Massive Sliding Doors Connect a Hawaii Home to Its Mountainside Settings

O‘ahu’s North Shore is known for its epic surf, but it wasn’t the big waves that drew Sara and James Davis. It was a mountain—specifically Mount Ka‘ala, the island’s highest peak. The couple and their three children, who live an hour away in Honolulu, dreamed of a getaway in the area’s quiet interior. "We’re nature people," James explains. "We love to be out on hiking trails, mountain biking, or under the shade of mango trees." 

Here, on a 2.5-acre property shaded by100-year-old banyan trees, Sara, a doctor, and James, who works in real estate development and management, have created an off-grid family retreat where weekends are all about fresh air and living simply. They’d envisioned a modern, 600-square-foot cabin with high ceilings, a loft for the kids, and room for guests. Then, through a friend of Sara’s, they met architect Bundit Kanisthakhon, a principal at Tadpole Studio and an assistant professor at the University of Hawai‘i, who helped them realize even more.