The design of the Aloha House was predicated on the client's desire to replicate his experiences in Hawaii. He was specifically enamored with the Halekulani Hotel on Oahu and its "House Without a Key." Entranced by the spirit of aloha and the history and lifestyle of the Hawaiian Islands, Southern California landscape architecture firm Site Design Group envisioned a garden as a metaphor for voyaging, discovery, and celestial navigation on a journey to a new homeland. The team developed a metaphor for the voyage with skill and destiny, using turtle (Honu) imagery as the vehicle for navigation and discovery.


The courtyard entry sequence features Indian limestone formed in the shapes of turtles, called 'Honu' in Hawaiian. They are constructed from 2'x 4' stone pieces cut using full-scale templates. The turtles are arranged to simulate movement toward Molokini crater, which is also depicted using limestone and red, cut volcanic rock.

A key element of the house is the use of volcanic stone for the walls, veneer, and paving. To create the aloha look, the use of lava was key. Since lava is found naturally in an amorphous shape, bulky, and not conducive to a more modern look, the team decided to slice it to form smooth sides. This took several days and required diamond blades to cut the bulky lava into smooth organic shapes suitable for assembling into solid wall forms and paving.

 

Stone paving integrated within tropical vegetation and a mahogany deck combine natural materials to create a cohesive transition between planted areas and built elements.

The lava rock became a textured backdrop to the multiplicity of tropical plantings and bright colors. The turtles are made from cut Indian limestone pieces to form the turtle bodies and steppingstones floating through the sea, represented by a salt-tolerant grass (Paspalum vaginatum). The lava's red and black colorations allowed for contrasting compositions to emphasize the narrative imagery and to express Molokai Bay, the orchid flower, and the natural red lava forms creating the islands of Hawaii. They are placed against a smooth, black lava background representing the sea on the fireplace chimney.


A bronze relief sculpture made by Saim Caglayan depicts the Hawaiian Demigod, Maui, lassoing the sun to make the Hawaiian farms flourish. The sculpture is set within a volcanic stone fireplace. The structure includes a basalt mantle and a composition referencing the Hawaiian Islands, with the Big Island represented along the chimney.

In addition to the lava, Indian black limestone and hewn linear basalt blocks were key elements of the hardscape narrative. The design layout of the hardscape became crucial to expressing the allegory of the discovery of Hawaii. The concept of sea turtles leading the way to new land became central to this approach.


Low-cut Paspalum Grass (Paspalum vaginatum) surrounds the limestone and is used to represent ocean conditions, contrasting with the stone elements.

The team intended to use large pieces of basalt to create the turtles, but it was unavailable within the project timeline. Instead, the turtle shapes were formed with 2'x 4' pieces of black limestone. The process began with hand-drawn sketches, which were adapted into AutoCAD to fit the pieces within the rectangular stone dimensions. The shapes were printed full size and brought to the site as templates so masons could cut the pieces accordingly. The same process was used for pathway stones and the orchid to create a descending scale for Molokai and irregular shapes for the pathway. A sealer was applied to the limestone to enhance the dark finish.


Mahogany window covers are set against stone walls and viewed through tropical plantings. Copper tiki torches are distributed throughout the courtyard as part of the lighting and site furnishings.

An outdoor shower along the side path is decorated with a tile depiction of a hula girl. Mahogany sculpted window frames and copper tiki torches were placed throughout, along with lighting and a Hawaii-inspired thin iron gate to allow visibility into the courtyard as a finishing element. The garden courtyard is diminutive and intimate, providing the comfort of ohana, the spirit of aloha, and the narrative of the discovery of Hawaii.

As seen in LASN magazine, April 2026.