The $6.5M Glass Slipper: We Found The Perfect Fit For This Beach House

Like finding a princess befitting the glass slipper, Hawaii Life is honored to announce we found the perfect fit for 39 Papaua Place in West Maui; the bohemian, award-winning home known as the “Tahitian Pavilion.”

2019 has seen only three oceanfront luxury sales on West Maui, including this one which sold in October 2019 for $6,500,000. It is interesting to note that we at Hawaii Life consider $3M to be the starting point for luxury homes in Hawaii. Since residential oceanfront sales have been quiet nearby, placing a dollar value on this unique home was challenging, although with the sale of a significantly larger home on one oceanfront acre nearby in January for $9M, we had something to compare.

Many visitors came through 39 Papaua over the year, like the day of the Christie’s extravaganza, but not everyone could relate to the open-air design built on steps down to the ocean.

This bohemian beach house was designed to let in the trade winds, misty rains, tropical foliage, bird calls, and ocean views. The Tahitian Pavilion was a creation of Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, who is known as an innovator in Organic Architecture: homes that blend in with their surroundings.

Two of the bathrooms are literally wide open to the Napili breezes so you can contemplate life en plein air or stargaze from your private hot tub!

The first impression of this property, driving down the private, gated Papaua Place is of an unassuming surf shack with a geometric roof. Enter via angled walls of lava rock, crafted with no apparent cement or grout, through a massive pivoting door, to layered, open-air unfolding spaces stepping down to the ocean.

The home feels heavy, firmly connected to the lava rock foundation, and anchored into the rocky point in Napili.  Massive lava rock columns form the central fireplaces and angled interior walls. The beams and radiating elements remind people of the stout keels and ribs in ships designed to weather storms or spinal columns that support the weight of whales.

Along with the amazing collection of antiques and original Hawaiian quilts, this home was sold with an extensive, eclectic art collection such as a 5 by 3-foot original oil painting by acclaimed Maui artist Jan Kasprzycki. 

We submitted this property to the 2018 Ultimate House Hunt, and we won!

And a note to my friends reading this: this is not my parent’s place/the Surfer Magazine house! I say this because this property has gotten mixed up with my parent’s house on the same street (although theirs is significantly smaller and funkier)… don’t worry, the intention is to never let the family home go!

The buyer felt a powerful connection to this house and the point in Napili — like the many novels and myths about finding your way home or finding your soulmate. In fact, the origins of the Cinderella story was from an ancient Greek myth telling the story of Rhodopis and her adventures.

Read more I’ve written on the property:

Do You See a Home or a Work of Art? 39 Papaua Place, Maui

The Tahitian Pavilion: A Significant Oceanfront Home in Napili, Maui

Read More that I’ve written about the neighborhood:

Do You See a Home or a Work of Art? 39 Papaua Place, Maui

What a $20 Million Maui Home Looks Like

If you would like to learn more about the range of services I can provide, and explore the very exclusive selection of Hawaii Life properties, some not on the MLS, please contact me directly at 808.280.1390. A hui hou.