The Countertop That Started It All The beautiful blue and beige tones visible throughout the home’s living areas were inspired, believe it or not, by the Blue Makauba kitchen countertop. “It’s a material our builder, John Kaahui, of Web Development, had in his storage room,” says Long. “I just fell in love with the material. Lacey and her team started bringing in fabrics I’d never seen before and really started working with this blue. They did color studies throughout the house that made sure the rest of the colors would work closely with it. Everything was incorporated into that.”

Interior designer Lacey Mikulich mixed and matched fabric patterns for an eclectic feel that really works. “We have a beautiful piece of furniture complemented with a piece of fabric you don’t normally see,” she says. “It’s really quite stunning.”

The high glass line separating the indoor area from the outdoors beyond helps bring the view in. “It’s almost like there’s no wall,” Long says.

Color, light and fantastic views; from its landscaping to its gorgeous wooden details to its bold green roofing and blue ocean backdrop, this home submitted by Jeffrey Long, AIA, of Long & Associates, has it all. It’s the kind of place you dream about—one that evokes tranquility and peace. There are secluded bedrooms and open, spacious living areas, all with views of the ocean beyond. It’s no wonder that the homeowners love where they live.

Defined by its architects as a plantation home with bits of New England cottage style thrown in, the home sits on the 12th hole of the Kapalua Bay Golf Course in Maui’s highly sought-after Pineapple Hill Estates community.

It’s brand new. But, as Jeffrey Long, AIA, president of Long & Associates, will tell you, it’s not intended to look that way. “We wanted it to be a symphony of materials and experiences that would bring you back to a familiarity both with a style that you’re comfortable with as well as echoes of a tradition and heritage we’ve had in Hawaii for hundreds of years,” he says.

The accessible style Long describes comes largely from his own history. “I grew up in Virginia and traveled to the beaches of Maine,” says Long. “So a lot of my inspiration comes from what I’d refer to as a comfort home. Not unlike comfort food, a comfort home brings back feelings you had when you were growing up. They were happy, they were fun, they were filled with opportunity. You didn’t have any pressures on you.”

The style notes are reinforced by interior designer Lacey Mikulich. “When I was growing up, my father would salvage old Victorian homes. He’d go to old homes that were going to be torn down and take the trim, salvage the doors, really take inspiration,” she says.

So how did they marry East and West Coast cottage comfort with traditional Hawaii plantation sensibilities?

The answer lies first in Long’s choice of architectural elements. “We were careful to create transoms,” says Long, who worked closely with project architect Jason V. McBride to design the home’s structural elements. “A lot of window openings have a band of glass above them. It’s a very New England thing that’s carried through.”  Crown molding and chair rails are also carried out throughout the home’s interior, along with high base boards.

And although the Mainland’s eastern coastline is nicely represented, Long stresses the importance of not going too far. “We tried to play down beadboard and other fussy elements that sometimes cluttered the vision of the house, especially in a house this size [5,067 square feet]. Sometimes things are great in a small cottage, but once you get them in a big home, it’s overwhelming.”

That’s where plantation elements come in. They provided a great balance to the classic and traditional Mainland design. First step? A nod to the ocean. “The Hawaiian relationship with the sea has always been evident,” says Mikulich. “So we wanted to keep with that relationship also—and develop it further and integrate it throughout.” To accomplish this, Long designed a high glass line in the main living area of the home (window height in this area reaches about 10 feet).

“It’s almost like there’s no wall,” Long says. “It’s a spectacular setting. Looking out into the ocean and the whales … you couldn’t have a better postcard for Maui.”

Add double-pitched green roofs and high, cedar plank ceilings (19 feet tall in the grand hall and media area) for the ultimate in open airiness. “That’s clearly a Hawaii thing, the high ceilings. For a one-story-maximum neighborhood, we were able to maximize the height and give the space a large feel, which we see in plantation homes,” says Long. Custom paintings by Aaron Padilla take on traditional motifs, such as Hawaiian quilt patterns, as well.

“The front door is certainly the eye of the home,” says Long. “It greets you and allows you to focus on the entryway.”

Finally, decorative elements on the home’s front and back exterior echo plantation handrail design. Scaled down, says Long, it’s something you’ll see in Old Hawaii homes. “We increased the size of it in order to add scale to the house.”

A longer walk outside takes onlookers through a colorful, tropical landscape designed by Michael Motoda, principal at Walters, Kimura, Motoda Inc. “Not unlike the interior of the house, splashes of color outside were something we wanted to handle well,” says Long. “Clients say, ‘We love Hawaii—the ginger, the white gardenias—the color explosion.’ So we’ve learned over time that bringing it forward at the entrance, allowing the green to envelop you as you come in, really makes a statement.” To add to the wow factor, a circular vignette anchored by Phoenix palms makes its mark on the tree-lined driveway.

From inside out, Long and his team are ecstatic with the results of this project. “This is like following a thread,” he says. “It starts out as a little trickle and then, as we bring on the entire team, everybody gets excited and they bring inspiration to each room.”




Mikulich agrees. “When we finished the project, it was great to have the celebration—to see people walk through and say, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’” 

Warm yellow hues make this guest bedroom an inviting, comfort-filled getaway.