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“It’s very similar to what you’d see for corn storage,” the homeowner says of the custom designed stairwell screen. On the landing, a long vertical window frames a picturesque view of the property. As a passageway that you would typically walk through quickly, the design details in the stairwell create an experience where you instead stop and linger.

Flywheel Industrial Arts fabricated and installed the floating steel and oak stair based on Herrmann’s design which balances geometry with organic rhythms. If Herrmann noticed a repeated pattern when she glanced at it, she played with the spacing until her eye wasn’t drawn to any single spot. “We were excited by the combination of a massive, steel superstructure and a non-repeating baluster pattern,” says Benjamin Cheney, a partner at the Montpelier-based firm. Bocci pendant lights illuminate the stair evenly and look beautiful.

Homeowner and co-designer Christopher Hansen heads for the beach from the home’s double-height entry hallway, where a glass stairway with parota wood treads maintains sight lines.

To improve flow, Halsey and Levitt Halsey moved and modernized steps connecting the family room to the rest of the home.

Ashizawa’s background is in steelwork, so getting the staircase right was critical. It needed to be structurally sound, but not so big and bulky it would block the light from the patio. The clever use of a support rod in the middle of the structure allows for sturdy but lightweight steps.

A switchback staircase accommodates a grand piano handed down from Anton’s father.

Granito tiles line the back wall of the stairwell.

Farnley Hey’s heart is a large, double-height living area, dubbed "the dance floor