At Home (Feb 2007) - GM Construction, Inc.

at home
FEBRUARY 2007
living with style in west hawaii
Splendor
in Hualalai
Contemporary home blends
substance with luxury
Island
Inspirations
Luxury residence in
Hualalai Resort offers
serenity,
substance
and elements
in balance
T
By Fern Gavelek
he beauty of nature combines with fine art and craftsmanship
in the Hualalai Resort home of K.C. and Toni Knudson. Here
the difference between indoors and out are blurred and luxury
living has a casual elegance.
“This home was created to emphasize nature and the outdoors,” says
Toni, an interior designer by trade. “We truly enjoy the indoor-outdoor
lifestyle that is the hallmark of living in the tropics.”
Visitors to the Knudson home first walk on a lush lawn that
conceals a driveway, which is really Grasscrete, a grass paving system
reinforced by concrete and plastic. Passing through a dark wooden gate
with bamboo panels — which doubles as the front door and matches
the garage door — you enter a lush courtyard. A short lava-rock
pathway leads to a bronze, two-toned sculpture by Bay Area artist
14 at home in west hawaii/ february 2007
(Above): The dramatic entryway unfolds into the Great Room, where the lines between indoor and outdoor living merge.
(Opposite Left): An 1898 portrait by Hubert Vos, titled “Iokepa, Hawaiian Fisher Boy,” serves as the focal point of the dining room (see cover).
Photo by Linny Morris
at home in west hawaii/ february 2007 15
Photo by Linny Morris
(Above): In the living room, Lionel Walden’s 1908 painting, “Crashing Waves,” sets the tone. A mirror behind the piano allows guests to see the pianist’s hands.
(Opposite Right): In one of the guest bedrooms, Comelia Foley etchings hang above a bed dressed with Asian-inspired fabric. Water hyacinth “wave bench” is featured, while a striae faux finish on the walls gives the room additional texture.
Archie Held, called “Lovers.” Water trickling down
the wavy lines of gleaming metal evokes a feeling of
tranquil motion.
If it weren’t for the raised ceiling, you wouldn’t
know you had stepped indoors via a retractable wall
of pocket windows. Straight ahead through the Great
Room, there’s another “window wall” that opens to the
full splendor of an infinity-edge pool. The water seems
to overflow into a panorama of the ocean, which is back
dropped by Maui.
“The walls of glass make the indoor-outdoor space
appear to be one,” observes Toni, president of W Interiors,
who designed the house “from the ground up” with her
associate partner, Gina Willman, ASID, of Waimea, and
design/build contractor Gregg Todd of GM Construction.
Elsewhere in the home, smaller glass walls expand
16 at home in west hawaii/ february 2007
Bronze water sculpture created by
Bay Area artist Archie Held.
bathrooms to private courtyards appointed with outdoor
showers. In the master bedroom, retractable pockets
doors include African mahogany louvers for room
darkening.
Toni describes the interior décor as “contemporary
Hawaiian” and she uses textures that also bring
the outside in. “We try to keep tones neutral and a
reflection of nature,” she explains. “In the master bath,
for example, the bamboo rendition on the tile gives a
tropical feel without being contrived.”
Subtle tropical influences are also found in the
polished coconut shell table, a “wave bench” fashioned
from water hyacinth and window shades made of grass
cloth. Light-walnut Turkish travertine graces the floors
throughout and offers a neutral tone, while several of the
rugs were commissioned locally by Indich Collection.
Photo by Linny Morris
at home in west hawaii/ february 2007 17
Photo by Linny Morris
Office furniture and finishes
were kept dark so that K.C.’s
collection of Joseph Sharp’s
paintings of Oahu would “pop
off the wall.”
Maui-based artist Avi Kiriaty is on display.
The twin guest room is Toni’s
favorite room. Whimsical fabric is
featured on the pillow sham, but
other finishes are mostly textural
including wall covering, shell
accent pillows and woven-grass
roman shades.
Photo by Linny Morris
The panoramic, crescent-shaped pool with infinity edge was angled on the lot for the maximum ocean view above
the golf course. A recessed shelf in the pool provides an inviting area for lounging and sunning.
Photo by Linny Morris
18 at home in west hawaii/ february 2007
at home in west hawaii/ february 2007 19
SPLASH SUPER; 28p5.159; 5.5 in; Black plus one; 358490
20 at home in west hawaii/ february 2007
Photo by Linny Morris
Photo by Linny Morris
Walls are painted with a faux finish for a variety of
beautiful textured looks including Venetian plaster.
K.C.’s historical Hawaiian art collection takes
center stage in the Great Room and includes turn-ofthe-century works by Lionel Walden and Hubert Vos.
Throughout the house, island-inspired art showcases
boldly colored paintings by Avi Kiriaty, kapa cloth
by local artist Puanani Van Dorpe, woodblocks by
Cornelia Foley and landscapes by Joseph Sharp.
“We used a local art consultant to find some of these
pieces,” details Toni. “It’s great to work with people
who are true specialists.”
