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30 | Kitchen & Bath Design News August 2014 style-neutral, raised-panel door and relatively time- less maple wood. "I used the things they wanted to keep as my color palette, then re- peated the tones with new items throughout the rest of the space to create unity," she says. "My goal was to unite the different finishes and bring them all together since there were a lot of surfaces that were competing for at- tention. Kitchens often have a lot of color and movement to begin with, and this space was no diferent." While the foor and pe- rimeter cabinetry worked together, the backsplash just didn't relate to anything, notes the designer. "It's very busy and 'bossy,'" she says. "I always say there can only be one boss in a space and everything else plays a sup- porting role. In this kitchen, the backsplash is the boss." As such, Gardeck pulled the darker tones from the backsplash tile – as well as the perimeter granite – into the new island, which fea- tures painted cabinetry in a dark, espresso color and a door style that mimics the existing cabinets. The island is topped with lighter colored New Golden Beach gran- ite – which features a lot of movement – that relates to the existing maple cabinetry. "We fipped the coloration," she says. "The perimeter is light cabinetry with dark granite and the island is dark cabinetry with light granite." Gardeck also updated the perimeter cabinets by adding glass to several upper doors as well as to the pantry and a liquor cabinet in a base unit. A more neutral wall color, as opposed to the previous peach walls and red island, supports the maple. "It's a nice complement to the cabinets," she says. "When there is a lot going on, it's important to consider what is staying to eliminate the chaos of too many colors and fnishes." ENHANCED FUNCTIONALITY The homeowners' goal was to maximize storage and in- crease the functionality of the island as well as the kitchen's cooking capacity. "She is the daughter of a Greek immi- grant who owned a restaurant in Chicago," says the designer. "She grew up around food and she's a great cook!" She also loves to entertain, often hosting get-togethers with friends. "They recently hosted a Tapas party with six couples," says Gardeck, "and everyone cooked!" Because the foor was re- cently refnished, she had to follow the back edge of the previous island's footprint so as not to expose the foor. The homeowner also liked the idea of a two-tiered top that ofered an in-kitchen dining option. "The previous island was an- gular, and thin," she notes. "And it didn't ofer any seating." In contrast, the new gour- met island boasts a wealth of enhanced functionality, including a new six-burner Jenn-Air cooktop, Kohler undermount enameled cast iron ba r/prep sink w it h hands-free Moen faucet, knife drawer, spice cabinet and built-in cutting boards, gar- bage and recycling cans on each end. Increased storage capacity also gave the client the ability to move her pots and pans, which hung from a rack above the island, to a cabinet in the island. A custom curved front adds interest. "It breaks up the lines," she says, "and keeps the island from becom - ing a huge monstrosity." Gardeck accented t he curve with bookcases at each end, which ofer support for the raised top as well as a perfect place to showcase t he homeow ner's collec- tion of cookbooks. "She had talked about getting rid of them," she says. "But instead she condensed them, keep- ing her favorites and putting them on display." New pendant lights, as well as a coordinating chan- delier over the table, add to the ambiance, while under- cabinet lighting brightens the work space. Existing can lights were switched to LEDs with conversion kits. "The LED bulbs offer a crisper white light and help eliminate shadows," she says. As a fnal fnishing touch for the recent empty-nesters, Gardeck included a bar height table that easily converts from seating for two/four to seating for six. "It's a great feature for empty-nesters," she says. "They can eat din- ner at an intimate table on a daily basis, but when the kids are home from college, they can expand it and pull over the island bar stools to accommodate a larger group. It's adaptable for different group settings. "Overall, their new kitch- en is ver y comfor table," she adds. "We were able to update the space without gut- ting it and starting over." IN THE DETAILS ⬆ Because the foor was recently refnished, when Gardeck created the new island she followed the back edge of the previous island's footprint so as not to expose the foor. She then deepened the island footpring to maximize storage and added a second tier to provide in-kitchen dining for two. As a fnal fnishing touch, Gardeck included a bar-height table that easily converts from seating for two/four to seating for six. "It's a great feature for empty-nesters," she says. "They can eat dinner at an intimate table on a daily basis, but when the kids are home from college, they can expand it and pull over the island bar stools to accommodate a larger group." ENHANCED FUNCTIONALITY The new gourmet island boasts a wealth of enhanced functionality. In addition to a six-burner Jenn-Air cooktop, specialized spice storage and garbage and recycling cans on each end, Gardeck added a knife drawer with built-in cutting board, a hands-free Moen bar/prep sink faucet and Kohler undermount enameled cast iron bar sink. Bookcases at each end ofer support for the raised top as well as a perfect place to showcase the homeowner's collection of cookbooks. "She had talked about getting rid of them," Gardeck says. 'But instead she condensed them, keeping her favorites and putting them on display." "Working with existing elements is defnitely harder than working with a clean slate. There are challenges with a 'yesterday/ today' feeling… trying to integrate the new with the old so it doesn't look like only part of a space is updated." Angie Gardeck Project Case Study