Lagoon & Dock
The house sits behind the palms on a white-sand beach, its dock reaching out across the shallows toward Mount Otemanu
Fare Motu is Tahitian for “house on the motu,” one of the small coral islets that ring a Polynesian lagoon. Imagined for a motu in the Bora Bora lagoon, the house sits just back from a white-sand beach, with Mount Otemanu across the water. Tall glass walls fold away to a covered lanai and an infinity pool, and beyond them a long dock reaches out over the turquoise shallows, where manta rays glide over the coral.
Fare Motu is built around the lagoon. The house sits just back from the beach among the palms, low and white, so the water and the mountain do the talking. Tall glass walls fold away completely, turning the living room and the covered lanai into one continuous space, and from there an infinity pool drops away toward a long dock that reaches out across the shallows. A catamaran ties up at its end, kayaks wait on the sand, and manta rays drift over the coral heads just offshore.
Inside, the main living spaces flow together under high ceilings and a band of clerestory windows. The kitchen centers on an island cooktop and a breakfast counter that look straight out at Mount Otemanu; a wet bar, the dining table, and a small office nook share the same open room. Carved Polynesian masks and a hand-painted scroll add a collected, island-lived-in feel, while the pale wood floors and white walls keep the focus on the light and the view. The split-level plan holds two bedrooms and a primary suite off the main living floor.