Beat the heat on a tour of cool kitchens

By Deb Holland, Journal staff writer | Friday, June 23, 2006

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RAPID CITY — Julie Smoragiewicz spent nearly two years trying to define her perfect kitchen.

She researched different design styles, toured many kitchens and watched lots of shows on the Home & Garden television network before she and her husband, Jim, decided on an Arts and Crafts style.

They will open their doors for others to see their design efforts during the upcoming Destination Kitchen: Imagine the Possibilities Kitchen Tour that will be from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 11.

The Arts and Crafts movement thrived from the late 19th century to the beginning of World War I. It is characterized by natural wood tones with a matte sheen. Glass doors are a popular feature. Usually, the design concept has lines that are interrupted, but instead of causing a feeling of disruption, they create a happy, artistic atmosphere.

Being in the kitchen is all about happiness, Julie said.

“Jim and I both had mothers and grandmothers who cooked. For our families, the kitchen was the gathering place. We wanted that for our family,” she said.

The Smoragiewicz home sits past the corner of Tower Road and Sandstone Lane. The sidewalk leading to the kitchen meanders past an herb garden where fresh basil, chives and other herbs have sprouted.

As you step inside the door onto the granite tile, the brightness of the spacious kitchen greets you.

The 16-foot by 24-foot kitchen of the newly built home features custom oak timber beams overhead, soapstone countertops and farmhouse sink, custom quarter-sawn mission white oak cabinets, oak flooring and a large 4-1/2-by-9-1/2-foot island with pot rack and Tiffany pendant lighting. Along one wall is a closet pantry and media center with computer and television.

Another wall has the stove, five-burner gas with two electric ovens, and a full-size freezer and refrigerator, both with stainless steel finish.

At first glance, the refrigerator/ freezer looks like an oversized subzero unit. But in reality, it is separate appliances, a full-sized fridge and freezer. The handles of each appliance has been placed so that both meet in the middle.

The wall with the kitchen sink overlooks the deck area and the beautiful view of Skyline Drive. The farmhouse sink features an oversized spigot. Dispensers for dish soap, hand lotion and super hot water for making drinks such as hot chocolate are adjacent the spigot.

The island in the middle of the kitchen has some great features including a wine rack, lighted curio cabinet and his and hers cutting boards that pull out from under the soapstone counter top. It also has a storage unit for the family’s large KitchenAid mixer that rises up and locks in place at the level of the countertop.

Julie admits that the island is her favorite part of the kitchen. “It’s great for doing food prep,” she said.

Cooking is a family affair for Jim, Julie and their sons, Tony and Tyler.

“The boys both like to cook,” Julie said. “And Tyler’s career goal is to be a chef.”

Julie’s advice to others about planning a dream kitchen is to know what design styles you like. Take an inventory of your kitchen to determine your storage needs, your entertaining needs and your cooking needs. And don’t hesitate to build big.

“You can never have a kitchen that is too big,” she said.

Destination Kitchen: Imagine the Possibilities Kitchen Tour is a fundraiser for a local Destination Imagination team, of which the Smoragiewiczs’ son Tony is a member.

Destination ImagiNation is an international organization for kindergarten through college students and community groups. Its purpose is to teach life skills in a fun way through team-based creative problem solving. To learn more about DI, go to www.destinationimagination.org or go to the South Dakota affiliate at www.dustinkirk.com/sdca/.

Featured kitchens

These home and restaurant kitchens will be featured on the Destination Kitchen: Imagine the Possibilities Kitchen Tour:

- 609 Main St. — Ristorante Marsala, Main and Sixth Street. This efficient commercial kitchen is used to prepare an average of 500 meals per day and has been used to prepare as many as 1,500 meals.

- 218 East New York St., Haines Avenue and East New York Street — Old-style kitchen is the centerpiece of this 120-year-old home. The renovation from the “modern look” started in 1990, with stripping of floors to reveal full-length fir. Authentic tin ceiling was added. Features a Majestic wood-burning stove, custom dry sink with hand pump, and a pantry.

- 15114 Forest Drive, West Boulevard and St. Cloud Street — Spacious kitchen featuring maple cabinets, tile floors, laminate and tile countertops, composite sink. Large Pella windows. Short, steep driveway with 18 stairs. Cul-de-sac parking.

