HILUXURY – Hawaii Luxury Magazine

Photos courtesy Augie Salbosa

Photos courtesy Augie Salbosa

Rich teak flooring and trim against a neutral color palette make for a striking contrast. A pair of dramatic curved staircases from the main living space lead to either east or west wing

Photos courtesy Augie Salbosa

The home is offered furnished, and includes elaborately carved pieces from Bali.

Photos courtesy Augie Salbosa

The dining area is privy to cool breezes and serene sounds of a fountain, filled with waterlilies and koi.

Eclecticism and elegance in a Hawaii Loa Ridge home

Step beyond stone lions guarding this Mediterranean-style manor’s gently terraced path, and you’re slowly seduced into a distant land. Lush landscape teases you toward a Buddhist statue conjuring visions of Indonesia, and gargoyles perched above the living room stir the imagination to some place South of France. If not for breathtaking views of Diamond Head and the Kahala coast, you’d feel as though you were somewhere else.

With roots as romantic as the faraway places it transports you to, this 6,643-square-foot chateau in esteemed Hawaii Loa Ridge began as a sketch on a cocktail napkin by its owner, as he interviewed architect Jim Schmidt in a coffee shop – proof that some of the world’s best plans really are born that way.

The homeowners, a successful hedge-fund investor originally from Utah, and his wife, from Brazil, travel extensively and have deep affinity for Asia, Bali and the Mediterranean. It was only natural they desired their Hawaii-based home reflect the ultimate in sophistication from those regions. The result strikes a fine balance of classic architectural style, interior integrity and livability in an eight-bedroom, six full bathroom and four half-bathroom oasis that will stand the test of time.

“It’s built to last for centuries and will age as beautifully” as those along the Mediterranean, says the owner.

His wife basks in its tranquil ambience. “When I’m in the poolroom, it could be Monday but it feels like a Friday.”

The luxury of this Puuikena Street home is indeed soothing, not stiff. Elegance, understatement and timelessness were key mandates in its design, evident in fine appointments throughout, from built-in antiques to filigree-style treatment on the concave ceiling.

Rich teak from Bali – some reclaimed from abandoned temples – is at least 100 years old, therefore cured and resistant to termites and warping in the balmy Hawaii climate. Artistic and functional, the wood is used in everything from flooring, cabinetry, trims and doors intricately carved by an Italian master craftsman, to wall and ceiling embellishment.