The Italianate Job

Keisha Martin and her cousin, Mickeda, chat underneath the house’s crowning glory, the oculus, which allows light to spill onto each floor of the house.

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Briggs and Knowles based their design of the oculus on traditional Victorian skylights but tweaked it to fit a more modern sensibility and outfitted it with fluorescent tubing to recreate the effect in the evening.

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Martin’s master bathroom, outfitted with a tub tricked out with jets and chromatherapy lights, allows her to soak in the luxury of her own home.

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Martin's closet (which some would consider to be a perfectly habitable room—or apartment!) offers room for a growing wardrobe.

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The kitchen has ample cooking space and room for a crowd. The Ann Sacks tile backsplash softens the line of the stainless steel, while the black absolute granite countertop adds a muted counterpoint. Kohler and Grohe fixtures ensure that dishes can be tackled double-team style.

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Briggs and Knowles’s elegant staircase draws upon the language of the oculus; the stairs are underlit with fluorescent lighting, which accents the line of the steps, giving them an ethereal, almost weightless quality.

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A second-story balcony overlooks a small yard.

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