Kitchens/Baths: By Eva Ditler • Photography by Martin Mann
Off The Beaten Tract
Imaginative collaboration enriches a kitchen makeover...
IF IT'S ORDINARY, Scripps Ranch homeowner Stacey Becker will probably nix it. "She's a free spirit with no borders as to what she thinks she can pull off in terms of what she could put into her house," says Reed Stewart, who heads up Stewart Brothers Construction, side by side with his brother, Chad.
Becker is a five-year client of Stewart Brothers. They've done a lot of different projects together, including her kitchen, part of a whole-house remodel that turned her traditional tract home into a custom creation.
"She has a vision and is an exciting person to work for," Stewart says. "That's what made this project more special. It wasn't just cut and dry. It was everyone throwing in their ideas."
Who's everyone? The brothers brought in several subcontractors who wowed Becker. Artist John McDavid, for one, framed the island, the new window and the glass mosaic tile backsplash in metal. He also designed the ceiling light fixture — a linear, straight metal frame with mix-and-match vintage-look light bulbs — that gives this kitchen its creative funk.
"The light fixture turned out really, really cool," says Becker. "I agonized over what to do. The island is 10 feet, so I needed something substantial and I didn't want to do what everyone does, like pendants. I wanted something more interesting and I wanted to tie everything together."
The concrete countertops came from Daryn Barnes and Chris Frazer of DC Construction.
"I wanted concrete," says Becker, "but I felt I could do something different on the island. Daryn put some samples together, and they came up with acid on concrete, which looks kind of like marble, but kind of not."
Limelight Furniture custom made the cabinetry. "I wanted something with movement and they brought back the zebrawood," says Becker. "It's so wild and fun."
And Becker was in awe of the electrician, Charles Lewis. "Chuck came up with the idea of LED lights under the island," says Becker. "When they're on, the island looks like a spaceship taking off. That made the whole thing even better."
