Hawaii has always been an escape for a California couple with two grown boys. “We visited the island dozens of times when our children were growing up and loved the warmth of the people, the nurturing, soothing atmosphere, and the peace and quiet,” says his wife. “We reached a point where we felt like we wanted to grow roots here.” There was nothing special about the location they ultimately chose. The landscape was barren except for a grove of kiawe trees and the faint foundations of bygone buildings. But for the couple, it felt like a sign to stay.
This land has a legendary past. It once served as a natural lava flow route from the mauka (mountains) to the makai (sea), and its outer edges were dotted with impressive kiawe trees that are thousands of years old. Wanting to reflect this environment in the building's form, the couple hired architects Greg Warner and Sharon Okada of San Francisco-based Walker Warner, landscape architect David Tamra, and their Honolulu studio. Interior designers Marion Philpotts Miller and Anne Tanaka of Philpotts Interiors were appointed.
Warner and Okada pay close attention to the landscape, whose simple lines and geometric shapes blend and contrast with the undulating terrain. Fallen kiawe trees salvaged by Metzler Contracting Co. project manager Reed Fitz-Gerald were used to create seating and centerpieces for the outdoor steps and fire pit. The house appears to float lightly on top of the molten rock, a clever trick that symbolizes the lava of the distant past. The homeowners named the house “Kiawe,'' after the Hawaiian word for house, Hale Kiawe, and the lush trees that decorate the property.
The couple wanted their home to be far away from excess. What followed was a practice of restraint, which meant the restriction of objects, furniture, and artwork. No cluttered shelves, unused space, extra furniture, or distractions. “Minimalism became a hallmark of our design approach. When it came to interiors, when we suggested an idea or direction, they would often kindly say, 'That's nice, but we don't need that,'” says Philpotts.・Mr. Miller looks back. Together with Tanaka, he reflected on the architecture and carefully considered the interior choices.
The couple brought in a mix of furniture from Bali, Mexico and India, as well as Indian textiles in earthy, saturated tones that pay homage to the couple's spiritual upbringing in India. Local treasures were given equal pride of place, including a desk and side table in the master bedroom made from natural chiave wood. As Philpotts-Miller recalls, the bedroom was so large that the challenge was to maximize form without minimizing function. “The goal was to achieve a quiet elegance and spiritual presence that could easily adapt to its environment,” she asserts.
The house now faces east instead of west. For the architects, all signs faced west: the land, the landscape, the grove of chiave trees that seemed to lean in that direction. However, the owner thought otherwise. As a tribute to Indian tradition, they were keen to respect the principles of Vastu Shastra, the ancient Indian building science based on the optimization of natural energies and elements.