At the Four Seasons’ waterfront retreat in Hualalai, on the North Kona coast of Hawaii’s Big Island, a $100 million renovation retained the property’s beloved connection to Hawaiiana while elevating the luxury quotient to suit its well-traveled clients. “Our goal was to infuse the spaces with an emotive quality, one that stays with you when you return home. That, and to meet the level of luxury a Four Seasons client is accustomed to in everyday life,” says Janet Mercier, lead designer of San Francisco firm BAMO, which crafted three properties on The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2023 list, including the top resort, Passalacqua in Lake Como, Italy.

To that end, Mercier and her team focused on a subtle layering of rustic, tactile materials and surfaces—raffia on the walls, light fixtures reminiscent of the inside of a shell, carved cabinetry, honed floors—and looked to local artisans for sculptural elements. “The glamour is in the glorious natural surroundings; the comfort is in the residential approach we took to the rooms,” she says. “At the end of the day, guests feel at home.

“The glamour is in the glorious natural surroundings; the comfort is in the residential approach we took to the rooms” JANET MERCIER

The most dramatic improvements involved the addition of a second level to three villas on the property. “More and more multigenerational travelers want closer connection with each other, and they want to achieve it with ease,” says Mercier. That meant removing the dining room altogether and installing an island and counter-height seating in the space instead. “It serves as a place to sip morning coffee, to work, and to enjoy cocktails,” she says.

Of course, that’s when gatherings aren’t taking place outside, where the BAMO team— again—put culture and comfort front and center. In Sutherland’s Poolside Elevated lounge chairs, they found the clean lines they were looking for, and in the Perennials Sunflowers fabric, an archival design re-created specifically for the project, that sumptuous quality that pervades the resort. For outdoor dining, the Sutherland Franck dining table and chairs tick all the boxes. The teak fits in perfectly here; it’s a tropical wood, and it doesn’t overheat in the Hawaiian sun. “Sutherland furnishings strike just the right notes for the Four Seasons Hualalai,” says Mercier. “They’re luxurious, tactile, and beautiful.”