Set within 4,300-acres of conserved park land, and just feet away from a black sand beach, this modest house operates entirely off-the-grid. Eschewing the showy architecture often found on the coast, this family-focused retreat is designed to disappear into the surrounding black lava field and native vegetation, including a grove of Tree Heliotropes. The house was originally designed by architect, Vladimir Ossipoff, well known for his work in Hawaii. Years of deterioration and misguided renovations crippled the home from its original glory. Undeterred, the family fell in love with the home’s simple diagram and remote location. The challenge was to strip the house back to its roots and rebuild, taking inspiration from Ossipoff while meeting contemporary requirements. The result is a one-bedroom main house, plus a three-bedroom guest cottage that together take a back seat to nature. Accessed via a one-mile drive through a lava field, the low-pitched complex emerges quietly from out of the mist.
Architecture: Walker Warner Architects
Principal: Greg Warner
Senior Project Manager: Amadeo Bennetta
Architectural Staff: Dan Baciuska, Matthew Yungert
Interiors: de la Cruz Interior Design
Landscape: David Y. Tamura Associates
Builder: Ledson Construction
Photography: Douglas Friedman
