This Kahala Home Creates Peace Through Symmetrical Design, Water and Fire Features

A Kahala property is reimagined with emphasis on proportion and placement.

After two decades owning this Kahala property, the homeowner had a clear vision for what she wanted to change when the time was right. The home had become too much for her and her husband to maintain, so they decided to build new — and completely overhaul the property’s layout.

They enlisted Peter Vincent Architects to design the home. Its outdoor areas were just as important as the indoor living space. “The owners wanted the outdoor space to be the heart of their new home,” explains Max Guenther of Peter Vincent Architects. He worked closely with landscape architect Janine Mori of Walters, Kimura, Motoda Inc. to achieve harmony between the home and garden, and with Clifton Crawford of Pacific Pool & Spa to design and deliver a pool that would be the main attraction of the redesigned property.

The homeowner studied wind and sunlight patterns and knew precisely where the pool should be located. The redesign swaps the location of the house and the pool to take best advantage of the elements and surroundings. “The pool had to be here because it has a wonderful movement of light going toward the west. It needed to be open so that Diamond Head could be within full, free view right here,” she explains, gazing toward the magnificent landmark’s crater wall. “The whole house and property is all about proportion and placement. Symmetry was very, very important.”

With clear direction from the homeowner, Crawford refined plans for the pool and its accompanying features and built a centerpiece for the yard; his company excavated the coral shelf to make way for the pool and its plumbing.

Above ground, Crawford added subtle touches to take the visual appeal to the next level in the form of lighting and laminar jets. “Water in transit needs to be in every pool,” Crawford says. To keep in line with the symmetry of the design, he added two laminar jets beside each length of the pool. The homeowners can control how high or low the jets arch above the water, creating different moods. LED lights project within the water columns, turning them into a fantastic light show, with the ability to rotate colors in sync with the lights of the nearby spa, or hold on a specific color.

“Most people use the pool less than 10 percent of the time. This pool would be used every day, 100 percent, because that other 90 percent consists of visual, lights and sound with the water spilling into it. If you’re not swimming in it, you’re still enjoying the look and sound of it,” Crawford says.

The homeowner enjoys listening to the sound of the jets spilling into the water; she calls the feature a fountain of peacefulness. Evenings on the property are especially pleasant now, with the addition of the fire pit. Situated between the deck and the pool, the fire pit is a focal point after the sun has set. “It’s quite peaceful seeing the flames,” she says. “It’s almost like everything becomes quieter.”

The property recently completed, the homeowners are able to relax and enjoy their redesigned space. “It’s beautiful here. It’s very calm and peaceful,” she says.

Pacific Pool & Spa

At the start of this year, Pacific Pool & Spa merged with Pacific AquaScapes to become the residential division of the company. Clifton Crawford continues to be the president and RME of the design-build firm, Pacific Pool & Spa, which was previously part of his company, C & J Contracting.

Pacific Pool & Spa clients will continue to have the design expertise of Crawford’s team, now with additional resources. “We can create anything they want,” Crawford says.

Pacific AquaScapes is known for designing and building residential and commercial pools across the Islands. One of their more high-profile projects: the pool at Anaha in Ward Village, which cantilevers 15 feet over the edge of the condo building’s amenity deck.

Design Team

Architect: Max Guenther, Peter Vincent Architects

Builder: Greg Thielen, Complete Construction Services

Pool Consultant and Builder: Clifton Crawford, Pacific Pool & Spa

Landscape Architect: Janine Mori, Walters, Kimura, Motoda Inc.