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When he's not designing, the architect pursues his passion for sailing from his boat, aptly named "Wayne's World."

Sometimes all it takes is a little luck. For a young married couple, it came in the form of this rare find: a 19th-century, three-story, single-family home in the heart of Paris. The building was a charmer with good bones, but was in need of some serious care. In a vibrant retrofit by architect Pierre-Louis Gerlier that includes structural reinforcements, the reimagined design is set off with a new floor plan. The lower level now serves as a space for the couple’s children, with the public areas—including an open-plan living/dining room and kitchen—on the floor above. Upstairs, the attic has been transformed into a very large primary bedroom with a green-and-white bathroom suite. The living room (pictured) showcases the firm’s bespoke carpentry work with a beautiful, mossy-green built-in bookcase that frames a new fireplace, and a staircase surrounded by arched doorways that hold hidden storage. “We created visual breakthroughs in order to connect the different spaces,” says Gerlier. “The rounded arches are there to help magnify these moments.”

Deep-set windows and skylights ushers in plenty of natural light that spans throughout, all while further enhancing the bright surrounding hues.

Main living space

The 260-square-foot Hytte module features tall ceilings of up to nearly 12 feet. Multiple windows fill the interior with natural light and frame views of the outdoors.

The cork stairs with a rope railing lead down to the kids’ level.

“We took away a very thick, heavy staircase that led to the loft, and designed one that had a much lighter look,” Wåhlin says. “The new one, made of steel, looks simple and indeed light—but is in fact super heavy and was a real challenge to construct.”

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.

A Viewrail floating stairway with cable railing. The company believes in elevating the stairway from a functional feature to a room’s focal point.

Mirror by MAP for Sabi, $160 Not only is it irresistibly cute, Sabi’s mirror is also designed for universal use. Installation is a breeze: Punch out the to-scale template from the packaging and hang it with the included adhesive or easy-mount screw.

Made from 100% post-consumer paper collected from local businesses, Vancouver-based firm Dear Human's Wallpapering tiles are easy to install and can be printed or painted with custom designs.

The ensuite master bathroom features Ann Sacks slate floor tile, contrasted with white Carrara marble that wraps the Kohler Tea for Two tub. The shower features tile from Heath Ceramics.

Samuel chose a 36-inch, matte white Cafe Appliance range oven to match the rest of the white-on-white design.

The ground floor of the A-frame structure houses an open-plan dining area.

This colorful terrazzo makes a bold statement against the all-white cabinetry.

The upper cabinets and display shelves in the kitchen are home to some of homeowner, Barrett Jackson's creations.

A separate module, clad in corrugated steel, houses a pair of guest bedrooms, offering hosts and visitors alike a welcome degree of privacy. Proximity to the Blanco River means easy access to fishing, swimming, and kayaking, but also the possibility that river muck will piggyback its way into the house on unwashed feet.