San Francisco’s Walker Warner architects embraced light and shade in sybaritic Kauai 

The cedar and oak horizontal slat fence separating this nearly 4,000-square-foot U-shaped home from the road seems almost incidental. Even with two gates that can close it off, its cutaway panels frame glimpses of a central courtyard—an outdoor room with a firepit and pool around which the house unfolds as a series of private and social spaces.

Designed by architect Kathy Scott of San Francisco–based Walker Warner, the home occupies a spectacular site near Kauai’s Hanalei Bay. Yet despite its precision and polish, it carries the casual air of a beach shack or lanai—open, sun–washed, and welcoming to anyone who wanders close. That spirit of invitation was central to the brief from the owners, a middle-aged Canadian couple who are busy entrepreneurs and wanted their winter getaway to foster a more laid-back community. Completed in 2022, just after the pandemic, it soon became their preferred destination.

“We took surf lessons late in life,” the wife says, laughing, “and now we can’t get enough.” The beach nearby draws surfers, kayakers, and swimmers to the broad, bowl-shaped bay, a protected humpback whale sanctuary. The pristine setting has also attracted high-profile neighbors—Mark Zuckerberg’s estate lies about 20 minutes away—but this couple wanted something quieter and more porous on their one-third acre.  

The landscape by Boxleaf Design answers that call with tropical restraint: freeform paving stitched with groundcover, patches of artificial turf for ease, and a rhythm of palm trees and geometric pathways that lead the eye south to the green peaks beyond. Those mountains shift from mossy jade to smoky violet as the light changes—a daily performance that the house quietly frames. Outdoor showers and two entry structures for parking and surf gear complete the impression of an adult, always-summer camp.

Scott’s architectural hand shows in the details. The Shou Sugi Ban cladding—charred Accoya wood—wraps from exterior to interior, muting glare and lending a crackled, lava-like sheen. Clerestory windows filter daylight into the covered lanai, balanced by gentle uplighting and sconces that keep shadows alive but never harsh. A pizza oven beside a catering kitchen lined in Heath tile, Japanese-style sliding doors with slender wood slats, and the couple’s collection of midcentury-style furnishings round out a palette that feels both tactile and timeless.

The original house on the site was beyond saving, which gave Scott freedom to raise the new structure above the floodplain. “We elevated the backyard so you can walk straight out of the gym into it,” says the wife, a former ballerina who still trains daily. The plan favors the ocean over the mountains: “We look at the mountains from the water anyway,” she says. “At night they disappear—but our pool and the lit trees come alive.”

What began as a modest two-bedroom retreat expanded during the multi-year design process into a five-bathroom home with two guest rooms and a generous rhythm of indoor-outdoor living. “The courtyard idea was always there,” Scott says. “We lined two sides with glass doors and added a lanai outside the main suite to connect it to the office, the gym, and the living areas. You’re always in conversation with the exterior and the light, even though the walls are dark.”

That darkness is intentional. The charred Accoya requires almost no upkeep, repels insects, and sits beautifully against the saturated greens of Kauai. 

It also pairs easily with French oak floors and cedar ceilings, creating a warm equilibrium between shadow and sun.

“We love how easily the house opens,” the wife adds. “We can walk from our room to the office through the screened lanai even when it’s raining—you feel the weather without ever getting wet.”

Scott smiles at that. “It’s one of those sensory things you forget when you’re designing,” she says. “The humidity, the birds, the chickens—you miss so much life if you’re always sealed inside.”