She's cooking with gas
Kitchen remodel gives the family more light, counter space, storage

by Carol Blitzer

Lily and Sam Kim had a pretty decent kitchen in their 40-year-old Mountain View home, but over time some things didn't work so well - and it was, well, dated.

"The peninsula was a pain. Every time I had to get to the sink from the dining room, I had to go around it," Lily Kim says. "It was really inefficient."

Now the Kims' kitchen sports an island in the middle, complete with a second sink and more storage. With three small children, cleaning up after meals is a lot easier with that second sink near the eating area.

Kim also appreciates having lots of counter space, which makes preparing meals more convenient.
Gone is the ancient linoleum, now replaced with hardwood floors to match the rest of the house. Gone too are the large tile squares with dark grout.

Kim debated whether to replace it with a slab of Corian or granite and finally chose the latter when warned about Corian's greater vulnerability to scorching when it comes to putting down hot pots. Although she loves the way the granite looks, she says she might go with Corian next time around.
"It's hard to see things (like dirt) on the dark granite," she says.

If she had the whole project to do over again, she'd probably add bar stools to the island, so visitors could chat with her while cooking. But this time, she decided to maximize her cabinet space.

The old kitchen was fairly dark, so they added recessed lighting and some fluorescents. "It's brighter and more energy efficient," she says.

Before, the old kitchen had a peninsula that awkwardly separated the kitchen and eating areas.

The Kims decided to keep most of their appliances, only adding a new gas stovetop and a shallow GE refrigerator that has a built-in look. Their contractor, John Beeley, added maple fronts to match their new cabinets.

The new kitchen's island offers more space for food preparation, as well as a second sink and more storage. Other features include recessed lighting, hardwood floors and granite counter tops.

Kim says the gas stovetop is her very favorite part of the remodel. "Before, everything took so long to heat up," she says. She's also very fond of the pull-out trash container.

Another touch is her new desk, a handy place to deal with paperwork or answer the telephone.

Resources:
Contractor: John Beeley, Kitchen Tune-up, Palo Alto; (650) 323-7786; e-mail: jbeeley@pacbell.net
Appliances: University Electric Co., 1500 Martin Ave., Santa Clara, CA; (408) 496-0500