| may 2018 11
In tHE KItcHEn
thom and sandy
sheets at their
townhome in
Keauhou.
the kitchen includes
custom bamboo
cabinets with koa
overlays by rod
crisp. Granite came
from all-natural
stone Fabrication in
Kailua-Kona.
ur friends tell us this is
the happiest kitchen
they’ve ever seen, and we
agree,” said Thom Sheets.
“It’s really a refl ection of
our personalities.”
At their townhouse in Keauhou, Thom and
Sandy Sheets have created a whimsical,
yet stylish, kitchen that shows off their
appreciation for vintage tropical themes.
Hand-painted wooden signs hang on the wall,
while a custom-etched glass window portrays
a tropical village scene. Above the fridge, a
carved storyboard from Palau adds to the
charm. Even the cords of the pendant lights
are clad in bamboo.
“Above the peninsula, there used to be these
2x4 slats across the ceiling without much
of a look,” said Thom. “Some people in our
complex paint them white. We went the other
direction and installed bamboo poles across
for a tiki-bar feeling.”
Almost 30 years old, the townhouse had seen
better days when the Sheets purchased the
once-distressed property. They asked Kona
woodworker Rod Crisp to help them renovate
the entire premises, starting with the kitchen.
He replaced the dated whitewashed oak cabinets
with splashy custom cabinets he crafted of
variegated bamboo ply accented with koa
overlays depicting stalks of bamboo. He also
fi lled in the extra space around the new fridge
with a vertical wine rack made of koa.
Outfi tted with granite counters and backsplash
from All-Natural Stone Fabrication in Kailua-
Kona, the kitchen includes a multi-level
peninsula with barstool seating. It’s the perfect
spot for friends to relax while Thom cooks up his
favorite halibut dish, or Sandy serves a cocktail
blended with her homemade Kahlua liqueur.
“We both like to cook,” said Thom. “Sandy is
the ‘everyday’ cook and I’ll do the cooking
whenever we have fancier entrées.”
Thom says the creative and colorful kitchen is
their favorite room in the house.
“There’s lots of counter space and a good fl ow
through to the dining room area and to the
outside lanai. It’s a fun kitchen. It’s a kitchen
that makes you smile.”
rEcIPE
sandy’s Kahlua liqueur
2 Vanilla beans
2 oz. Instant coffee (not freeze-dried)
7 cups sugar
1 quart Vodka
4 cups Boiling water
Mix sugar and coffee into four cups of boiling water
until dissolved. Let cool at room temperature. Pour
in vodka and put into a gallon glass jar. Add split
vanilla beans. Cap jar and shake every other day for
a month. Enjoy!