Marin Magazine
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featuring
KAUAI RESIDENCE
“ The longtime Ross residents…Asked Sutton Suzuki Architects…to design the Kauai residence in a sophisticated homage to the bustling sugar mill that once operated down the road. ”
“When the Potters commissioned Sutton Suzuki to build their Hawai‘i home, they weren’t aware that Ron Sutton had been a student of Hawai‘i’s historical styles when he launched his architectural career on the Big Island 30 years earlier. They were already admirers from the work he had done on their 100-year-old shingled cottage in Ross, CA years before.”
The Kauai family vacation home spanning 6,200 square feet offers leisure and comfort at every turn. The traditional lanai is an integral part of Hawaiian homes, offering shelter from the rain or sun. The homeowners’ daughter’s wedding was even held on the lanai when rain made her lawn ceremony impossible. The spa pool below is perfect for a quick, relaxing dip if the beach water proves too cold.
The beach house family retreat serves as two houses in one – one for the homeowner couple and the other for their three adult children with families. The two wings can be connected or separated depending on the needs of those residing at the moment; a covered lanai balcony acts as communal space. Instead of a standard Hawaiian design, the homeowners requested a more sophisticated style, so the stucco and white trims brought out a 1930’s and ‘40’s European-influenced Hawaiian look. The overall impression i s of a home firmly rooted in time.
Due to the house’s location in a tsunami zone, it needed to be raised five fee off the ground. Guests arrive and step into the lanai at the top of the stairs before entering the house. The dining area of the formal great room features historic old beams and rafters shipped from California for a sense of time and place and the feel of an older building. High-vaulted ceilings dissipate heat and humidity for a comfortable getaway ambience. The master bedroom provides views out to the beach and coastline; the ceiling’s traditional wood trims and old Hawaii-style fans give it volume. The master bedroom possesses high windows to open for ventilation, a series of shutters for privacy, carrara marble countertops, and a view into the garden-simple materials for a traditionadesign.