To make up for storage space lost in the remodel, Omoto added floor-to-ceiling Hertco storage cabinets along one side of the kitchen. The cabinets now extend into the newly created dining area. Above the sink is a display shelf for Sandee’s dishes.
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When Gerry and Sandee Ichiyama bought their Mililani home 19 years ago, the enclosed kitchen suited them fine. However, after they retired, the couple realized it was time to renovate the outdated kitchen, upgrade the appliances and open the room up to the rest of the house.
“We liked the kitchen at the time,” Sandee says. “It served its purpose, then it became too small, too boxy. We wanted to open it up.”
But, a load-bearing wall would have to be torn down, and that would prove challenging and costly.
Jessica Omoto, a designer with Homeowners Design Center, didn’t hesitate to take on
the challenge last year, referring the homeowners to a contractor who knocked down the load-bearing wall and reinforced the joists that ran overhead.
“A lot of people won’t take away a structural wall; they try to work around it,” Omoto says. “But with [the Ichiyamas], they wanted to open it up. They were open to complete change. And they had a good vision of what they wanted.”
With the first phase of the renovation complete, Omoto began working on the interior changes, which included the installment of an island where one of the walls had stood. In total, two full walls and a partial wall were removed before the project was completed.
The island, complete with a bar perfect for entertaining, now offers an additional eating area for the couple. It also features a smooth Bosch cooktop, a granite countertop and two drawers on either side of the cooktop where the couple can store spices and other small items.
Another touch—one that Gerry had requested—was the addition of hidden storage on the backside of the island with touch-latch doors, which open with a tiny push and need no handles.
“Normally, everything is up in the cupboards and you never see it, you never use it,” Gerry says. “Now, we can be sitting at the bar and if you need a glass for wine, you just open [the cabinet] up and grab one. It’s really practical.”
In the original kitchen, there was an opening in the wall separating the kitchen and the living room. At first, the couple used to eat there. But over the years, it became just a place to put stuff, the Ichiyamas say.
Now, the bar top on the island has become the hub of the kitchen. Since the renovation wrapped up last year, the couple has hosted a few get-togethers with friends eager to see the redesign.
In fact, the couple got a new 52-inch TV to host a recent party.
“The whole place has just opened up,” Sandee says. “It’s just so practical and we’ve gained all this space. We love it.”
