Staircase

Couple Margaret and Cory Bienert as seen in one of the bedrooms in the house they’ve spent few years turning into their dream home—and hotel.

Six staircases, many open to outside light, serve as pathways between the private interior spaces.

Resident Peter Østergaard (with Maja, 6, and Carl, 20 months) and architect and photographer Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen have been best friends since they were 13, which makes for easy collaboration. Says Bjerre-Poulsen: “There are always a lot of challenges in a renovation, but Peter and Åsa trusted my judgment and gave me a completely free hand. Usually it’s hard to push people into unconventional solutions, but Peter has all these wild and crazy ideas.” One such idea was to embed a transparent glass-and-iron door in the floor, operated by a hydraulic pump, which allows access to the subterranean wine cellar. At night, the lit-up cellar glows, lending the compact living room an increased sense of verticality.

The stairs can be made to span multiple levels, and are highly customizable in terms of material choice.

The trip from garage to first floor is through a wood-clad spiral staircase that resembles a giant slatted barrel.