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Luxury Homes Ocean Majesty
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| Ocean Majesty |
| Written by Linda Hayes |
| December 27, 2007 |
|
Don and Joy Nelson's Maui beach house reflects their love of the ocean - inside and out.  "It was all about the location," says Oakland, California's Golden State Warriors head coach Don Nelson of the prime Kihei beach site on which he and his wife, Joy, chose to build a Maui getaway nearly a dozen years ago. "Our priorities were being right on the water with a nice sand beach, and being able to walk to restaurants and stores. This had all the criteria we were looking for." The property, which Joy discovered after scouring the west side of the Island with a friend and checking out some 18 lots, came with another major feature—a three-bedroom ranch house that was once a WWII Army Officers Headquarters. A ruined Army bunker sat half-buried in the sand.  After ruling out a remodel, the Nelsons set the wheels of homebuilding and design in motion. Again, there were priorities. "I wanted a single-story, open house where we could live indoors and out, and be able to hose off the floors if we wanted," Don relates. Bringing all of this to fruition fell to Joy. "We worked so well together," she recalls. "Don had the ideas and I carried them out."With the help of Rick Ryniak, AIA, of Rick Ryniak Architects in Lahaina, a plan for the three-bedroom, ranch-style home's 3,000 square feet (4,000 if you count the länais) of living space was drawn. Significant details included numerous pocket and sliding glass doors, which Joy says, "make the walls go away" when they're open. The single-level layout allowed for every major room to face the ocean. The concept of hosing off the inside, which Don says they've never actually done, was addressed by laying the same natural, Arizona flagstone inside as out. For help with the interiors, Joy called upon designer Kristin Holmes, ASID, of Swan Interiors in Kihei. "We liked her style from the beginning," says Joy of Holmes. "To get an idea of what kinds of things appealed to me and what kind of moods I wanted to create, she gave me a stack of magazines and asked me to pick out things I liked. I was very impressed with that."  "As a designer, I'm a detective in a way," Holmes relates. "Clients have to give me clues, and from those clues I have to paint a picture. Usually, when everything is put together, the end result is something nicer than they ever imagined."The most significant clues were about what the home's color palette should be. Outside, the white siding and blue concrete tile roof was inspired by architecture the Nelson's experienced on a trip to Santorini, Greece. But for the inside, the natural colors of the beach were most influential. "Joy wanted colors and materials that reflected what she saw when she looked outside, surf and sand," Holmes says. Two main areas of the Nelson's home, the open living and dining rooms, are perfect examples of how that requirement was achieved. A key element is a pair of matching textural rugs that Holmes designed in multiple shades of blue and beige. "They look like waves flowing into the house and curling onto the sand," says Joy. In the living room, a linen sofa the color of light sand and leather-topped coffee and side tables, with sea-grass legs, seem to float atop the waves. The dining room features a natural, stone-top side table and solid wood dining table, chenille chairs and brilliant artwork by Maui artist Piero Resta. After openness and color, the home's layout and décor needed to be welcoming and function well as a party house. "The idea of the place was for family and friends to be able to gather and relax and socialize," says Holmes. "Everything supports that."  Take the ample kitchen, for instance. It was designed with both linear, granite-topped counters (a bit taller than normal to accommodate Don's height) and commercial-style appliances, as well as a large, semi-circular island workspace with seating for a half-dozen guests. "I wanted the kitchen area to be open so that our guests could be with me when I'm cooking and maybe even sit on the other side of the counter and peel vegetables," Joy says.For everyone's privacy, the master bedroom and two guest rooms were positioned on different ends of the house. All three make use of natural colors and materials, and have lots of natural light and ocean views. Outside the ocean side of the house, the main focus is, naturally, on water. A peaceful länai edges a trio of deep blue water features, including a 25-yard lap pool, a hot tub and a wading tub, the idea for which was borrowed from the home of a good friend, Maui restaurateur Bob Longhi. Pathways offer easy access to the beach, while swaying palms and a garden hedge provide privacy.  Reflecting on their Maui home, it's clear that both the location and the lifestyle it affords remain true to their initial intentions. "The house fits in with this environment so well, with the sun, sand, and surf colors and the natural materials," Joy says. "It wouldn't be as beautiful if it was just plopped down in the mountains or the city somewhere. It belongs where it is." "It's our favorite place, a sanctuary," adds Don. "We're there every chance we get." |
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