A Heavenly Place on Kauai
With deep hues and warm comforts, Wahi Lani is a home that’s “easy to live in.”
A newly built home with extraordinary dark and light wood finishes stands majestically in a busy beachside community near Hanalei Bay on Kauai. Here, notable architecture firm Walker Warner created a functional, livable space that holds up to the rigors of Island life while providing a luxurious and peaceful respite for its owners.
Dubbed Wahi Lani, the residence embodies its Hawaiian name, which translates to “Heavenly Place,” and contains all the personal touches of a well-planned family home that supports and encourages active outdoor living.
Its design incorporates the shou sugi ban style to cedar wood, with the same materials used inside and out to keep aesthetics cohesive and create a space that flows effortlessly.
The ancient Japanese wood-charring technique of shou sugi ban imbues the cedar planks used in the home with textural, aesthetic and functional properties.
Cabinetry in light wood finishes creates an artistic interior contrast to the dark cedar plank exterior walls.
Shou sugi ban is an ancient Japanese technique that involves torching sun-dried, virgin wood planks to create a charred, black layer on the surface of the wood. After torching, the wood is brushed, washed and sealed with oil. Shou sugi ban makes the wood waterproof, weatherproof and resistant to rot, mold, bugs and fire. And it has an artistic effect, adding natural organic patterns, texture and a lovely crackled veneer to wood surfaces.
“We chose shou sugi ban for both aesthetic and practical reasons. Visually, it ties the home to the ever-present lava of the Islands, and practically, it is very durable,” says Kathy Scott, a partner and architect at Walker Warner and Wahi Lani project leader.
Exposed framing and beams add architectural interest and draw the eye up. Scott and the project team also strategically incorporated extensive skylights throughout the house. One of them, long and rectangular running the length of the kitchen, allows sunlight to glow on the sink and counter.
Luxe midcentury light fixtures introduce visually interesting shapes into the interior design.
The wood walls finished in the shou sugi ban style add elegance and rich hues, creating a sophisticated ambience.
The residence surrounds a courtyard and its focal piece: a sparkling blue pool. Inspired by midcentury modern courtyard homes found in Palm Springs, Scott combined California vibes with Hawaii’s unique culture, environment and lifestyle.
A midcentury chandelier floats above the living room with gold connectors and over a dozen large round lamps, its shapes and texture making for a visually interesting arrangement. A dog run next to the pool and a kennel cleverly disguised as a sideboard are sleek, custom spaces for the family’s four-legged friends to enjoy.
Wahi Lani was designed with the homeowners’ active lifestyles in mind.
And the place was built with a surfer’s lifestyle in mind: Outdoors, along with the seating area and pool, are showers, an indoor-outdoor gym, a sauna and surfboards. The main rooms of the house look into the courtyard.
“It truly feels like an outdoor living experience,” says Scott. The home “reinforces the connection to the flora, fauna, weather and sounds endemic to Hawaii. It’s easy to live in.”
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