Room for Cooking, Conversation

Larry and Tami Christensen have been remodeling their home in Sidney ever since they moved in over 25 years ago. Larry learned the art of building from his father who is a contractor and has an eye for detail while Tami contributes her ideas and enjoys the redesign.

Their latest project involved a complete remodel of the kitchen and dining room. First to go was a support wall which necessitated reinforcing the trusses above. A partial wall, which separated the kitchen and dining area, was also removed, creating a wide open but efficient area for cooking and entertaining.

New full length Dura Supreme cabinets in rustic hickory stained in wheat and featuring the Arcadia classic door style compliment the Cambria quartz countertops in the Bradshaw design and infuse a warm glow throughout. The cabinets and countertops were purchased at Creative Solutions with Larry doing the installation. Accessories include roll out shelves, base recycle center, giant diagonal super susan, base custom cook center and pull out spice rack. The undermount, offset 60/40 double bowl sink is by Elkay and features the new aqua divide that makes cleaning large items much easier while the touchless faucet is perfect for washing up messy hands! A patterned stainless steel look backsplash compliments the appliances, which were purchased from PATH a few years ago.

The fridge and stove were swapped with the gas cooktop now in an expansive island, which provides the ultimate in beauty and cooking convenience. A pot filler makes cooking even easier.

Attractive stools from Johnson Hardware and Furniture mean the conversation can flow while dinner is being prepared, while a matching set of cabinets along the former dining room wall provide extra storage plus buffet space, with plug-ins as needed. Flooring was purchased from Chad's Furniture.

A truly unique feature is the hickory barn doors which now cover the pantry that had been open for10 years. Larry built the doors, including the hardware, himself.

Control4 home automation by ElectricLand controls the lighting, eliminating a lot of electrical wire, as the switches talk to each other, plus the system can be controlled by cell phone or tablet from anywhere in the world. Accent lighting under the cabinets, counters and along the floor, also by ElectricLand, come on automatically at dusk and go off at dawn, providing a "cool night light" running at about 20%. All the dining area light switches are from Control4, including custom touchpads that can control brightness and colors of the LED strip lights. TV and stereo controls, along with Alexa voice control are also integrated into the system. Christensens will eventually tie the thermostat into the Control4 system as well.

The beautiful dining room light fixture over Tami's great aunt's dining room set was the final piece. "It took a while to find something we both liked," Larry said.

Zach Netz will be back to complete more rounded corners and then the final painting can be done.

Tami says the best thing about her new kitchen is having plenty of room to cook. "It's fun to cook when you have plenty of room for both of us." Larry says his favorite thing is that now Tami can make a "double batch of rolls on this countertop!"