February 28, 2024 Homeworks Hawaii, Design
Hawaii’s architecture has evolved over the past century. Today, Hawaiian home styles are as diverse as the Aloha State itself, with borrowed designs from across the globe, strong influences from the local natural landscape, and local cultures.
In this guide, we delve into Plantation, Territorial, Midcentury Modern, and Contemporary architectural styles in Hawaii. We’ll also briefly cover the homes that we can design and build that combine the very best of all local home styles.
At Homeworks Construction, we’ve completed more than 750 building projects on Oahu in the last 30 years, so you can trust us for advice when it comes to designing your dream home. Keep reading for a bit of design inspiration.
Popular Hawaii Home Styles
From the century-old Plantation-inspired designs to creative contemporary designs, here are four of the most common Hawaii home styles.
1. Plantation
Homes built in the Plantation style take inspiration from the houses of Hawaii’s once-prevalent vast pineapple and sugar plantations. Typical characteristics include a wooden frame, a high-pitched roof, and symmetrical rectangular forms. Plantation-style houses are often elevated a few feet above the ground to maximize ventilation and provide protection from flooding. They also frequently feature a central hallway and a large porch or lanai.
2. Territorial
Territorial architecture became one of the most popular Hawaiian home styles starting from the turn of the 20th century, when Hawaii was a territory of the United States. Influenced by American and European home designs, Territorial homes often have columns, cornices, and arches that reflect styles such as Spanish Colonial, Classical Revival, and Art Deco. One of the most distinctive features of many Territorial homes is the steep-sloped ‘Dickey Roof,’ whose design takes inspiration from the roofs of the traditional Hawaiian Hale.
3. Midcentury Modern
From the mid-20th century, the architecture of Hawaii saw trends such as the merging of the indoors and outdoors and a stronger focus on natural materials. Eco-conscious architects like Vladimar Ossipoff spearheaded the movement of orienting Hawaii home styles towards energy conservation and connecting with nature. While Midcentury Modern architecture can encompass a diverse array of designs, open courtyards, lanai, and breezeways are stylistic hallmarks. The use of local materials such as volcanic stone and ohia wood is common.
4. Contemporary
Contemporary architecture represents the most diverse and recent category of Hawaii home styles – building designs are now less constrained to local materials and techniques and can incorporate more design trends and resources from around the globe. Characterized by their creativity and originality, contemporary Hawaii home styles utilize a variety of shapes, forms, textures, and colors.
Learn about Our Diverse Array of Stunning Hawaii Home Styles
Some of the most common Hawaii home styles include plantation, midcentury, territorial, and contemporary. When it comes to contemporary architecture, homes can include elements of all those Hawaii home styles and more. At Homeworks Construction, we’ve been building homes on Oahu for over three decades. This experience coupled with our craftsmanship, eye for design, and passion for staying on top of the latest trends means that we can build the home of your dreams. Contact us today to find out how we can bring your ideas to life.
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