Forging Connections in Honolulu
On a serene Sunday afternoon in Honolulu during the mid-1950s, a local psychiatrist, Linus Pauling Jr., made a visit to the renowned architect Vladimir Ossipoff at his home. Pauling sought to discuss a project that he hoped Ossipoff would consider for his family’s residence. At that time, Pauling was in his early 30s and found Ossipoff, the master of Hawaiian Modernism, engaged in an intricate task—repairing a paper lantern designed by another midcentury luminary, Isamu Noguchi.
Though their prior interactions had been minimal, Pauling decided to roll up his sleeves and assist Ossipoff with the delicate cylindrical lamp. As they worked together, Pauling articulated his vision for a simple house constructed from locally sourced materials. He envisioned a space filled with books and an open area that would serve as a kitchen, dining, and sitting room—a place where he could cook and engage in lively conversations with friends and family. This initial meeting forged a bond that would endure through generations.
By the end of their discussion, not only had they successfully mended the lampshade (which Ossipoff’s granddaughter donated to the Noguchi Museum in New York City in July), but Ossipoff had also sketched the preliminary designs for Pauling’s future home. Soon after, the project would come to fruition within just a couple of years.
Kuahiwi: A Harmonious Abode
Nestled on a ridge of Oahu’s Koolau Range—a breathtaking 37-mile-long series of mountains that divides the island—Kuahiwi is precisely what both Pauling and Ossipoff had envisioned: a spacious yet minimalist structure seamlessly integrated with its natural surroundings. Perched 1,500 feet above sea level and concealed from sight by those navigating the winding Round Top Drive, the house provides both seclusion (a crucial criterion for Pauling) and a sense of journey (a hallmark of Ossipoff’s design philosophy).
The steep driveway is flanked by striking thickets of tall bamboo, and the residence, shaded by two ancient magnolia trees, features six bedrooms. Ossipoff arranged the home in a hexagonal configuration, resembling a colossal honeycomb that fits harmoniously into the rugged mountainscape. The design captures the strong trade winds and daily rain showers typical of the microclimate, eliminating the need for air conditioning and allowing for water collection via two 15,000-gallon cisterns fed by rainwater channeled from the corrugated roof.
The angular exterior of the house, composed of smooth redwood planks, is grounded by a rough-edged base of cement and basalt, a local blue-gray lava rock that once served to anchor boats in Honolulu’s harbor. A spacious breezeway initially acted as an outdoor play area for Pauling’s five children and later transformed into an ad hoc carport for a collection of vintage Porsche 356s that Pauling and his second wife, Stephanie, enjoyed restoring. With a clear view of the swaying emerald bamboo that encircles the property, this darkened area blurs the boundaries between the home and the vibrant tropics beyond, alive with the sounds of birds and winding trails choked with vines.
A Legacy of Elegance
Inside, the hallway features a kimono box and a Berber rug from the Atlas Mountains, while a guest bedroom is adorned with Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs and Royal System shelving designed by Poul Cadovius.
“The hexagonal module was unprecedented at the time,” reflects Stephanie, now 78, as she sits in the kitchen-sitting-dining area of Kuahiwi beneath the vaulted ceiling crafted from lime-washed Douglas fir. “It probably raised Linus’s eyebrows a bit,” she adds, acknowledging that Linus, a progressive graduate of Harvard Medical School whose father was a two-time Nobel Prize-winning biochemist and peace activist, was open-minded enough to appreciate Ossipoff’s groundbreaking perspectives on environmental conservation, granting him complete creative freedom.
On this cool August morning, Stephanie is perched on one of the many built-in furnishings designed by Ossipoff: a low, wide sofa upholstered in cream-colored bouclé. Across from her sits Keira Alexandra, Ossipoff’s granddaughter and a graphic designer and teacher at the Rhode Island School of Design. She is seated on one of a pair of chairs that Linus crafted from the seats of a 1930s Riley car, paired with legs fashioned from koa, a dark native wood, by local Modernist sculptor Merle Boyer.
Sunlight filters through six expansive windowpanes in the minimalist dining area, casting a gentle glow over a slender 12-seat table and adjacent kitchen counters, both made from koa. Over the years, the two women have forged a deep bond, enjoying summer visits together and supporting each other through significant family losses. The Paulings offered comfort to Alexandra during the passing of her grandparents and mother, and more recently, Alexandra provided support to Stephanie after Linus’s passing at the age of 98 in 2023.
The women reminisce about the enchantment of Kuahiwi while gathered around a coffee table designed by Linus, beside a copper-hooded fireplace that has become a central gathering place through the years. They marvel at how Linus’s vision of an open kitchen, dining, and sitting area was remarkably ahead of its time in the 1950s. They note how the various rooms of the house—oscillating between compact and spacious—create an intimacy that belies its impressive 6,899-square-foot size. “It’s a big house,” Stephanie muses. “But it’s a big house that feels human,” Alexandra adds. “Each volume fosters a sense of closeness.”
