a custom vacation home in Küki‘o on the Big Island blends “rough” and “smooth” into a comfortable tropical retreat

Hawai‘i is smooth, but it can also be rough. So said author and part-time Hawai’i resident Paul Theroux. The smoothness comes from the laid-back Island lifestyle, flawless tropical weather, and serene Pacific vistas that go on forever. The roughness comes from occasional minor inconveniences like typhoons and volcanoes.

This Island duality is cheerfully reflected in a custom vacation home on the Big Island, designed for the Kevin Knight family.  Indoors and out, the home is comfy-cozy, an ideal family retreat…smooth as can be.

Yet the structure is situated on the coastline between two major 19th century lava flows, a reminder of the ruggedness that underlies Hawai’i itself. Architects and designers made use of both smooth lines and soothing colors, blended with occasional rough, authentic local materials in creating the Knights’ home.

The residence was built by Linthicum Custom Builders on the Kona Coast in the Kūki‘o development, a private oceanfront residential golf community. Natural elements like ‘a‘ā (lava rock) walls, native ‘ōhi‘a lehua wood gates and pillars are combined with simple coconut palm landscaping to create a classic Hawaiian coastal setting.

This five-bedroom, five and a half bath single-story home has close to 8,800 total square feet, of which 5,500 is living area, with almost 1,800 square feet for outdoor use. Architect Bing Hu of H & S International explained the owners envisioned a Hawaiian home in which they could relax and enjoy time with their family. To this end, Hu designed the house to offer maximum comfort in an easy, casual island setting that allowed for indoor-outdoor living.

Janet Brooks, ASID (Brooks-Henry Interior Design Studio), in collaboration with Linthicum and H & S, made the Knight residence the kind of place you don’t want to leave once you arrive.

“The family wanted lots of space for lounging and spending time together,” said Jeannine Doyle, executive vice president of Linthicum Custom Builders. Following this directive, Brooks selected custom built furniture throughout while keeping design elements simple. Brooks said, “conceptually, we tried to create understated, clean lines without too much detail using local wood, stone and woven grass mat area rugs.”

In pursuit of a smooth look that invokes the surrounding sand and sea, Brooks chose soft beiges, greens and blues that rely more on subtle texture than busy patterns and images to give the home the relaxed atmosphere the owners wanted.

The home is entered through the living room, passing through pocketed sliding doors which remain, more often than not, open to take full advantage of year-round mild temperatures, cooling breezes and near constant sunshine.

Throughout the kitchen, living area and other common rooms Brooks chose Marbella moonstone, a light, subtly fossilized limestone laid in 24" x 24" tiles. The honed finish reduces reflection of overhead light and adds to an overall more sophisticated feel.

Each of the four guest bedroom suites, the master bedroom suite and the office have tiger wood flooring which has a dark, rich, natural look, leading from the indoor spaces towards the pool or courtyard. Each bedroom has an outdoor garden shower while indoor bathrooms have their own character with individual slab counter tops and matching floors of marble and limestone.

Exterior living space which, in the Hawaiian home, is really just an extension of the indoors with less defined walls, plays an essential role in the Knight’s home and is a favorite place for the family to gather, relax and play. With outdoor bathrooms, kitchen and plenty of cozy furniture around the pool and in the landscaped courtyard, there’s hardly reason to go inside.

Outdoor spaces are bordered with rugged “blue rock” lava quarried locally and installed by Hawaiian Rockscaping Ltd. Owner Camilo Ramirez explained blue rock is a deeper, heavier basalt excavated with heavy equipment, pounded into smaller sections and hand selected for choice pieces that work well as walls, pool and spa veneers and focal points like the home’s front entry.

“We chose the best rock with flat faces and chipped all rock for a clean fit on the four walls around the house,” Ramirez said.

Although not far from the beach, the home has a custom built free-form pool and elevated spa with infinity edge, giving the yard a graceful accent and ideal place to start the morning or cool off before sunset. Mick Chavez-Pardini of Kai Pono Builders described the pool as 50 by 20 feet with a French curve and lava rock finish and spillway.

Special care was taken in selecting cobalt blue tiles for a cooler, more subdued look than the YMCA pool you played in as a kid. Poolside outdoor furniture like the over-sized round chaise were selected by Brooks from JANUS et Cie collections, providing the perfect spot to curl up with a book, unwind with a mai-tai or just lay back and watch the clouds.

When night falls, or on the occasional blustery day, the pocketed sliding doors can be closed to create a protected interior that’s spacious but cozy. The sliding doors, like the interior doors and baseboards, are Honduran mahogany.

Indoor furniture was chosen by Brooks from boutique workrooms like S.R. Drost of Scottsdale which custom designed a large inverted L-shaped sectional sofa upholstered in a woven raffia fabric by Greystone with Arc-com fabric cushions. The common living areas are defined by sturdy rectangular columns clad in pomelle sapele, a wood reminiscent of mahogany.

Interior art was selected by Linda Corderman of Corderman Art Resources who, like Hu, Brooks and Linthicum Custom Builders, succeeded in creating and appointing a home as though it was built by family for family.

As the saying goes, everyone must “take the rough with the smooth” in life. For the Knight family, this mix is smoothly beautiful…and roughly perfect.