An unusual oasis in Kahala

January 30, 2012

Site Staff,

There are a lot of homes in Kahala with interesting façades, so you know right off the bat that something interesting lies within. This one, on Aukai Avenue, isn't quite as fancy on the outside as it is inside, but knowing that it was originally named "Hale Ulupua," or the House of Blossoms, should give you a clue. (Click here for details.)

At first, it looks like any other nice, large home in the area with a pretty front yard. But now that it's for sale, you can go inside and see how unusual the design is behind the front door.

There's a spiral staircase inside the house as well as outside, which is a cool effect. The saltwater pool and the surrounding lanai are shaped like a flower to accommodate two jacuzzis, which gives you little areas of privacy in the pool itself for lounging.

A waterfall in the yard cascades into a lily and koi pond, which serves as an extra aesthetic element for both sight and sound (and probably built for favorable feng shui). There's certainly enough space for it, since the lot is 10,799 square feet.

The two-story residence has 4,509 square feet of living area, and each of the four bedrooms has its own bathroom-in fact, the master bedroom has a steam bath attached, too. There's also a separate sauna with a half-bath, so we think the owners were into heat therapy and wanted others in the home to enjoy it, as well.

The kitchen, shown here, is exceptionally spacious, with lots of counter space and storage. The second floor overlooks the dining room, which provides a very high ceiling accented by a cascading spiral of pendant lights and huge window panels.

It's an interesting find, and worth a look-if nothing else, to see how well they concealed such a neat design behind its front walls.