It’s an
important part of an architect’s art and business to educate clients
and, at times, implement their less than inspirational decisions. But
the virtuosity of an unleashed artist can work architectural wonders
for a homeowner with ambitious stylistic goals.
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| Teak
columns, carved in what Liaw calls a strongly feminine shape, frame the
view from the lanai. Fish fountains in the pond were designed by Liaw,
and fabricated in Indonesia. |
An exquisite example is one of Hawaii Loa Ridge’s newest homes, designed by architect Tamya Liaw.
Her
unfettered artistic abilities were requested by a pair of newlywed
homeowners who live in Taiwan. During an enchanted honeymoon in Bali,
they fell in love with Balinese design. The wife, Ms. Lin, describes
the ambiance there as “soothing and relaxing; it really matched the
environment of Hawaii,” where she and her husband were planning to
build a vacation home. She found Liaw through a mutual acquaintance and
gave her free rein.
“What
I appreciate about what Tamya does, is that she doesn’t copy,” comments
Lin. “She went to Bali to research designs, and examined books and
magazines with photographs of designs I liked. But she comes out with a
combination of a slight modern and traditional Balinese touch that is
her own original design. I think she’s a very creative architect.”
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| (Left):
The husband’s study is connected to the home by a bridge, giving him
plenty of privacy to read and relax. (Right): The living room is full
of custom-made wood carvings, including the wood panel that cleverly
covers an unsightly A/C vent. |
The
house sits atop ponds, as in a traditional Balinese garden, privately
aloof in a lofty, cliffside neighborhood, tiptoeing on the 18-percent
grade to catch the east Honolulu view. Even among unwieldy McMansions,
Liaw achieved intimacy. She took advantage of the property’s prime
location, building up as high as possible and completely opening the
home’s 180-degree ocean-facing walls with a surfeit of windows and
pocketed sliding glass doors.
“This
is a Balinese tendency, to connect the indoors with the outdoors,” says
Liaw, who designed a 1,200-square-foot, wraparound coral stone lanai.
“Balinese design is very much in harmony with nature, but then they
make a very clear distinction that this is manmade, and that is
natural. This geometric shape is manmade, but what’s inside is
natural.”
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| The
living room is dominated by an Indonesian daybed, behind which stands
an enormous, masterfully-carved, teak wall partition, one of the many
Southeast Asian antique art pieces in Lin’s collection. |
The
core of the property design, the study, fully abides by this maxim.
Separated from the house by a pair of rectangular ponds—a staple of
Balinese homes, according to Liaw—the study’s ocean-facing walls
feature floor-to-ceiling double windows. “My husband likes to read and
not be disturbed, so I wanted his study room to be isolated,” says Lin.
“So we had this idea that he would walk over a bridge.” On the backside
of the study, another rectangular pond stretches to the feet of an
enormous stone Buddha, haloed in the azure of the spectacular sky and
Pacific Ocean.
To
evoke the Balinese indoor-outdoor style throughout the house, Liaw
designed a bamboo weave ceiling, framed by gleaming Douglas fir
rafters. The rafters were repeatedly sanded to mimic the appearance of
mahogany, and then routed along the edge for a sophisticated touch.
Liaw credits her general contractor, Jeff Daniel, for his hard work
installing the ceiling, among many other design goals, with quality
construction.
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| (Left):
Synergy between the architect’s design and the homeowner’s antique
accent pieces completed the Balinese motif. (Right): Liaw’s passion for
detail is evident in the wood rosettes covering the holes where the
bolts go into the rafters, and at the peak of the ceiling where an
intricately carved teak panel covers the joints. |
The home’s design is a case of happy client and satisfied architect.
“The best way to let an architect do a good job is to just trust her totally,” says Lin.
Liaw
couldn’t agree more: “She let me do whatever I wanted! Everything I
brought to her she said, Wonderful, wonderful. So, I’m very happy.”