“Hawaii has so many different stylistic influences,
from Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific Island,” adds Gina
An enormous, circular
lounge chair is an
inviting retreat for
guests, poolside.
A stunning concrete bathtub is the focal point of the master bathroom. A travertine-clad pillar conceals
the plumbing and allows the water to spill like a sheet, filling the sculptural tub. The master bath opens
out to a bamboo and river rock garden with a lava-rock backdrop. “We curved the shower wall to give
the psychological feeling of it being a bit more enclosed,” says designer Gina Willman.
(Above Left): Bas-relief art piece in the entry courtyard complements the “Lovers” water sculpture.
KOEHNENS
; 28p5.159; 5.5 in; Black; 358507
A dramatic headboard in the master bedroom symbolizes ‘strong unity’ according to Feng Shui principles. The neutral color palette and layers of textural fabrics help create an elegant sanctuary.
HWN SOLAR SV; 28p5.159; 5.5 in; Black; 358511
B I FLOOR CO; 28p5.159; 5.5 in; Black plus one; 358519
at home in west hawaii/ february 2007 21
KITCHEN CABI; 28p5.159; 5.5 in; Black plus one; 358350
22 at home in west hawaii/ february 2007
Photo by Karen Anderson
with educational and medical expenses.
Other at-home gatherings have included classical
music concerts and opera performances to benefit
the Hamakua Music Festival and Hawaii Performing
Arts. Toni says she can open both of the Great Room’s
window walls to maximize space, which allows
seating to spill out to the lanai. “We’ve had parties and
comfortably entertained 100 people,” she says.
Besides supporting the performing arts, the couple
sponsors up-and-coming tennis players and hosts
TILE WAREHOU; 28p5.159; 5.5 in; Black; 358349
The Knudsons host concerts
in their home to benefit local
organizations including the
Hualalai Ohana Foundation and
the Hamakua Music Festival.
Renowned pianist Stanislav
Ioudenitch was one of their
guest performers.
top-ten touring pros at their home who come here to train
on their way to the Australian Open. A separate guesthouse
with entry from the courtyard is a comfortable retreat for
friends, complete with all the accoutrements like a wet bar
and fridge.
Besides the Great Room and adjacent kitchen, the main
house has two guest rooms, an office and a media room
that transforms into a theater with the touch of a button. It
boasts a 110-inch screen and room-darkening shades, all
retractable. Crestron remote-touch screens are positioned
throughout the house to control the audio/visual system.
Panels at the entry to each room manually control lighting
and are handily identified by their use: to illuminate art,
to help with specific tasks like reading or to provide soft,
ambient cove lighting.
“Having the lights ID’d is helpful, especially for
guests,” details Toni.
Every detail, no matter how simple, is thoroughly
considered.
“Because guests are sure to use the powder room,
our aim is to make it look like a little ‘jewel box,’” says
Gina. The custom vanity, fabricated by Hap Tallman of
Heartwood Works in Hawi, has a cast-stone countertop
with inlaid Asian medallions and a granite vessel sink. The
sleek faucet resembles a stalk of bamboo.
“When designing a home, we think about how it would
be if I were living in it,” shares Toni. “Gina and I make
sure it’s workable and aesthetically beautiful.” AH
HOME CONVENI; 28p5.159; 5.5 in; Black; 358510
Photo by Linny Morris
Willman, CEO of W Interiors. “In this home, we blur
the lines to create a drama of its own kind.”
The home boasts 6,498 square feet “under roof”
and won two American Society of Interior Designers
(ASID) awards: Award of Excellence for Single
Space for the master bath with its dramatic, freestanding sculptural tub, and an Award of Honor Large
Residential.
Full-time residents, the Knudsons do a lot of
entertaining. The kitchen is a caterer’s dream with an
enormous 12-foot working island, four dishwasher
drawers, large Sub-Zero icemaker, wine cave (minifridge) and a handy pot-filler faucet positioned
conveniently above the Wolf range. Handsome Baltic
brown granite comprises all the countertops. Kitchen
cabinets, like the rest of the wood trim in the house, are
crafted of a deep-hued African mahogany.
The adjacent Great Room has a dramatic diningroom ensemble that seats 10, a beige sofa and chairs
tucked into a cozy corner and a Steinway grand piano.
K.C. plays classical piano as his hobby and enjoys
hosting visiting performers for fundraisers held at
their home to benefit local organizations. Recently,
they featured Van Cliburn Gold Medal-winning pianist
Stanislav Ioudenitch to raise money for the Hualalai
Ohana Foundation (of which K.C. is president),
founded by the homeowner’s association to assist
employees of the Four Seasons and Hualalai Resort
Asian influences define the guest powder room, featuring a cast-stone countertop with
medallion inlays, a granite vessel sink and a faucet resembling a stalk of bamboo.
FITE’S FURNI; 28p5.159; 5.5 in; Black plus one; 358365
at home in west hawaii/ february 2007 23