Love Your Lānai

Renew your connection with your alluring outdoor partner

By: Brett Alexander-Estes

Jul 1, 2026

The interior and lānai of this custom home by Homeworks Construction open to a panoramic view of Kāne‘ohe Bay. Photo courtesy Homeworks Construction Inc.
The interior and lānai of this custom home by Homeworks Construction open to a panoramic view of Kāne‘ohe Bay. Photo courtesy Homeworks Construction Inc.

For many in Hawai‘I, our lānai is like an on-again, off-again love affair.

There’s the thrill of love at first sight, followed by a frenzy of outdoor furniture shopping and non-stop entertaining.

But slowly, our commitment cools. We stop cleaning the cushions. We start storing our junk in the corners.

Now summer is in full swing, and we’re eyeing our lānai again.

How can we kiss and make up?

Lānai experts offer these suggestions.

This new lānai by general contractor Homeworks Construction Inc. blurs the line between home and horizon with natural textures overhead, cool coastal tones underfoot and uninterrupted water views. Photo courtesy Homeworks Construction Inc.

Regular Cleaning

Online authorities like Dream Outdoor Living recommend:

  • Getting rid of clutter
  • Wiping down upholstery weekly with a damp cloth 
  • Sweeping or vacuuming the lānai floor weekly
  • Regularly washing the floor with mild soap and water
  • Promptly addressing signs of mold with a water and vinegar solution
  • Increasing cleaning during rainy seasons to prevent mold growth
From detailed columns to timeless lap siding, every element of this Homeworks Construction lānai project is designed to be a seamless extension of a classic Mānoa home. Photo courtesy Homeworks Construction Inc.

Create a Space

Many Hawai‘i homeowners crave a comfortable gathering place — “whether that’s a dining area, a lounge space or even just a well-positioned seating area that takes advantage of the view and breeze,” says Marshall R. Hickox, president of Hawai‘i general contractor and design-build specialist Homeworks Construction Inc.

“The most common thing we hear is that the space doesn’t feel usable enough.”

Hickox says this can mean “rethinking adjacent spaces or how everything flows together, rather than just making changes to the lānai itself.”

He cites one Homeworks renovation where the lānai became the central gathering space. “We reworked the layout so the kitchen, living area and lānai all opened up to each other, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor flow.”

Denver teak modular seating with Sunbrella cushions and Twisted Cube end tables from Outdoor Living Oahu harmonize with deep green walls and floorboards at this plantation-style lānai. Photo courtesy Christian Cariaga
Outdoor Living Oahu provides this Hyacinth seating cluster by Oslo with Sunbrella fabric and a nearly five-foot-long Perth Rectangular Folding Table. Photo courtesy Christian Cariaga

Open Your Arms

“The lānai is an extension of your home, the one in which you are surrounded by nature and encouraged to slow down and breathe deep,” says Melissa Connolly, co-owner of Outdoor Living Oahu, which specializes in lānai and patio furnishings.

She says durable furniture built for Hawai‘i lānai should have:

  • Multi-coat powder coating
  • Metal frames with thicker tubing to withstand weight
  • Stainless steel — even when powder-coated, steel will always outperform other metals, including aluminum
  • Woven fibers made of high-density polyethylene that are ultraviolet-resistant — not just “weather-resistant”
  • Solution-dyed acrylic fabrics rather than polyester blends
  • Teak — this is the only choice for lānai timber furniture and is legendary for its longevity, especially when kiln-dried

Well-built lānai furnishings, Connolly says, foster “long hours of enjoying the view, or chatting with friends, playing games or just napping.”

“The lānai has become the favorite space in the home to do it all.”

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