Ivy Crest now has the kitchen it deserves, say owners Donna and Vic Massari, who in the past several months have put the finishing touches on a new addition to their 1924 Missionary Ridge home.

That addition features a 764-square-foot kitchen, a cozy nine-seat theater and a three-level deck.

“Five families have lived here, and each family added something to the house,” Mrs. Massari said. “It’s like an old quilt that has been pulled together.”

The couple, who have lived in the home for 10 years, located their addition off a former breakfast room overlooking the east side of Missionary Ridge.

Mrs. Massari said she has collected kitchen ideas from magazines since she and her husband moved in. They worked with interior designer Kevin Vaughn of K-Vaughn & Co. and contractor/carpenter John Paul Greene of John Paul Greene Home Builders to implement the ideas.

“It took a year to do it all,” she said. “It’s still a work in progress.”

Mrs. Massari worked without an architect, so no blueprint exists for the addition.

“That’s incredible,” she said, adding words of praise for the “artisans and craftsmen” who did the work.

The kitchen has a cathedral ceiling, hand-fitted herringbone oak flooring, east-facing windows and double-sided fireplace — cut through from the den — with a limestone mantel.

Among its features are custom cabinetry designed by Kathy Massey of Norcia Fine Cabinetry of Soddy-Daisy, granite countertops in Juniperana Persia and Marron Cohiba finishes and KitchenAid designer series appliances.

Other unusual features are a black and honey onyx backsplash with limestone trim, a dumbwaiter that allows groceries to be lifted from the garage, and cabinetry with a pullout spice rack, in-drawer knife rack and appliance garage.

The room’s colors are inspired by a reproduction of a 19th-century French painting of women by James Tissot that hangs over the fireplace.

Eighteenth-century portraits of women hang throughout the house, a result of Mrs. Massari’s love of similar work at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

The couple added a granite top to a limestone dinette table base they had in their previous breakfast room.

Two wingback chairs provide seating in front of the fireplace, which has remote-controllable double gas logs. An entertainment unit in a corner alcove, customized with legs that match other pieces in the room, holds a flat-panel television that may be viewed from the dinette.

Broad windows brighten the room, while canned ceiling lights, pendant lights over the large island and two chandeliers add warmth.

With the touch of a finger, window shades in the kitchen and den can be opened or closed, and music from satellite radio or CDs can be played through speakers in the ceiling.

“I’m not a cook,” Mrs. Massari said, “but this is a wonderful (room) to cook and entertain in.”

Below the kitchen, down a set of stairs, is the theater.

Comfortable seats with cup holders recline at the touch of a button so viewers can relax as they watch movies on the 110-inch screen.

A remote control adjusts the light level and pulls up DVDs or CDs through a rack of equipment on one wall.

A mini thrust stage, red side curtains, Oriental carpeting, 13 speakers, soundproof ceiling and oak paneling give the room the feel of a classic theater.

“Vic knew what he wanted,” Mrs. Massari said, “and he just kept refining it.”

Off one corner of the masculine room is a small library, and off another is a bar area with a compact refrigerator, microwave oven and a black granite countertop.

The floor in the bar area is gray and copper slate, and the doors entering the theater and bar are covered with ostrich skin studded with brass tacks.

Outside the kitchen is the deck, which has an observation level, entertainment level and lower level with a screened room. The deck is built with Trex, a splinter-free, rot-free composite material made from recycled milk cartons and sawdust.

On the observation level, the Tennessee River and Sequoyah Nuclear Plant cooling towers are visible to the north. To the east, the sloping land is cleared of all but hardwood trees so the airport and surrounding ridges are visible.

The entertainment level includes a Southern Hearth-installed outdoor kitchen with grill, undercounter refrigerator, two burners and sink. The two banks of cabinets are covered with brick-like travertine stone.

Down a series of landings, under the entertainment level, is a screened porch.

While the house was undergoing its changes, the couple also swapped the floor in their 1980s den to travertine stone, replaced the multipaned windows in the room with view-enhancing panes and added a new rear entrance.

“We’re loving this,” Mrs. Massari said.

“It’s been like putting together a puzzle. It’s really been a collaborative effort.”

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