Coral House featured in the new 2023 Awards issue of California H+D magazine.

EVEN BEFORE SUSTAINABILITY goals were factored in, a project located
on the south shore of Maui presented a full programmatic agenda for
Philpotts Interiors and de Reus Architects. The strikingly contemporary
new-build residence is designed to support the multigenerational
recreation and work needs of active clients, plus a rooftop wellness and
meditation rooftop area—all within what would be a net-zero and LEED
Silver–certified structure.

The oceanfront four-bedroom, four-bath Coral House ultimately
demonstrates “the idea of taking the DNA of a place, and the fusion of
culture and craftsmanship,” says Marion Philpotts-Miller, principal of
Honolulu-based Philpotts Interiors. These values have to be balanced
with questions that guide environmental sustainability concerns. Features
like effective insulation, stormwater management and photovoltaic solar
panels are key tools, but an astonishing site calls for elevated aesthetics
that honor its singular beauty.

“The home’s architecture is both contemporary and casual, benefitting its
coastal neighborhood, intended family use and a less-is-better approach
that results in a minimalist aesthetic and restraint,” says Mark de Reus,
founding partner of de Reus Architects. The horizontally oriented home
sits gently on the land, with pocketing doors at the ground level that bring
the indoors out, and vice versa, along with durable and context-sensitive
features such as coral stone walls and aluminum brise-soleil screens. A
lava-stone-clad infinity pool appears to slip into the horizon line. Neutral
tones are serene and respectful of context, while the cool fusion blue
granite used in the kitchen and the open-plan great room connects the
interiors to the ocean and flows “as one color story,” Philpotts-Miller
explains. The green roof at the set-back second level supports yoga and
meditation practices and is in visual conversation with the landscape.

The team has to be additionally mindful of environmental impacts
throughout the design decision-making and building process when
working in a remote location like the Hawaiian Islands. Thankfully,
Philpotts Interiors draws from its extensive experience in the region
and longstanding relationships with vendors and makers. Minimizing
waste is a priority, and “the clients’ design direction helped us to use
locally sourced woods,” Anne Tanaka, a senior designer, says. Custom
furnishings and millwork details executed with local woods, including
mango, monkeypod and ohia, have an intense richness behind every
application, whether it’s the powder room vanity or the dining table
fabricated by Maui Custom Woodworks. “We were able to design some
beautiful things,” Philpotts-Miller says. Benches and coffee tables crafted
from teak roots, for instance, pass another crucial sustainability test in
that they are made to last. “Those pieces will be in that family for a long
time,” she adds.

– Jessica Ritz of  California H+D Magazine