Collection by Office Horimoto
Stair idea
Throughout the kitchen and dining spaces, the ceiling is painted in Dulux Wellbeing green. This continues along the underside of the staircase to help accentuate its form. The cupboards beneath the stair are painted in a deep blue, with circular red finger pulls. The couple’s son, Mo, uses the small cupboard as a hiding spot. “You spend so much time thinking about people and how people will use the space,” says architect Catrina Stewart. “It’s amazing to walk in and often be surprised at how pieces are evolving as the kids grow up.”
In a family home in Mill Valley, California, Lauren Goldman of l’oro designs kept her clients’ goals of “modern yet accessible” in mind while also looking for opportunities to add functionality. This proved successful when she discovered that the empty space under the steel-and-glass stair landing was the perfect scale for children to sit and read under. The team was inspired to create a kid-sized library, turning a useless space into a perfectly cozy reading nook.



![With the home’s relatively compact footprint and efficient floor plan comprising two bedrooms and two bathrooms over a single living level, smart use of space was critical. "Built-in storage everywhere [is] number one," says Melanie. A pantry and storage drawers are tucked under the stairs.](https://images2.dwell.com/photos/6133435856926433280/6778909163335241728/original.jpg?auto=format&q=35&w=160)








