A Balinese Accent

On Hawaii's Big Island, architect Mark De Reus looks back to an ancient culture for inspiration.

- By J. Michael Welton. Photographs by Joe Fletcher

A shared appreciation for Bali and its ancient culture drove the design of a home on the leeward side of Hawaii’s Big Island.

Architect Mark De Reus and his clients, a Texas-based couple, are aficionados of the artistic sensibilities of Bali’s Majapahit Kingdom, one that spanned the years from 1293 to 1500 A.D.

“The design of the home was inspired from some aspects of the architecture in Bali —and Balinese culture from Java,” De Reus says. “It was a culture that was highly sophisticated and thriving in all senses— music, art, and architecture.”

Because it was designed for a double lot overlooking the Pacific Ocean, De Reus could break the 6,700-square-foot home up into six separate pavilions—all with ocean views. One’s the main gathering pavilion, one’s for dining, and one’s for outdoor living. There’s also a prime bedroom pavilion, a family bedroom pavilion, and a guest bedroom pavilion.

“In the tropics, you don’t need hallways and corridors,” he says. “The leeward side of the island is fairly arid—with 13 inches of rain a year—so it’s much easier to have natural ventilation in the spaces.”

The leeward side has another advantage. Two huge mountains—Mauna Kea at 13,796 feet and Mauna Loa at 13,679 feet—separate the windward side of the island from the leeward—so it’s never been hit by hurricanes in recorded history. “On the windward side, yes, but not on the leeward,” he says.