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French Limestone from Stafford Tile & Stone runs throughout the entry, courtyard and primary bed + bath suite. The vintage terracotta lamp sits atop the Paul McCobb Parchment-front Sideboard. A monotype by New Orleans Artist Steve Martin is centered on the feature wall leading to the primary suite.

Completed in late 2022, the home's design is organized around an exterior court. Simple bold forms punctuated with an abundance of large casement windows take advantage of the site's views and natural vegetation.

Two-inch-thick bamboo treads and a bamboo handrail on the stairs lead the way to the second floor.

The switchback stairs create a circulation pattern that, according to Bangia, is "noticeably different than what you would find in a typical Brooklyn town house." She adds, "It lends an element of surprise when moving between floors, and a dynamic spatial sense of expansion and contraction.”

The sculptural stairway is fitted with white oak floating treads, a steel stringer, and a glass guardrail.

Entry Stair Volume

A new steel staircase with wood tread and a cable railing does not block the outside views. The double-height window systems used at the front and back of the home are glass storefront units from YKK.

A steel bridge connects the upper level master suite (to the left) with the existing bedrooms to the right.

Two sets of double doors merge the interior with the covered exterior.

The walnut staircase and slide in a Chicago town house leads from the main level to the basement. To protect people on the ride down, a “crash pad” fashioned from a standard gymnastic mat covers the wall at the slide’s base.

In 2014, while recovering from a work-related injury, Denver-area firefighter Regan Foster started exploring the idea of shipping containers for a new house he was planning to build. Two years later, he and his wife, Libby, moved into a home made mostly of the giant metal bins, having done much of the work themselves. They share the residence with their year-old daughter, Evie, and Libby’s mother.

Floating against birch paneling, the main stair incorporates treads salvaged from old barn wood.

A staircase leads up to the apartment units.

A staircase leads up from the common areas to the bedrooms.

Across from the entrance is the main staircase, which leads to the bedrooms.

A floating staircase leads up from the common area to the bedrooms.

At the meeting point of these two masses, public and private spaces, is a vertical axis that cuts the horizontal plane with the use of a staircase that goes through all levels of the house.

One of the greatest design challenges, according to Franz and Paré-Mayer, was reimagining the dark, unfinished garage space in a way that would “establish [it] as primary, instead of an afterthought to the original floor above.” This was achieved by layering open, linked spaces on the ground floor and sticking to a few carefully selected materials for cohesion and fluidity. There are hardly any hallways in the home; every space serves a function. Polished concrete floors continue throughout the new living level, and a bent metal dining chair with a reclaimed Douglas fir backrest made by Scholz sits in front of an open white oak staircase.