GETAWAY
Island Time
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii gets a major refresh
An exterior view of the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii, where San Francisco design studio BAMO updated a number of interior spaces using Perennials and Sutherland.
ALAN KENNEDY (POOL); COURTESY OF FOUR SEASONS HUALALAI HAWAII (TERRACE, SUITE). OPPOSITE: DON RIDDLE
BY KATHLEEN HACKETT
EVEN EDEN NEEDS A REFRESH NOW AND THEN. At the Four Seasons’ waterfront retreat in Hualalai, on the North Kona coast of Hawaii’s Big Island, a $100 million renovation retained the property’s beloved connection to Hawaiiana while elevating the luxury quotient to suit its well-traveled clients. “Our goal was to infuse the spaces with an emotive quality, one that stays with you when you return home. That, and to meet the level of luxury a Four Seasons client is accustomed to in everyday life,” says Janet Mercier, lead designer of San Francisco firm BAMO, which crafted three properties on The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2023 list, including the top resort, Passalacqua in Lake Como, Italy. To that end, Mercier and her team focused on a subtle layering of rustic, tactile materials and surfaces—raffia on the walls, light fixtures reminiscent of the inside of a shell, carved cabinetry, honed floors—and looked to local artisans for sculptural elements. “The glamour is in the glorious natural surroundings; the comfort is in the residential approach we took to the rooms,” she says. “At the end of the day, guests feel at home.”
ABOVE: The recently renovated Makaloa Villa at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai includes a lanai with a private pool and Sutherland Poolside Armless chaises looking toward Waiakauhi Pond.
The Ho’onanaea Villa’s outdoor space is outfitted with Sutherland’s Franck dining table with a stone top and Franck dining armchairs. ABOVE: A new, elevated pool and lounge deck overlook the King’s Pond, a swimmable aquarium filled with vibrant marine life.
19