Living on the Green - Ku'u Home Magazine

A Garden Island residence’s straightaway structure is built for year-round pā‘ina

By: Darlene Dela Cruz

Jul 1, 2026

Dimitri Avdienko, design director at Kaua‘i’s Pu‘uwai Design & Construction firm, describes the layout of this Kōloa residence as “the great party pipeline.” Guests can freely meander through the house’s long, narrow layout, with airy social spaces leading from the main entry to the outdoor pool and lounge.

“What I really felt was an important first statement was the private entry courtyard,” Avdienko says. “That became essentially the front door, so that gate is the part that could be locked … then [be] able to open up the doors to the main house to the kitchen. Right at that initial point, you’ve now extended your whole great room to the front portion of the house, which a lot of times gets overlooked as a transitory space that you’re kind of just walking through to get in.”

The project team crafted a home that embraces tropical ease on a lush Garden Isle golf course. Avdienko says the site was “challenging” — he estimates the average width throughout the lot was about 70 feet, requiring innovative spatial planning to prevent tightly elongated rooms or hallways. Mapping trade wind flow and adding functional touches like a small garden with a rock wall resulted in a seamless indoor-outdoor residence where the main house stands windward and protects the leeward grand lānai from the elements.

The open layout makes it easy for guests to mingle and meander inside and outside.

Light, airy finishes and neutral furnishings create a beach-inspired aesthetic.

“We really want to make sure that we’re understanding the weather patterns, we’re understanding the sun patterns and we’re understanding the view options to really exemplify being able to stay inside and outside and blur that line in between,” Avdienko explains.

Durable materials and finishes set the tone for the home’s laid-back vibe. The exterior of the main house features plantation-style board-and-batten siding with exposed rafter tails, which give the main house the character of a contemporary Hawaiian cottage. Inside, white-painted cabinetry and light-colored quartz surfaces anchor the kitchen design; earthy tones from lighting, wood trims and furnishings round out a casual, clean aesthetic.

Outdoor amenities are abundant. The primary bedroom opens on two sides with uniquely constructed corner pocket doors, which Avdienko calls “a wow factor,” upping the ante from the standard horizontal sliding door style for direct access to the lānai and pool. Materials selected for these areas root the home’s sense of place.

The project team strategically situates the main house windward, protecting the leeward outdoor lounge area from the elements.

Indoor-outdoor features help to break up the long, narrow property and encourage more activities outside.

The primary bedroom’s unique corner pocket doors easily open to the pool area.

“The use of puka lava tiles as the pool coping tie into the use of lava rocks at the privacy walls and help bring native and local materials to the project,” Avdienko says. “Teak wood used as both exterior and interior wood trims provide a wonderful accent contrast to the white-painted nickel gap ceiling and wall cladding.”

A shaded hut — called the “pai pai” by the project team — stands poolside, a short distance from the primary bedroom. The pai pai is constructed with ʻōhiʻa logs and a synthetic thatched roof; it houses a built-in Lynx grill, bar seating, a built-in pune‘e (daybed), and a beverage station with refrigeration and an ice maker.

“Once you come into the great room, you see [the pai pai], which was kind of a cool way to draw you back out there,” Avdienko notes. “It made that another huge social hub because once you come in and you experience the inside [of the] house, everybody wants to go outside and party.”

Indoor-outdoor amenities abound for active lifestyles and holistic relaxation.

The “pai pai” shaded hut is a social hub with a built-in Lynx grill and pune‘e (daybed).

Projects like this can inspire homeowners to go all-in with indoor-outdoor living, notes Avdienko. He worked in California’s Bay Area before moving to Hawai‘i and says nowhere else compares to the islands’ temperate environment. Avdienko hopes more local homes can be designed and built to take in the benefits of living amidst such natural beauty.

“When we finish a home and we get [homeowners] to walk through, some of them are hesitant … about opening the doors,” he says. “I think more of our homes [should] promote that … [and] get rid of those roles between the indoors and outdoors. Just experience it [all].”

This story appears in the July/August 2026 print issue of Ku‘u Home magazine.