KAREN WIGHT -- No Place Like Home

* EDITOR’S NOTE: Every other week, No Place Like Home will take

readers on a tour of a local residence.

One street, two families, four remodels and a thousand questions.

Over the past 16 years, Newport Beach neighbors Brett Craig and Diane

Edmonston have shared views of one another’s houses, the laughter and

tears of raising children and the angst of home improvements.

And though they have many things in common, the evolution of their

homes has been very different.

Brett describes her home as having a traditional cottage feel. Diane

uses adjectives like “transitional” when she describes the style of her

home.

Both families embarked on kitchen remodels last year, and though Brett

and Diane often shopped the same resources to find their kitchen

components, the finished products, both spectacular, are completely

different.

Brett, husband Earle -- who is founder and pastor of Grace Fellowship

Church -- and their two sons, Brad, 19, and Morgan, 17, have lived in the

same house for 18 years and undergone three remodels.

Last year’s project was undertaken to upgrade and enlarge the kitchen

and family room area.

“We love to entertain and everyone likes to congregate in the

kitchen,” says Brett.

With two teenage boys and their trail of football and volleyball

teammates close behind, it is easy to understand the Craigs’ need for

more room to accommodate the throngs of athletes and their voracious

appetites.

“Between the boys, their friends and the football booster parties, it

was time to have a larger and more efficient space.”

The Craigs’ kitchen has an interior location with no windows to let

the natural light in. Brett compensated by adding recessed and

under-counter lighting. The center island counter top is honed marble and

accommodates three counter stools, so it’s easy to keep the cook company.

Polished granite was used on the perimeter counters for durability,

while a white painted bead board backsplash adds texture and warmth. The

bead board was also used as the back detail in the upper glass front

cabinets, where Brett displays her stemware.

A six-burner Viking stove was a must for Brett and her macrobiotic

cooking. She also has double Thermador ovens, a Bosch dishwasher and a

36-inch SubZero refrigerator/freezer.

Brett got by with a little help from her friends and subcontractors

who included Ginger Nix, Tina Drake of Drake Designs and Chris Brown of

Brown Bros. Construction.

While the Craigs were busy creating their dream cottage, the neighbors

across the street had another plan in mind.

Diane and Bob Edmonston used unusual elements in their kitchen design,

like stainless steel tiles and a crackle-glazed brick backsplash. They

incorporated maple cabinets with a dark stained finish, a wraparound

granite seating area and brushed nickel hardware for a dramatic and sleek

finished look.

Diane worked on the kitchen plan for years. There is a place for

everything and everything is in its place. A cutlery drawer with a hidden

cutting board, a special nook in the pantry for the microwave, lots of

deep drawers to maximize storage space and a double pantry with pullout

shelves completed her wish list.

“I waited 14 years for a new kitchen, so I had plenty of time to work

out the details,” says Diane. “And originally I thought I wanted a white

kitchen, look what happened!”

Diane researched her project well in advance and found unusual items

like a Milne dishwasher with a pullout silverware shelf. “It’s the little

things that make a big difference,” she says.

Diane says her husband had plenty of input into the design.

“He’s around model homes all the time at work and had seen several

things he wanted to incorporate into our project,” she says.

Bob, director of operations for Creative Design Consultants, “loved

the stainless steel tiles from Walker Zanger and the hand-cut crackled

bricks from Waterworks.”

Those two details combined with an embossed metal trim give the

kitchen it’s old-with-a-new-twist feeling. The kitchen gets plenty of use

at the Edmonston home with their three children -- Chelsea, 16, Brittany,

13 and Keiffer, 9.

“We love the way the kitchen reflects the personality of our family,”

says Diane, as she looks around the house. “Now on to the next project.”

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Sundays.

CUTLINES

Photo A -- The Craigs remodeled their kitchen and expanded their

family room to create an inviting area for a team of teenage boys and

football booster parties.

Photo B: The Edmonstons combined unusual materials for their kitchen

remodel with a “transitional” look.