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and a firm grasp on the way she wanted her kitchento look and function, Pam Giovatto was ready torenovate. All she needed was someone to help herrealize her dream.

The kitchen posed several problems. It’s one ofthe smallest rooms in the Wyckoff split-level she andhusband John bought in 1994. There is no window,and it provides a passageway to the family roomadded to the back of the house. An island made theroom seem tight.

Coming to her aid was Holly Rickert of HollyRickert/Designing Your Environment in Wyckoff.Key to the partnership was Rickert’s willingness tolisten to her client. “If you are not a good listener,you are not going to give the client what she wants,”the designer says. “It’s the clients’ money, and youwant to effect the changes they want to make.”

Rickert finds it important to consider the way thefamily behaves, how the members interact, how theycook and how they want the kitchen to function.

Big on StyleThis small Wyckoff kitchen gets a lesson in

form, function and beauty

WRITER JUDY JEANNIN

PHOTOGRAPHER PETER RYMWID

DESIGNER HOLLY RICKERT

Designer Holly Rickerttransformed an ordinarykitchen into a stylish spacefor cooking, family diningand entertaining. Tocompensate for the lack of awindow over the sink, sheintroduced a large-scale tilethat carries around to thecooking area. Pendant lightswere hung over the sink toadd further visual interest.The sleek cherry cabinetry isaccented in stainless steelthat echoes the appliancesand the glass and steel hoodover the range.

Armed with folders fullof inspirational ideas

Big on Style

SLEEK & EFFICIENTForemost was Giovatto’s desire for the sleek designand efficiency of a boat galley. “We owned a boat,and I wanted in this kitchen what I had on the boat.It was one of the inspirations for me,” she says.

The first step in the renovation was for Rickert tocreate a plan that would maximize the floor space,providing an efficient food preparation area and aspot for family dining. Complicating the design wasthe fact that one wall is interrupted with Frenchdoors leading to the outside as well as a doorway tothe family room.

To define the entrance to the family room,Rickert created a passageway by placing a bank ofovens encased in cherry cabinetry on one side of

the doorway and the refrigerator on the other. Apeninsula beside the refrigerator serves as diningspace or an extra counter. Rather than try to findspace for a table and chairs, she nestled a banquetteinto a corner near the French doors and paired itwith a marble-topped pedestal table.

FOCAL POINTSBecause most kitchens center the sink beneath awindow, Rickert had to find a way to create visualinterest in that area. That dilemma was resolved byusing a boldly dimensional neutral tile from coun-tertop to ceiling and staggering colorful pendantlights the client chose above the area. A dramaticstainless-steel-and-glass vent above the range gives

the L-shaped food prep area another focal point.To achieve the sleek look Giovatto wanted, the

American cherry cabinets were outfitted with brushedmetal handles and accented with stainless steel kickplates and a ribbon of stainless steel sandwichedbetween the cabinets and the molding above. Rickertwrapped the back of the refrigerator with a stainlesssteel cabinet that Giovatto, an organizational expert,outfitted to store the flotsam and jetsam that seemsto accumulate in every kitchen. As founder of ABeautiful Home, she offers staging and organizationalassistance to clients.

Giovatto is delighted with the results. “You don’tneed a huge kitchen,” she says. “The design is soextraordinary that it is perfect.” DNJ

Judy Jeannin, a regular contributor to Design NJ, is aHillsdale-based writer.

SOURCES kitchen design, Holly Rickert of Holly Rickert/DesigningYour Environment in Wyckoff in collaboration with homeownerPam Giovatto, owner of A Beautiful Home in Wyckoff; cabinetry,The Hampshire Co. through Holly Rickert/Designing Your Envi-ronment; Sub-Zero refrigerator, Wolf range and ovens, andMiele hood, Yudin’s Inc. in Wyckoff; Franke sink, Elkay faucetand Omnia hardware, Hardware Design in Fairfield; chandelier,Luxe Light Studio in Fairfield; Walker Zanger Studio ModerneCollection backsplash tile, Stratta, the Tile Boutique in Wyckoff;pendant lights, Lighting By Gregory in Upper Saddle River; ban-quette upholstery, Michael Felice Interiors in Wyckoff; floor tile,Mediterranean Tile & Marble in Fairfield; contracting, DeLucciaConstruction in Wyckoff; staging and accessories, A BeautifulHome; painting, Rich Giaccone of R&G Painting in Norwood.

The peninsula that wrapsthe side and back of therefrigerator has proved apopular space for familydining. It also providesextra counter spacewhen entertaining. PamGiovatto outfitted thestainless steel cabinet tostore items such asappliance cords and lightbulbs. Opposite are asteam oven, microwaveand warming drawer. Thearea beneath is recessedto house dog bowls.

The tufted banquettenestled into a corner ofthe modestly sizedkitchen was inspired byone that homeownersJohn and Pam Giovattoadmired in a loft inSouth Beach, Florida. Thepedestal table has amarble top. Otherfeatures include a smallworkspace next to thebanquette.

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