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With stunning visual aesthetics, this artist's home makes an ideal creative/ healing retreat. The compound is designed to afford ample privacy in which to swim, sunbathe, and enjoy the gardens, lilyponds, and 70-foot pool.
The detached master suite has a private walled meditation garden. A covered outdoor walkway, flanked by lily ponds, and the wrap-around swimming pool connect the master bedroom to the main structure.
Lava Rock walls create a high terrace overlooking the sea, where two arching domes lie surrounded by pools, fishponds and gardens. Light filters through the stained glass walls and the translucent roof panels. This unique structure was hand-built by celebrated architect Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, an originator of the school known as Organic Architecture. The interior is enlivened by colorful stained glass and mosaic table by renowned artist James Hubbell. This is the Hawaii home of artist Beth McCormick.
The estate of the McCormick Spice family, 'The Onion House' is a unique architectural treasure set in sensuous surroundings that allows for tropical living in harmony with the natural environment. The Onion House has been featured by:
*The Travel Channel
*Architectural Digest
*HGTV
*The Learning Channel
*The Fine Living Channel
*Global Architecture Magazine
We're taking a Permaculture approach to tropical edible landscaping. We've planted dragonfruit, loquat, kumquat, Phillipine guava, white sapote, breadfruit, breadnut, neem, New Zealand squash, liliquoi, mango and mangosteen, a couple of very special coconuts, along with seven varieties of avocado, Temple Tangor and Minneolo Tangelo (both tangerine/orange crosses) and all the best citrus, figs and bananas. We've also propagated a selection of native Hawaiian plant species, including some that are rare or endangered.
With grounds of nearly an acre, the home is five minutes from town or beaches, yet worlds away. The panoramic view is accented by cruise ships sailing into Kailua Bay.
One writer described the home as, "The Sydney Opera House meets Stonehenge."
The shelter of Mount Hualalai combined with the tradewinds and the 500' elevation create the balmy climate which allows for outdoor living. An expansive view of the coastline faces Kona's famed green flash sunsets
With no outer walls, and only screens and stained glass, the home offers a feeling of living outdoors with nature, as one guest put it, "like a butterfly under a leaf."
Fully furnished, washer/dryer, dishwasher, stereo, carport, fully appointed kitchen, microwave, BBQ, linens, cable TV, VCR, two fireplaces, detached master suite, fishponds, and 70 ft. pool.
The thing about the kitchen that everyone comments on is, "What a fabulous sink!" Who would think that the kitchen sink, which was acquired in 1960, would be such a highlight? It's a simple, double stainless steel sink, but it is deep, spacious, round, and fits the kitchen completely. The kitchen counter extends through a stained glass wall to another similar basin outdoors, useful for cleaning fish, peeling mangoes, and arranging flowers.
Quiet, natural surroundings nurture the soul in an ideal setting for creative/healing retreats and personal renewal.
The living room overlooks pools and gardens. The master bedroom is a separate structure, with its own bath and private walled garden.
The main house contains two smaller bedrooms with a bath between them.
The terrace overlooking the Pacific provides the ultimate setting for a candlelight dinner or a morning brunch.
The Big Island is a mini-continent with nearly every climate on earth, from tropical rainforests to deserts, snowcapped mountains, lush valleys with spectacular waterfalls, and an erupting volcano.
Title "Two Birds Flying"
Size: 40" x 28" x 3"
Elaborate designs of luscious color, executed in the shimmering palette of bird feathers are the hallmark of Beth McCormicks work.
This shield is one of a series that came out of the study of the slow, graceful movements of Tai Chi. Its title refers to one of the gestures in that form of moving meditation, which can also function as a martial art. The paradoxical image of a feather shield implies protection offered by the most ethereal of objects.
(5 night minimum)
$295/day; $1995/week- June 1 to Aug 31
$330/day; $2250/week- April 1- May 31 and
Sept 1-December 14
$360/day; $2450/week- Dec 15- March 31
Additional charges include the tax of 13.42% and cleaning fee of $350. A refundable reservation/security deposit of $500 is needed to hold the reservation, with the balance due 90 days before arrival. The cleaning fee covers cleaning after you check-out. Additional maid service may be arranged during your stay.
On the Big Island:
* Night dive with manta rays
* Swim respectfully with wild dolphins
* Zipline through the treetops
* Explore Native Hawaiian sacred sites
* Learn about Tropical Permaculture
* View telescopes at Mauna Kea observatory
* Fly above the erupting volcano
A landmark of Organic Architecture, the Onion House was commissioned by Beth's aunt, Elizabeth McCormick von Beck. Hand-built by celebrated architect Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, the home was completed in 1962. James Hubbell contributed the stained glass throughout the home, and the mosaic dining table. These innovative architects have built remarkable and original structures all over the world.
Kellogg's best-known projects include the Hoshino Chapel in Japan, Wingsweep, the Yen house, and the High Desert House in Joshua Tree. James Hubbell built the meditation chapel at Sea Ranch, in Northern California, the "Doors of Abbu Dhabi" (a series of 18 palace doors made of stained glass, wood, and gold leaf) and his own home, Ilan Lael, in Julian, California.
Beth McCormick
The Onion House as an artwork has inspired other artworks, including an original series of featherwork by owner Beth McCormick, begun during the sixteen years she lived in and renovated the home.
Elaborate designs of luscious color, executed in the shimmering palette of bird feathers are the hallmark of Beth McCormick's work. Through magnificent shields, sculpted porcelain masks, and feathered fans, she evokes an artistic tradition that stretches back to the ancient feathered cloaks and headdresses of old Hawai'i. While her work honors that tradition, it moves in new directions, introducing and uniting elements, materials, and symbols from throughout the world. Her work is found in corporate and private collections throughout the state, the U.S., and abroad.
Beth McCormick has been a feather artist since 1976, but has more recently moved into sculpture and painting. She splits her time between Telluride, Colorado, the Onion House, and an organic farm on the windward side of the Big Island of Hawaii.
