A kitchen deserving of the house

When Michael and Shelly Maharryboughttheir historic home in Muscatine 10 years ago, they knew it was an architectural treasure and committed themselves to maintaining it for future generations.

The only part of the house ranking somewhat below"gem" status was the small, dark and dated kitchen. Butbusy with jobs,two children, and simply furnishing and decoratingsuch a big house, the Maharrys decided remodeling could wait.

However,after the stove burners sparked one Christmas Day and a pipe below crumbled, they decided the time had come.

Today,after nearly a year of planning and six monthsof actual construction, a space that once contained a half-bath, thekitchen with a half-wall separating it from a dining area,a back staircase and three large steam radiators has been swept away.

In its place is a large 26 by 18 feet mostly white kitchen washed with light from windows on four sides, a configuration made possible by the way the kitchen is built.

The ceiling is coffered, withwhite beams. The floor is made of warm caramel-colored travertine (a type of limestone)planks. The cabinets are off-white and the countertops are white marble veined with gray.

Tucked in a corner is a dining table withboth L-shaped couch seating and chairs.

"We wanted to make it a kitchen that is deserving of the rest of the house," Michael said. "They did it well back then, and we want to carry on the tradition."

Both Maharrys are keenly interested in history and historic preservation, and they want to be good stewards.

The hardest part about the kitchen, as many would-be remodelers will tell you, was deciding what they wanted.They wanted to do it right.

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A kitchen deserving of the house