Well, Aloha

WELL, ALOHA BY

A kitesurfer’s Maui beach house discovers its essential life force—or mana, as they say in Hawaiian—with the spirited guidance of designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard.

LE IL ANI M ARIE L ABONG DOUGL AS FRIE DM AN

PH OTOGR APHS BY

The ocean-facing side of a traditional teak estate house in Maui that was recently renovated by Martyn Lawrence Bullard. The rocking chairs are from Hollywood at Home, and the koa wood screens are painted in Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore. For details, see Resources.

O

ONE FATEFUL DAY IN 2014, A CALIFORNIA KITESURFER

In the foyer, the koa wood spiral staircase was hand-carved by a local artisan and resembles a fish’s spine.

The custom sofa is in a fabric by Peter Dunham, the stools are vintage, and the cocktail table is by Jayson Home. OPPOSITE: In the main living area, the custom table is paired with stools from Design Within Reach, and the kitchen has a Viking stove and Caesarstone counters. The custom barstools are in a Ralph Lauren Home fabric, and the pendants are from Cuff Studio. The artwork in the loft is by James Turrell.

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named Ed Freedman arrived in Maui at his beachfront rental—a quarter-century-old estate house in Paia, a bohemian crossroads on the island’s north shore. He dropped his bags and bounded the 50 or so yards to the sand, a favorite launch for legendary kiters like Laird Hamilton and Robby Naish. Pressing his bare feet onto Hawaiian terra firma for the first time, the 40-something tech entrepreneur felt a current course through him. In the native Hawaiian language, this life force is known as mana, but the newcomer could only summon his kiteboarder’s lingo. “I felt completely lit up,” Freedman recalls. As if the scene were destined for island mythology, he then caught sight of a green sea turtle, or honu, the Hawaiian symbol of good luck.

In 2017, after a few years of renting, Freedman had the rare opportunity to purchase the four-acre estate from its long-term owner. But before embarking on renovations, he spent a lot of time soaking up mana from a five-dollar folding beach chair under the shade of a fragrant plumeria tree on the breezy makai (oceanside) lawn. A cooler of beer was always within arm’s reach. Often posted next to him in one of those cheap seats was his friend, the English-born, West Hollywood–based interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard. And through the great Hawaiian “talk story” tradition—aka shooting the breeze—Freedman discovered his vision for the property. “Make it more luxurious, more comfortable,” said the homeowner, who moved to Maui permanently in March 2020 and regularly hosts a roster of famous neighbors for kiting sessions, Ping-Pong tournaments, and elaborate sea-totable dinners. “But don’t lose this essence.”

The property consists of three beach hales (cottages), including one at least 80 years old, plus a wood-and-stone main house that’s strongly rooted in Hawaii’s agricultural heritage but bears the inf luence of Japanese temples in its pagoda-style roof and deep, wraparound verandas. Bullard gave the architecture some lift simply by painting sections in white. From there, he expressed the island’s vibrancy through brazen mashups of texture and pattern, not to mention the unabashed use of high-octane color—a full-tilt design language in which the maximalist is quite fluent. Still, in this case, he deferred to the rich source material. “The colors of Hawaii aren’t just vivid,” Bullard says, pausing briefly for dra-

matic effect. “They’re drenched. I tried to capture what was naturally there.”

As a tribute to the lush plant life of the islands, one guest suite in the main house is almost entirely eclipsed by the color green, from the grass cloth–covered walls to the oversize fronds on the upholstery. An installation of works by Rupprecht Geiger nods to the splashy hues of exotic flowers by punctuating the verdant setting with eye-widening flair. By contrast, the neutral tableau of the main bedroom leans on a wide vista of the great blue Pacific for color. By using striking wallpaper motifs (a leafy profusion or mighty brushstrokes in a deep-ocean hue) as backdrops for displays of traditional crafts (such as breastplates of feathers and shells), the small confines of the powder rooms portray modern Hawaii with high-impact style.

“I always want to create a sense of place,” Bullard explains. “You should know you’re in Hawaii when you come to this house.”

In fact, cultural texture and pattern often intersect here: A printed cross-hatch design on the ceilings of the beach hale conveys straw thatching or even traditional lauhala (hala leaf) weaving. The outdoor bar is clad in bas-relief panels salvaged from an 1870s Indonesian hut—its spiral motif represents an unfurling fern frond, a symbol of new beginnings. A hand-stenciled border in the living room of the main house is inspired by tribal tattoos, providing a layer of geometry to offset the winding, hand-carved staircases made of local koa wood.

At the top of these sculptural flights are spaces that play on light, an abundant Hawaiian resource. Over the indigo shibori-covered seating in the mezzanine lounge hangs an effervescent installation of spherical rope pendants that conjures the ethereal orbs of light that float across dreamy postcards or the tiny bubbles that rise to the glinting surface of the ocean. In a curtained meditation nook, a light piece by artist James Turrell (the only Turrell work in the state) attempts to align chakras through a random color sequence that Bullard calls “the pulsating heart of the home.” A mana source for the New Age, perhaps? “Just like Hawaii,” Freedman notes, “it makes you feel something in your body.” ◾

The living room’s custom sofa is upholstered in a Cowtan & Tout fabric, the armchair is covered in a Christopher Farr Cloth print, and the side table and shearling stool are from MLB Atelier. The vintage lamps are from Hollywood at Home, the pendants are from Cuff Studio, and the sisal rug is by Stark Carpet. The grass-cloth sheathing on the ceiling is by Pierre Frey.

CLOC K WISE FROM TOP: The Turrell Room is named for its focal point, a lighted artwork by James Turrell; the custom banquette is covered in a fabric by Thibaut, the cocktail table is by West Elm, the shearling stool is by MLB Atelier, and the carpet is by Marc Phillips. On the balcony, the dining table by Bananas & Hammocks and chairs upholstered in a Peter Dunham fabric are all custom, the tableware is by Pottery Barn, and the pendants are by Paul Marra. The sofa in the carriage house is in a Martyn Lawrence Bullard linen, and the Danish cocktail table, surfboard, and artworks from Surfing Cowboys are all vintage.

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ABOVE: An outdoor spa area has a panoramic sauna and Japanese cedar

soaking tub by Dundalk Leisurecraft, and a cold plunge pool by Lando Chillers.

RIGHT: A custom tree house built from reclaimed wood overlooks Paia beach.

BE LOW: In a guest room, the Hollywood at Home bed is dressed in Frette

linens, and the duvet cover is in a Ralph Lauren Home fabric. The bed curtains are of a JAB Anstoetz fabric, the Hollywood at Home chair is in a Perennials fabric, and the side table is from Design Within Reach.

CLOC K WISE FROM TOP: In a guest bedroom, the walls are covered in a Phillip Jeffries grass cloth, a Thomas Hayes bed is dressed in custom linens

by Scandia Home and topped with a duvet cover in a Christopher Farr Cloth fabric, and the bed curtains are in a Kerry Joyce fabric; the armchairs are upholstered in a Paper Mills fabric, the Roger Capron cocktail table is vintage, and the bar cabinet is custom; the rug is by Marc Phillips, and the artwork is by Rupprecht Geiger. The custom canopy in the main bedroom is in a Coraggio fabric, the duvet cover and pillows are in a Quadrille print, the nightstand is by Thomas Hayes, and the walls are covered in a Barkskin by Caba Company. The guest bath’s walls, flooring, and tub are tiled in handmade Moroccan zellige, the sink fittings are by California Faucets, and the vintage and antique Chinese ceramics are from JF Chen.

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