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"Pulling the buildings apart allows what is not a big house to feel really big," says architect Jonathan Feldman of the sustainable retirement home he built for a couple in California. "Because of the ways it opens up, it feels much more expansive than it really is."

Mikulionis custom designed the white steel staircase that leads from the living area up to the bedroom platform.

The fireplace surround and staircase are fabricated from steel with a clear coat. Enclosed with glass on two sides, the space allows nature to flow inside.

The staircase leading to the master suite features aluminum treads supported on stainless steel tubes. "We wanted something that would allow the resin panels behind it to reflect the light from the windows at the top of the stair," Slade says.