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Opening up the living spaces.

Terra House | Bernardes Arquitetura

"While each floor is assigned a function, the spaces are connected through open floor plans and offset levels, which enlarge the space and counter the smallness of the house," says Unemori.

The concept of a house in Croatia by 3LDH is inspired by the shape of a snail’s shell, which involves a spiral twisting around its own axis. As such, all functional elements of the house follow each other and are built around a central atrium. The atrium was made in order to compensate for a lack of sunlight in the home.

Light filters in from all sides and falls through the home's "canopy" of trees.

The sunken living room is illuminated by an eight-by-eight-foot gridded skylight in the copper ceiling.

The interplay of light and shadow draws you into the home.

The industrial stair leads to the upper level, where the bedrooms, bathrooms, and play space are located.

The first floor houses a storage room, guest room, gym and garage, all built around the lush inner courtyard.

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

Their carpenter Proedl built a lot of the storage and furniture in the apartment, including these concealed cubbies beneath the stairs—with room for a dry bar, of course.

Main facade with new triangular clerestory windows at the center