“We have no air-conditioning,” says the homeowner. “The open design of the house allows the trade winds to blow through and keep us cool year-round.”
To the right is the kitchen, an open, functional space with rich wooden cabinetry and a textured tile backsplash, its pattern simultaneously reminiscent of flowers and snowflakes.
“We were determined to reuse rather than replace whenever possible,” says the homeowner. “We removed the cabinets above the stove to improve the flow of the room and reinstalled them in the laundry room rather than discarding them. I splurged on a few things, though — new appliances and fun design elements such as the light fixtures.”
I admire the gold-toned fixture above the dining table, a lighted collection of Pick-Up Sticks, one stacked upon the next. In the kitchen, three hand-blown glass pendants bathe the workspace with light.
We make our way to the back patio, which is surrounded by newly installed artificial grass; a nifty putting green is tucked in along the far side of the home.
“The real grass was sharp and prickly and no one wanted to walk outside barefoot,” says the homeowner. “We replaced it with synthetic grass that does not require watering or mowing, and which feels great on bare feet. A win-win!”
I walk to the edge of the patio and peek down the steep hill. Below are layers of solar panels that power the home, heat the water and charge the electric car. “We installed the panels down there to leave our roof unmolested,” the homeowner explains.
I spend a few moments admiring the vista. The land drops off sharply just below the panels, a hillside of tumbling green herbage punctuated by volcanic outcroppings. To the right, a tall mock-orange hedge buffers the trades. To the left, towering trees march downward into a deep gulley. And a mile below — the ocean. We watch as a whale rises, spouts and dives.
“Sometimes at night, when there’s no wind, the whales’ spouts are so loud they sound like elephants chuffing right outside the house!” says the homeowner. “The shape of the land funnels the sound right up the hill.”
