Sitting In The Hair Stylist's Chair, the talk turned to kitchen remodeling. The hair stylist's advice was to call Mary Jane Iksic, of Creative Kitchens And More. Their first appointment, in the homeowner's kitchen, revealed the difficult assignment ahead. The original kitchen layout had a peninsula and small island with narrow clearances; a maze for the cook. With two teenagers coming and going, the cook needed more room. To improve the flow, a large island was designed with sink and dishwasher in the center.
The first challEnge, after removing the original cabinets, was to fill in the gaps of the existing white ceramic tile floor and the homeowner only had six spare pieces of tile! Iksic's solution to the flooring dilemma was to make the island float on a new ceramic tile "rug". The rug was created with tile that complemented the quartz countertops, and a nickel border tile was used to finish off the "rug" effect. The warm, inviting kitchen that she desired started with the glazed cherry cabinetry. Special features include the wood hood, and the farm house style table legs on both ends of the island, with wooden towel bars. A unique feature in this kitchen was the special pantry the owner had requested. Iksic accomplished this by customizing a standard wall cabinet made for an entertainment unit into a tall hutch with pocket doors. Out of sight, behind the pocket doors, the homeowner keeps all her appliances ready to use.
Across from the main island is a workspace with smaller sink and locked cabinets for liquor storage. The countertop hangs over a half wall between the kitchen and family room, giving this family more seating space.
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