Getting Back to Basics on Maui

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"We wanted to open up the rooms and orient them more toward the ocean," Mimi London says of a Maui apartment she and her partner, Mark D. Boone, reworked. "The place was seventies in style." They collaborated with architectural designer Ken Ronchetti.

Before.

"There were unnecessary elements in the living room that had to come out," recalls Boone. "Its ceiling also needed to be raised."

Before.

"The entrance hall was lowceilinged and cramped," says Boone.

After.

"Furniture was rearranged so everyone seated could face the new sliding-glass doors and enjoy the panoramas," notes London.

After.

"The closed-in feeling is now gone." An arrangement of exotic pieces includes an African shaman's bellows and a Tibetan rug. Chest from Mimi London. Pollack Associates chair fabric.

Before.

"A pair of columns and two dining area steps were removed," says London.

Before.

"We didn't like the shiny finishes in the kitchen," says Boone. "We had beachlike, nautical ones in mind."

After.

She fashioned the wall sculpture out of a handmade tapa cloth. The tables, sofas, dining table and cabinetry are from Mimi London. Stark wool sisal carpet throughout.

After.

Granite countertops complement the wirebrushed fir cabinetry. Range and ovens from Gaggenau. Franke sinks. Dishwasher from Miele.

Before.

"The master bedroom was bland and lacked warmth," says London. "We decided to close off some of the side windows and enlarge the ones that looked out to the ocean."

After.

"The room now glows." An Indonesian shrine panel hangs over a circa 1900 Japanese chest.