 
'The Grasses'
5,469 SF Residence
3 bedrooms, 4½ baths, art studio, home office, lanai, attached garage
700 SF Guest cottage
2 bedrooms, 1 bath.


Featured in:
La Mia Casa, June 2002
This 20,000 SF
Maui, Hawai'i oceanfront property lies at the bottom of a narrow private driveway and all
construction supplies, including tons of demolition dregs from a pre-existing older
two-story house, guest cottage and garage, passed through a 12 foot wide gate. The new
home was positioned sensitively above a rocky point with a fragile shoreline ecosystem
below; throughout construction great care was taken to assure that nothing occurred on the
job site that would adversely affect the nearby pristine water filled with colorful reef
fish, and endangered sea turtles
and whales.
The secluded residence and cottage were constructed to fulfill the Owners' dream of living
on the ocean in Hawai'i and to create a truly extraordinary environment in which to
gather family and grandchildren. The Owners - one an author, the other an entrepreneur -
prepared a "wish list" for their new home, a reinvention of the ancient Hawaiian
steep-pitched pili grass shelter incorporating up-dated uses of traditional Hawaiian
concepts. This includes a unique lanai (a sheltered open porch) and the connection to the
main rooms by going outside one to go into another... a design tradition in
late-1800s/early-1900s kama'aina (child of the land) homes. A large steep pitch
island-style roof covers the main house and allows a generous lanai to separate Hale Nui
Loa (Great Room) from the kitchen, dining and bedroom hale (house). Wood columns support
the roof just as in early Hawaiian structures. Multi-slide pocket doors act as walls
for the entry lanai and open to let the Tradewinds naturally cool the house, and upstairs
the multi-slide pocket doors open the Master Bedroom to sweeping views of Moloka'i,
Lana'i, and sunsets. A distinctive eyebrow dormer conveys natural light to the Master
Dressing and bath areas: the shower's glass panel is sandblasted with a giant wave,
imitating the waves breaking directly below. Although open to the ground floor, each of
the four bedrooms on the upper-level remain totally private. Rae Douglas low voltage
lights are featured on the exterior of the garage and in the powder room. Grade-level
large windows allow family and guests to whale-watch in the large open kitchen or while
dining. Coral walls, inside and out, give the house a subliminal connection to the nearby
ocean, and the coral enclosed shower outside the living room maintains the relationship
between house, swimming pool, and the Pacific Ocean a few feet away.
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