TRIPLE PLAY

A TRIO OF NATURAL AND MANMADE LANDSCAPE ELEMENTS DEFINE A HAWAII HOME’S DESIGN

- J. MICHAEL WELTON

A mountain view, an ocean vista, and an archeological dig drove the design of a new home on Maui’s Makena coastline.

“We can see the ocean when we’re turning to the right, and the mountain when we turn to the left,” says Jim Schloemer, who built the home with his wife, Andrea. “The sun rises over the mountain to the east and sets on the ocean to the west.”

He’s talking about the Pacific Ocean, just 22 feet below his new home. The mountain is called Haleakalā, which means “House of the Sun.” A dormant volcano, it rises to 10,000 feet in the distance and is visible throughout the house. “There are little balconies in every room with a mountain view—even the bathrooms,” says Marion Philpotts-Miller, partner at Philpotts Interiors in Honolulu.

The site is a little over an acre, with one-third deed-restricted as an archeological preservation area. Before the Schloemers bought it, ancient artifacts—some carbon dated back to 400 AD—were discovered there. “Once that happens, landowners are required to bring in an archeologist to discover their significance,” Schloemer says. “Because of the historical connection, that area can only be used for planting and landscaping—so we’re fortunate to have a large garden of native plants.”