Sacramento law school alum to sell Hawaii home full of elegance, enduring love
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- Law school grad James Zupancic lists $14.6M Kukui’ula home named Maluhia Kai.
- Residence spans 5,600+ sq ft, four bedrooms, five baths, ocean views.
- Owners to sell to relocate closer to children.
Atop the sun-drenched bluffs of Kauai’s south shore with views of the dramatic Spouting Horn blowhole — a work of architectural art awaits its next chapter.
Known as Kula Makai 8 at the resort community of Kukui’ula, the new $14.6 million listing is not just another luxury residence — it is a home infused with story, splendor and soul, where the lines between indoor elegance and outdoor beauty dissolved in tropical harmony at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
From its inception, the residence was more than a blueprint; it was a promise. James Zupancic and his wife Marla designed and built the house they call Maluhia Kai as a 50th wedding anniversary present to each other. Their vision culminated in December 2023.
“We completed the home just in time to have our entire ohana (family) join us to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary in the home,” James Zupancic said in an email to The Sacramento Bee.
He is an accomplished attorney who earned his law degree at the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento and began his career as a lawyer for the California state Assembly’s influential Ways and Means Committee, advising on what was then described as the fifth-largest governmental budget in the world.
The celebration of the couple’s milestone became a living memory. In December 2023, 23 members of the Zupancic family flocked to the community of Koloa for the joyous reunion — “including our five children and their spouses, plus 11 grandchildren,” Zupancic said.
The laughter echoed from the pool to the pickleball court.
“Our eldest daughter made family T-shirts for everyone. We organized a family golf tournament for everyone, including the small grandchildren, swam, ate, took lots of photos and laughed a lot. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience in our magical home that we will never forget,” he said.
The house itself is unforgettable, too.
With four bedrooms and five bathrooms stretched across more than 5,600 square feet under roof, the residence is a testament to contemporary Hawaiian design. Flowing seamlessly from the vaulted great room — with coffered ceilings framing endless ocean vistas — to the Ipe wood lanai and terraced tropical gardens, every inch evokes a sense of place. Museum-grade solid Koa furnishings and wide-plank American Walnut floors lend a refined warmth to the surroundings.
The primary suite is a private sanctuary with a spa-like bath, complete with a hand-hammered copper tub and verdant indoor-outdoor garden shower. Each guest suite boasts its own luxurious outdoor shower.
The gourmet kitchen anchors the heart of the home with a chef’s dream 60-inch Wolf range and Sub-Zero refrigeration. Outside, a custom-engineered pool and jacuzzi invite both sunrise swims and starlit soaks. The lanai — with hurricane-resistant glass — offers panoramic views.
Sustainability meets sophistication with the home’s 54 solar panels, three Tesla batteries, dual-zoned AC, Lutron lighting, Sonos sound and an energy-efficient hybrid water system.
A private pickleball court is nestled into the landscaping on the nearly three-quarter-acre lot.
Even paradise can be shadowed by life’s deepest challenges and alter a family’s course, Zupancic said in the email.
“Our 43-year-old daughter-in-law passed away after a nearly four-year battle with ovarian cancer, survived by our son and his 6-year-old daughter,” James shared. “Our children and their families all live in the Western U.S. This and other family circumstances require us to be geographically closer, and we made the difficult decision to sell the house so that we could continue to make family our number one priority.”
Suzanne Harding of Kukui’ula Realty Group and Hannah Sirois of Compass are the co-listing agents.
This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 12:56 PM.
