The stair’s ceiling, delicately inscribed with the grain of its wooden formwork, direct views toward the path below and the backyard beyond. The steps on each flight are carefully widened or shortened to change your pace; here they double as you walk, slowing your pace, playing with the perception of your surroundings, and reducing the sense you are descending. Photo 3 of 10 in A Daring Hillside Home Made of Wood, Concrete, and Volcanic Stone by Zach Edelson

A Daring Hillside Home Made of Wood, Concrete, and Volcanic Stone

3 of 10

The stair’s ceiling, delicately inscribed with the grain of its wooden formwork, direct views toward the path below and the backyard beyond. The steps on each flight are carefully widened or shortened to change your pace; here they double as you walk, slowing your pace, playing with the perception of your surroundings, and reducing the sense you are descending.