Modern Family Retreat
Story by Lara McGlashan
Photographs by Travis Rowan
A seating area with a sofa and midcentury modern chairs by RH offers unparalleled ocean views. Local Ha‘ikū artists Dennis and Lucretia Holtzer carved the chaise lounge from a mango tree trunk. Sturdy plexi-resin cubes by Timothy Oulton house a jumble of eternally frozen black sticks — perfect to withstand roughhousing kids (as well as unruly grown-ups).
It’s a picture-perfect day in Mākena, with a crisp, Disney-blue sky. The swirl of trade winds whisks away the heat as I drive through the gated entry to an intimate housing complex. I park and walk down a tunnel of tall Hawaiian ginger to the home’s front door; the verdant green leaves wave me in, and heavy red flowers nod hello.
Designer Tim Tattersall and the homeowner greet me in the entryway. Just inside, I see the standout architectural feature of the main floor: a 25-foot-high steel staircase around which the home was created. The gently curling center column reaches toward the domed ceiling like a flame, and wide treads splay outward – a deconstructed daisy.
“The previous owner was a big Star Trek fan,” explains Tattersall. “The staircase was inspired by the series, as well as the three niches in the upstairs atrium – the nooks you’d stand in to be ‘beamed’ to a planet’s surface.”
As we move into the open-plan living area, Tattersall explains the concept behind his design. “I wanted to curate a modern space for an art collector in a home that was otherwise cold,” he says.
And in this he succeeded: large propeller-like fans spin beneath a rich wooden ceiling which caps the entire front room and the patio just outside. In the direct center of the space, a 10-foot table crafted from a single live-edge slab of monkeypod waits for diners.
“It’s unusual to have a dining table in the middle of a large room, but here it creates a natural separation between two distinct seating areas,” says Tattersall.
“We very much wanted this house to be family-friendly and make it appealing for the grandkids,” adds the homeowner. “We added many features to that effect.”
Case in point: the seating area to the left of the dining table. A large white sofa and overstuffed chairs, by the upscale-furnishings company RH, are piled with blue and white cushions and look inviting, but also – speaking as a mom – risky.
A family-friendly living space featuring Sunbrella-covered furniture by RH is the perfect place for movie night. The built-in shelves display a collection of turn-of-the-century Bakelite radios as well as a blown-glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly. A pair of brilliant red and yellow oil paintings by Gabrielle Anderman add warmth to an otherwise monochromatic kitchen.
“How do you keep these clean with all the visiting grandkids?” I ask, imagining the horror of flying grape juice and thick splats of pizza sauce.
“All the furniture is covered with Sunbrella fabric,” says Tattersall. “Spills bead up and roll right off. It costs a little more up front, but it lasts for years and still looks like new.”
The seating area to the far right features more indestructible Sunbrella-clad furniture and what appears to be a large wooden sculpture.
“Go ahead and sit in it,” urges the homeowner. I do and find that it’s actually a chaise lounge with curves in all the right places to support your legs, arms and lower back. The piece was created by a local couple in Ha‘ikū, Dennis and Lucretia Holtzer, who carved it from a large mango
tree trunk.
On the wall above the chaise hangs a flat-screen monitor with an endless video feed: an aerial view of two men sweeping trash hither and yon. Upon further study, I notice the men are sweeping the trash in a particular pattern and suddenly realize it’s a clock – an art installation created by Marten Baas.
“Do they ever stop sweeping?” I ask; surely while filming a 24-hour sweepathon the men must have had to use the facilities.
“Well, once we saw one of them leave for a short period of time and then come right back,” says the homeowner. “But that literally only happened once, and it never happened again!”
The entire back wall of the home folds open to create an airy indoor/outdoor living space, and Tattersall leads me onto the patio. To the right is a well-appointed barbecue area, to the left a fire pit surrounded by comfy seating. A sparkling infinity-edge pool is adjacent, and beyond, a yard of neat-and-tidy grass.
“We call this cashmere grass – it’s so soft,” says the homeowner. At the bottom of the “cashmere” hillside is a gate, allowing entry to a protected cove and a slim crescent of biscuit-colored beach bookended by craggy black lava outcroppings.
Back inside, we move through the kitchen, a crisp, modern space with large, stainless-steel appliances. A kidney-shaped glass countertop juts out from the island to allow for barstool seating; its twin in light-fixture form hangs above, illuminating the island through swirled glass.
Around the corner and tucked behind the staircase is a clever half-bath. The sink looks like an ocean wave, rising and curling and spreading across the dark-blue tile wall. The flip of a switch transforms the floor into a living ocean. Fish, turtles and other sea life react in real time with anyone entering the room — darting away as footsteps disturb their virtual sea-surface and sending concentric ripples outward.
Designer Tim Tattersall planned the home around an existing 25-foot-high spiral staircase.
Down the hallway to the left is a multipurpose media room with plush lounge chairs and a cabinet against the wall. Tattersall opens its top and sides to reveal its alter ego: a hideaway bed.
“Radd Haferkamp built this cabinet and the custom walnut TV lift piece for the master, both of which I designed,” says Tattersall. “There’s also another hidden surprise to see when we go upstairs.”
With that we head up, following the curl of the iron flame. “We had to reconfigure the entire second floor to work with the homeowners’ vision,” says Tattersall as we enter a room on the left. “For instance, this used to be an open outdoor area which we enclosed to make an office and …” he pulls a handle to reveal another clandestine bed, “… it’s also a bedroom.”
Next door is the master bedroom, a large, comfortable space with a brilliant ocean view and the aforementioned TV cabinet. The highlight, however, is the bathroom. A white soaker tub stands front and center atop black, gray and white tiles with a circular pattern. More dusky-gray and white tiles march up and down the wall in a chevron pattern, and overseeing the scene is a white light fixture which looks decidedly like a pixelated cloud. A large steam shower with clever self-dimming windows is big enough for two, and to the right, a luxurious sauna.
We return to the atrium and pass by the Trekkie-inspired wall niches. Beyond, the hallway leads to a number of bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as a workout room with warm floor-to-ceiling cabinetry.
“Here’s the surprise,” says Tattersall, pulling on a handle. Down comes a bunk bed, then another and another – for a total of four secreted beds, a dream come true for kids of all ages.
On the way back downstairs, I notice a pair of oils by Gabrielle Anderman; the dark, monochromatic shapes make me think of massive mushrooms and dandelions gone to seed.
“It was a challenge to find fabric, furniture, art and patterns that would complement a 25-foot steel spiral staircase,” says Tattersall, showing me out. “I love the feeling of ‘exhale’ I get every time I walk in – it’s magnificent, yet warm and welcoming all at the same time. It is beautiful, and it works.”
Comfortable seating surrounds a patio firepit — ideal for kicking back and watching a Maui sunset.
