Suzette and Vince Schiralli have the perfect postcard view from their 39th-floor Marinaside Crescent condo.

They have an unobstructed panorama of BC Place Stadium, the Pacific Ocean, Grouse Mountain, Stanley Park, False Creek and many other distinctive Vancouver landmarks. It is literally a million-dollar-plus OMG view in this upscale Yaletown neighbourhood.

The cordial couple has no complaints about the location or access to everything they need, including restaurants, shopping and outdoor recreation.

But when Vince recently discovered three unused bottles of soy sauce “hidden” in their crammed kitchen cupboards, he began taking Suzette’s concerns about storage issues in their 1,400-square-foot dwelling more seriously.

“We had a 3,600-square-foot home in Kitchener. It wasn’t until we moved here 10 years ago that space quickly became an issue,” Vince says with a smile. “We’ve learned a lot about downsizing and making every inch count.”

While Vince was training for the World Crew Dragon Boat Championships — where he eventually won three medals in Ravenna, Italy, with the False Creek Racing and Canoe Club senior team — Suzette came across a ShelfGenie ad and told Vince they should get some quotes for kitchen renovations.

“We originally just wanted the island redone, and that quote came in at around $6,000. So we called ShelfGenie and they said they could do the entire kitchen, plus the island, for $5,000,” said Vince.

“I was reluctant at first because $5,000 seemed like a lot of money for that type of project. After I did some research and realized this investment could improve the resale value if we ever decided to move, I told Suzette to give them a call.”

“Them” was Joseph Choi and Barry Lee, longtime friends and IT wizards who decided to leave the corporate world and in May bought the B.C. ShelfGenie franchise.

“I guess you can call me the cabinet whisperer now,” Choi said with a laugh, after being patted on the back by the Schirallis for his hands-on involvement and precision in turning Suzette’s nightmare into a dream kitchen.

“I think my strength is in seeing the space and the potential for creating or using more of it, and then tackling the pain points,” said Choi, after giving a demonstration how he placed Glide-Out shelves, tray bins, drawer-in-a-drawer areas, and solved a problematic blind corner shelf with a clever Glide-Out cabinet in the Schiralli residence.

“We often call the Lazy Susan a wheel of misfortune. Some people had doubts we could fix the corner without tearing out the entire counter, but we made it work.

“We do a lot of kitchen interventions and solve problems without tearing up the entire room. We measure the space to the exact millimetre and then begin working on the options.”

Shelf Conversions was founded in 2000 in Richmond, Va., and became ShelfGenie in 2008 when the company franchised and began to expand in North America. One year later it was recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the top-500 private companies in North America. Included in its many charitable programs is the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research.

Choi said the key to ShelfGenie’s success is that it is a practical and affordable concept in an expensive real estate economy.