- 1003 West Boulevard — The kitchen of this home was completed in 1928. The stainless steel countertops and metal cabinets, as well as the butler’s pantry are original. The two doors into the kitchen/butler’s pantry were common, because the home had built-in servants’ quarters. The kitchen received many updates in 2001 thanks to the home’s newest owners, the fourth in the home’s history.

- 3225 Sandstone Lane, Tower Road and Sandstone Lane — Newly built Arts and Crafts-style kitchen with colorful granite countertops from Nelson Natural Stone, island, quarter-sawn mission oak cabinets, oak flooring with walnut inlay. Open to dining and living room with recessed lighting and soapstone Tulikivi wood-burning stove.

- 3289 Sandstone Lane, Tower Road and Sandstone Lane — Newly built, custom oak timber frame kitchen with pantry, stainless steel appliances, soapstone countertops and farmhouse sink, custom quarter-sawn mission oak cabinets, oak flooring. Large island with pot rack and Tiffany pendant lighting.

- 4800 Enchanted Pines Drive, Mount Rushmore Road and Enchanted Hills — New home, Weyer Creation’s custom hickory cabinetry kitchen, jogged heights and depths, large center island with raised breakfast bar. Corian countertops on island, two sinks, large pantry, angled fluting, recycle center, crown molding, and tile floors. Kitchen opens to great room and dining room.

- 4818 Enchanted Pines Drive, Mount Rushmore Road and Enchanted Hills — Newer construction, gourmet kitchen, vaulted ceilings, butler’s pantry, stainless appliances, copper accents, Millbank Dakota Granite, center island with second wrap-around island, red oak flooring, cherry cabinetry and arched recessed displays.

- 3704 City View Drive, Mount Rushmore Road and Echo Ridge — Bachelor kitchen with white U-shaped kitchen with island, raised corner cabinets, white Merillat cabinets with contrasting crown molding, dark laminate oak flooring, open floor plan, spectacular city views.

- 13826 Clydesdale Road, Neck Yoke Road and Hart Ranch West — Beautifully appointed log home features a gourmet kitchen highlighted by Sheldon Slate countertops and farmhouse sink, Viking appliances in Graphite Gray, Ann Sacks tile, Rocky Mountain Hardware, hickory cabinets and Hammerton lighting. Created by kitchen designer Eileen Burkholder and Kara White Interiors.

- 3819 Minnekahta Drive, Canyon Lake Drive and Jackson Boulevard — Hard-working cook’s kitchen. Mission-style oak cabinetry with great storage. Solid-surface and granite countertops and breakfast bar, slat backsplash. Internet and cable access, all halogen lighting, in less than 140 square feet.

- 14497 Sienna Meadows, Sheridan Lake Road and Sawmill Road — Brand new model home in Sheridan Lake Highlands. This kitchen features cherry cabinetry, stainless steel appliances and rich colors. Wood floors, built-in office center, spacious deck off kitchen which highlights view from the kitchen sink window. Accessorized by Design Resources.

- 5216 Bethpage Drive, Catron Boulevard and Sheridan Lake Road — New construction, Whirlpool appliances, oak cabinets with crown molding, Corian countertops, writing desk, large pantry, hardwood flooring, tile backsplash, breakfast nook. Troy Ward and Associates.

- 2612 Harvard, Catron Boulevard and Sheridan Lake Road — Avenue Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Floors, chocolate-glazed cherry cabinets, eat-in kitchen with island, oversized refrigerator/ freezer, stressed concrete countertops, gas cook top.  Chad Lewis — Yellow Jersey Construction.

In addition to visiting some awesome kitchens,admission to the Destination Kitchen: Imagine the Possibilities Kitchen Tour also enters ticketholders in a prize drawing for a Weber gas grill donated by Montana Dakota Utilities.

After the tour, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., there will be a reception and silent auction at Ristorante Marsala, 609 Main Street.

Items in the silent auction will include a $200 gift certificate to My Girlfriend's Kitchen, a Le Creuset Kitchen Set valued at $100 from Staple & Spice Market, and private tennis lessons at Tennis Center of the Black Hills.

If you go

- What: Destination Kitchen: Imagine the Possibilities Kitchen Tour.

- When: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 11.

- Where: Throughout Rapid City.

- Admission: $10.Tickets are available in Rapid City at Mostly Chocolates, My Girlfriend’s Kitchen, Someone’s in the Kitchen, Staple & Spice Market, Stratman Design, Tennis Center of the Black Hills, United Building Center and Victoria’s Garden. Proceeds benefit the local Destination Imagination team’s trip to the DI World Finals.