Standing in the warm golden sunlight pouring in through the glass ceiling overhead, the homeowner shakes her head and looks around. “You know, when my husband and I were looking for homes, I hadn’t even considered Manoa,” she admits, pausing for a moment. Then a smile washes over her as she continues: “But as soon as I walked in here, I just knew. This was it.”
around a vivacious 15-foot-tall ficus tree, symbolic of how both man-made
and organic resources work together throughout the home.
Photo: Olivier Koning
Tucked away in the valley, the house is nestled on the side of a lush wooded slope that yields stunning panoramic views, spanning mauka to makai. Built in 1990, the original property was designed by Darrell “Buck” Welch, a local architect known for skillfully weaving together indoor and outdoor spaces.
After acquiring the house in 2000, the homeowners settled into their mountain abode, working jobs, raising a family and enjoying life as it happened.
But for all its quiet valley romance, eventually the home needed a renovation. Time had moved forward, but certain elements, like the egg-crate ceilings and enclosed kitchen plan, had not.
