Professor-turned-farmer's Circular Home perches over ideal live-work homestead
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Published 2024-03-17
Initially, he had planned to build his retirement home, but recognizing that only 10% of the food here is grown on the island, he began to farm what had been a coffee plantation a century ago.
Claiming he was blessed with very fertile soil by the Goddess of the Volcano, Pele, today he farms mangos, cacao, avocado and enough Kona coffee to supply a local coffee shop when their own crop was ruined by infestation.
For his own home, he knew he wanted to be integrated with the land, so he asked architect Craig Steely to design him a home where he could “live” in his atrium. Steely surrounded that atrium with a perfectly round home with full-height glass windows to let in the color of the vegetation, the sounds of the farm and an occasional visit from a chicken.
Steely worried that a round home would be unmoored so he lofted a wedge above it as a geometric office. Like a D-fin from an old surfboard, this gives the home its name and a sense of direction.
Completing the circle (home), triangle (fin) and square (atrium), a rectangular lap pool juts off the home from above.
Architect Craig Steely: www.craigsteely.com/
Steely’s Lava Flow Home that inspired Mitch Marks to want to “live in an atrium”:
www.craigsteely.com/project/lavaflow-1-robert-tric…
On *faircompanies: faircompanies.com/articles/professor-turned-farmer…
All Comments (21)
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It's a shame that so many of the comments are about the owner and his apparent wealth. We don't know him, how hard he's worked, what his partner has contributed, how he's managed his finances over the years, whether he had an inheritance (and if so, he clearly hasn't wasted it at a casino). I see a hardworking guy who has branched out into another industry, who appreciates his surroundings, is friendly to his neighbour and is thrilled with his architect's design. Thank you for showing us so many different homes, Kristen ❤
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what i admire about Kristen's video is that she can take us to places like that and then to a goat guy living in his bike , such a different ways of living and enjoying the life itself
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Heartachingly beautiful! To see the sunset, to smell the forest cooling, the sound of frogs. I'm alone and i think that house would be wasted on me but to share it with someone I love... so much joy.
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A beautiful place and land. I was appalled when I went to Hawaii and the grocery stores only sold everything packaged up from mainland US. The place is so fertile, you can grow an abundance there but someone has stitched up the economy... I did finally find a farmers market where I brought my food but as a tourist it was so weird that hardly anyone was growing food locally. Such a shame. It looks like Mitch is trying to remedy that thank goodness! His pool ands bedroom, gorgeous
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This is so beautiful...a round house is good feng shui allowing for constant flow. Good for him...he deserves it for having been a teacher all those years, which is not an easy feat. Pele HAS been good to him and he's fully aware of that...🤩
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Talk about living out a Hawaiian fantasy, great job by this man to steward the land and get enjoyment living there too!
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Wow!!! All I can say is wow!! I'm so envious! What an incredible life he has!
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The rain in the tropics is something else 😊
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Probably one of my favorite home's so far on the channel, so beautiful, the home, the view, the beautiful trees and plants, just incredibly gorgeous.
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You take us to magical places. This has to be on the very top. Not only is the view spectacular but the house itself has so much serenity. The land and its gardens out of a fantasy. The owner has blessed himself with heaven on earth.❤
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I watch this channel for the architecture, design and innovation of unusual homes. I see the posts today regarding societal and wealth issues, and I’m not ignoring those statements or commenting on their validity when I say that I’ve seen Kirsten Dirksen highlight residences up and down the wealth scale. I think this series is really about the integration of homes within their landscape. I too wondered about the source of his wealth knowing it couldn’t be just dependent on farming, but I also appreciated seeing this stunning home.
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So surprised to hear the coqui sounds in Hawaii I used to live in Puerto Rico and love to hear and see the little frogs, when I left I couldn't sleep for many night. It may me so happy to hear them in your video. Beautiful land. God is an amazing creator. Love your videos. Blessings
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this channel opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about life and the world
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Great watch, stunning vegetation and what a lovely man , I wish him lots of joy
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I have been a subscriber of Kristen's channel since she had 10,000 subscribers...your work guys is appreciated
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The view, stunning! He must have saved a lot through the years to secure such a pie of paradise for his retirement..
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Absolutely stunning property
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Kristen, looking at the pool with the backdrop of the office and round house reminds me of the Pi formula ❤
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Thank you K … you never let us down 😊 , it’s so beautiful 😻
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I'm in love! This house is just so beautiful & the integration of the farm with the land is marvelous. The zen-like openess & practicality of this whole setup is a dream come true for me.
