinetry: “Petra” horizontal white oak with “Rosa” microsphere lacquer accents, from Pedini of Honolulu by Susan Palmer Designs Coffee system: with warming drawer, from Miele Counters: Silestone, from 808 Stone Dishwasher: Fully-integrated, from Miele Ovens: convection and steam, with warming drawer from Miele Range: Gas, 4-burner, with grill and two ovens, from Viking Refrigerator/Freezer: Stainless steel, from Viking Sink: Single basin, stainless steel, from Franke Vent: Stainless steel, 60” hood, from Viking