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WAILEA, HI — There's almost no way to overlook the fact that this Wailea, HI kitchen remodel is all about the island countertop. The curvy ThinkGlass top takes center stage in aes- thetics as well as function for the homeowners, interior designer, Kay Lloyd and her husband, who asked fellow designer, Michelle Wagner, to lead the renovation. "She fell in love with the glass countertop," says Wagner, designer/owner, Wagner Pacific Group, in Maui, HI. "The whole kitchen started from that countertop. It's the focal point of the space. There isn't any fancy ventilation hood… it's all about that countertop." The countertop was enhanced by master glass artist Michel Mailhot, who added broad strokes and swirls of dark blue, turquoise, black and gray. "Kay wanted the glass to look like waves moving toward the ocean, incorpo- rating the colors one would see in the water," says Wagner, who notes that her clients' kitchen overlooks the ocean. "She also wanted to bring in the colors from the Hula girl painting, done by a local artist." Wagner gave the island gentle curves to mimic the curves of the pool, and to create a soft flow throughout the kitchen. Curves also create a place to help conceal seams in the glass top. "Kay was all about curves and rounded corners," mentions Wagner. "She felt they were more inviting, and tied every- thing together. She didn't want anything to be square." The 'flyover,' a suspended panel above the island, mimics its shape and provides a place for Wagner to include lights. "At night, the whole countertop is illuminated," she notes. "It just glows. That countertop really is its own piece of art. During the day, as you see the light change, the countertop changes, too…in color and in tone. Your eye is drawn to certain parts of the countertop as the sunlight moves through it. Then, at night when it's illuminat- ed, it's a different color of blue." Wagner chose to light the countertop from above with halogen lights rather than from within using LEDs. "Halogen offers illumi- nation that is closest to sunlight," she says. "Incandescents are too warm and yellow, and LEDs are too white and bright. LEDs also would have given it too much of a commercial look. Halogens provide truer colors, without being influenced by the light." Final touches within the island include a KitchenAid cooktop and a Franke fireclay sink, accented with a Lacava faucet that offers soft, flowing curves "to go with the rest of the curves in the kitchen," says Wagner. "The sink is also undermounted to showcase the thickness of the glass." Ocean Inspires Island-Focused Design BY KIM BERNDTSON This kitchen remodel's curvy glass countertop takes center stage, showcasing broad strokes of colors that reflect the ocean and a shape that creates a soft flow throughout the kitchen. CONTEMPORARY CABINETRY Features an embossed surface that resembles wood NEUTRAL BACKSPLASH Ensures glass countertop's focal-point statement CURVY ISLAND Takes center stage, showcasing colors of the ocean and a shape to create a soft flow throughout 34 Kitchen & Bath Design News • September 2016 PROJECT CASE STUDY SPOTLIGHT ON CREATIVE, PROBLEM-SOLVING KITCHENS AND BATHS