Hawaii’s “war on ugliness” finds a champion in Marmol Radziner

When artists Gabrielle Anderman and Bennett Cale considered a new home on the island of Maui, they chose Los Angeles-based design-build practice Marmol Radziner. Not only for the firm’s renowned clean aesthetic, but also because the firm AD100 was a potential crusader in a war.

Specifically, Hawaii “War on Ugliness.”

The campaign battle was declared in 1964 by Vladimir Ossipoff (1907-1998), of Russian origin, the couple’s favorite architect. Ossipoff, who was raised in Japan, introduced tropical modernism to the Hawaiian Islands. Its hundreds of postwar structures skillfully blend native, mid-century, and Japanese design.

“Vladimir Ossipoff is the Frank Lloyd Wright of the Hawaiian Islands,” says Ron Radziner, Marmol Radziner design partner.

Ossipoff promised to make Hawaii a “more beautiful place to live and work.” He succeeded. So did Radziner, who completed the Anderman-Cale house in 2018, his first venture in the island state. Marmol Radziner has since mastered two more houses on the islands, with two more in progress. In addition to its own innovative designs, the firm has restored several Richard Neutra houses and works by other notable architects.

Could a child draw it?

As a test of good home design, the question is overly simplistic, but it points the way to elegant living in simple, relatable forms.

Radziner, long past his childhood, is a master of these forms. Given his ardent connection to Hawaii (He keeps a hidden shack of surfboards and bikes on his Kauai jungle deck), hailed the couple’s Maui commission. Craftsman John Cahill built the home, listed by Hawai’i Life’s Josh Jerman and Liam Bell for $8.8 million.

Radziner designed Kula House on the northern side of the country to feature sweeping views: an isthmus to the west and, further east, the Haleakalā volcano. The property’s structures are located upstairs: the main house along with a pool house and a carport, both with artists’ studios. There is no competition here. Radziner lets nature take its course, gently placing his minimal forms on the ground.

With the spoon in some haupia (traditional coconut pudding) and slow down – the triad of modernist structures is in no rush to reveal its tropical panorama. “The house is a story that unfolds as you walk in,” says Radziner.

But before you do, check out the front of the 2,920-square-foot residence. You’ll notice some of Radziner’s simple and identifiable forms: a square tower under the broad pitched roof adjoins an entrance overhang, both of which add definition and privacy.

The front entrance of the house is closed with native plantings that also cover the grounds: Ohi’a lehua, Koa, Puakenikeni, ‘A’ali’i, and Alahe’e. It’s tempting to linger.

Are you ready for the reveal?

“Entering the house, you are enveloped by the white oak walls in a kind of embrace,” says Radziner. Turn right and the space opens up to the great room, kitchen and those views.

The rooms are warmed by whiter oak, its honey tones contrasting with the lava polished wall. Charcoal-colored material is also used to frame the great room’s fireplace. Molten rock grinds the earthy textured interior.

Adjacent to the great room, a wraparound lanai overlooks the ocean and mountains, the chirps and clicks of myna birds all around. Dream all day on a sofa suspended from simple beams. The home’s second floor hosts three bedrooms, the main opening to the same west-facing views found in the great room. A parallel wraparound lanai borders the bedrooms.

Meditation in a box

“In the master suite, I built what I call a meditation box into the white oak bookshelves,” says Radziner. The rectangular container is furnished with a mattress and pillows, a relaxing space to contemplate the mountain views. Large windows in the master bath frame similar views. No need for shades or curtains. The only watchers are those talking myna birds.

Like all the rooms, the kitchen is covered with windows. The space has Viking appliances and an island clad in Caesarstone.

The floors of the house are made of red oak. The decks are constructed from durable tropical Ipe wood. And the property’s three structures are clad in red cedar with a metal fascia. “Red cedar is quite graceful,” Radziner says, adding that it’s an optimal choice for island exteriors. “I also gave it a bit of a gray stain.”

The two-story, 780-square-foot pool house features generous overhangs with a second-floor wraparound balcony. A 50-foot pool faces the courtyard below the great room. The cool expanse leads to orchards beyond: banana, papaya, mango, lychee, longan, citrus, avocado…

More evidence that the Marmol Radziner home has indeed proved a worthy foray into Ossipoff’s “War on Ugliness.”

Life in Hawaii is a founding partner of Forbes Global Propertiesan invitation-only network of leading brokerages worldwide and the exclusive real estate partner of Forbes.

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