aloha friday scoop

the clouds have begun to roll in for this weekend's big rainstorm. perfect weather for catching up with oscar hopefuls before the red carpet rolls out on sunday night!

ARTafterDARK delights your friday night with a bossa nova carnaval, zip tours of modern art, and food by town.

• when: tonight, feb 25th - 6p to 9p
• where: academy of arts, 900 south beretania street
• tix: free for academy members; $10 non-members

two more days to knock 30-to-50% off beds, daybeds and ottomans during fishcake's sleepover event.

• when: now to sat, feb 26th - 10a to 6p
• where: 307c kamani street, kaka'ako

the spring 2011 collection by fighting eel debuts in-store with mimosas for early birds (10a to 12p) and 10% off storewide 'til closing time!

• when: sat, feb 26th - 10a to 6p
• where: 1133 bethel street, chinatown

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ohanapod getaway

while waiting at my acupuncturist's office yesterday, i had a moment to flip through the summer issue of readymade and chanced upon architect craig steely's latest creation - the ohanapod, a modern guest cottage getaway located a few steps away from the main residence built on the big island's lava fields (thus the name lavaflow 2).

the family splits their time between sf and hawaii so the main components were fabricated in california and shipped over for assembly. friends were wooed to the island to help complete the partial pre-fab design which was constructed in three and a half weeks with volunteer labor (my kind of peeps!). jalousies received a modern makeover and the main design element plays on the ubiquitous window treatment with galvanized steel which both shields the structure while allowing the tradewinds to circulate. a few colorful plexi panels were added for peeks outside and to bring in a little sunshine.

the space measures a mere 144 square feet which is just enough room to keep friends and family comfortable without sacrificing too much land. and, wouldn't the ohanapod make a fab office or studio in between house guests?

the ohanapod, alas, is reserved for friends of the steely 'ohana but you can spend your big island getaway at two other projects commissioned nearby - hale balleja and the monkeypod treehouse which are both located on the puna coast.

p.s. a quick tutorial on making the plexi louvers is shared online as well as a step-by-step gallery of the ohanapod's three week build.

{photo credit: john granen for readymade}

historic honolulu architecture tour

washington place

one of my favorite walks growing up was the one that took me from my mom's bishop square boutique to the state library along the pathway sandwiched between the capitol and iolani palace. i always stopped to say hello to the queen lili'uokalani statue and fought the urge to swing from the tendrils of the many banyan trees dotting the palace's backyard.

those saturday mornings spent in town gifted me with an appreciation of the graceful buildings that take you back to an earlier time, and, while doing a little research for a reader who inquired about mid-century modern homes on oahu (which i think would make a fabulous tour just in case an architecturally savvy reader is up to it), i recently discovered that the honolulu chapter of the american institute of architects (aia) offers kama'aina and visitors a walking tour of historic honolulu from an architect's perspective.

you'll wander the streets of town from the hawaii theatre to kawaiaha'o church picking up insights and anecdotes about the buildings along the way (juicy tidbit: the ywca building was designed by julia morgan, the country's preeminent female architect who squeezed in the project while working on hearst castle).

a map and bottled water are provided (but i say byo reusable bottle) so all you need to bring are comfy shoes made for walking and an enthusiasm for design. reservations are a must or, if a saturday tour doesn't fit into your schedule, self-guided tour booklets ($5) are available at aia's office. a custom tour may also be arranged for your group with advance notice.

• when: saturdays - 9a to 11:30a
• where: aia, 119 merchant street, suite 402
• tix: $10
• fyi: minimum four people

meet one of the aia's top guides over at the star-bulletin.

cuckoo for coconuts

a peek inside . . .

a little monday morning design eye candy for you compliments of one of my favorite island blogs - cuckoo for coconuts. i originally spotted designers conn brattain & john giordani on design*sponge a few months ago when they shared a diy tutorial with d*s readers. intrigued, i immediately clicked over to their blog which chronicles their move from nyc to maui along with the year long rehab of their property and the day to day goings on of life on the valley isle.

hints that conn & john's diy aesthetic extended beyond the remaking of over the counter shelves with grasscloth (genius!) only piqued my curiosity more, and when they shared the news that their maui home would be showcased in readymade this summer, well, i became even more enamored of this designer duo. (the story of tending to a lost baby bird, now known as kekoa, only made them more endearing.)

conn & john's cozy 800 square foot home is a showcase of how a small home can be both livable and stylish and is filled with mid-century elements and subdued tropical touches. personally, it's refreshing and way more inspiring to get a glimpse inside a real island home lived in 24/7 and transformed with a little of the owners' elbow grease instead of the ubiquitous millionaire honolulu penthouses and ocean front hawaii estates that typically dot the pages of national & island design glossies.

gorgeous grasscloth shelves!

conn & john

what i didn't discover until the issue hit the newsstand was the extent to which conn & john committed to making their haiku home as sustainable as possible. not only do they tend to their very own farmers market in their backyard (tempting readers with yummy photos of homemade jam) but their home is totally off the grid powered completely by solar panels. and they have gone a step further since freshwater flows from the taps compliments of water catchment tanks which capture rain falling from the skies.

snap up your very own copy of the jun/jul 08 issue of readymade now or click over to the digital edition to take a peek (more photos here).

{many mahalos to conn & john for all their kokua!}

{photo credit: readymade magazine (1/3) & cuckoo for coconuts (2)}

sustainable design open house

tara from design within reach recently sent along word that the ala moana studio will be hosting a sustainable design open house for the malama learning center on thursday evening. the kapolei campus is envisioned to be a spot for lifelong learning and a gathering place for lovers of the arts, culture, and the environment while being a model of sustainable architecture for hawaii.

a design competition for the center received over 200 submissions and architects from eight inc., the honolulu/sf/ny firm that created the winning proposal, will be on hand to discuss their plan. it looks to be a lovely modern open air campus that thoughtfully combines natural elements while incorporating sustainable standards like powering the campus with solar energy, recycling gray water, installing a green roof, and siting buildings to take maximum advantage of trade winds (when possible) to attain leed certification. cheers to that!

the non-profit center is still in the planning stage and looking for donors and volunteers to help make the dream a reality.

the dwr open house will also feature an expert on the green roof concept plus installations by guest artist bundit kanisthakhon of tadpole studio.

• when: thu, jun 5th - 6p to 8p
• where: dwr, ala moana
• fyi: light pupus & drinks will be served