Located alongside an 1801 lava flow on the South Kohala coast of Hawaii, this resort residence evokes contemporary island design with a sense of zen and restraint. The entry courtyard bridges weave through a Japanese-inspired lava stone garden fusing Asian and Hawaii sensibilities.


Architectural materials play off each other with teak wood screens and white coral stone walls. The sliding wood screens provide filtered lighting and dramatic shadows while allowing spaces to be versatile and flexible. As designers, Philpotts drew on Bali, Japan, and Hawaii voices to create a unique vocabulary inspired by the client’s diverse sensibilities.


An antique Taisho Period kimono in the entry foyer provides design inspiration throughout the home.

Under a sculptural cedar ceiling, a custom kitchen stone wall incorporates kimono pattern-inspired stonework while the dining island features an angled front face and waterfall edge.

Overlooking the pool and ocean beyond, custom swivel lounge chairs and sofa circle a custom lychee coffee table with burned edges in the living room. Just outside, the entertainment pavilion showcases custom coffee tables with basalt stone tops featuring a chiseled border to match the stone floor texture.

The master bedroom was designed true to the Japanese sense of restraint used throughout the home. Carved stone accent walls, also inspired by the entry kimono, provide the backdrop to contemporary pendant lights drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese lanterns.

Designed to feel like a spa, the master bath is shielded by a large calacatta monolithic shower wall.

Indoor and outdoor blend with an outdoor shower resting under an ipe wood trellis. The guest hale (suite) for the couple’s adult sons was inspired by a legendary Hawaiian waterman. Custom wood carvings can be seen on the headboard, baseboard and nightstand.

East and West blend seamlessly in this Hawaii island retreat.

Fast facts:
• This home of extraordinary beauty and design serves as a vacation residence on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii.
• The client wanted an ultra-simple aesthetic with strong influences from Japan, Bali and Hawaii.
• Philpott’s role was to provide interior choices, in keeping with the aesthetic, that were both durable and modern in feel.
• With this in mind, they sourced custom finishes, decorative lighting, wood carvings, custom artwork and designed furniture with integrated lighting and electrical/charging outlets. The headboards were custom made in Bali using Polynesian kapa patterns carved into teak. Several of the home’s area rugs were custom designed, noteworthy are the master bedroom and living room rugs paired with custom decorative pillows and bedding.

• The residence is made up of a series of structures, or hale, tied together by basalt walkways and artful landscaping.
• Budget parameters were addressed by having many items built overseas. In addition to the kapa carved headboards we also sourced the custom dining table and lychee wood coffee tables in Bali. A Japanese inspired tansu vanity in the Powder Room was fabricated in Mexico to save on the cost.
• An antique, yet graphically modern-looking, Taisho-period kimono hangs in the entry foyer. The textile mingled with the kimono print design carved limestone walls reinforce the strong influences of Japan.
• One of the client’s objectives was to have the multimedia room also function as a guest suite. Philpotts designed a queen-sized bed with concealed casters and bedside tables for versatility. Installed in Hawaiian daybed fashion with the long edge of the bed against the wall for TV viewing, it easily turns transforming the room into a standard guest room. Nesting tables conveniently adjust to the desired arrangement. Functional and significant, the room’s large moving screens panels provide filtered light and privacy.

• The master bathroom was designed with true restraint and has the feel of a modern-day spa. The bath is shielded by a large shower wall of Calacatta marble. The custom shower wall was carved in Italy, shipped in pieces and assembled onsite. Indoor and outdoor merge seamlessly in this dynamic space.
• Among Philpott’s many design challenges and solutions is the creation and the flexibility of by day and by night spaces. By day, day lounging under the coconut trees and by night alfresco dining pop up under the stars. We integrated electrical outlets into the coconut trees for mood lighting. A teak alfresco table that allows the client to entertain large groups but can be broken down and stored easily away when not needed.
• Another design challenge was incorporating TV viewing in the living room where there were no walls for such. Philpott’s designed a custom carved cabinet to conceal a motorized television that was inset into a floor cavity. The TV, beautifully hidden allowing for unobstructed view while not in use.
• Overall, Philpotts was able to deliver to our client a vacation home of great simplicity and restraint, but also substantial luxury.

Team:
Architects: de Reus Architects
Interior Designers: Philpotts Interiors
Landscape Designer: David Tamura
Photographer: Matthew Millman
