Stairs

The switchback stairs create a circulation pattern that, according to Bangia, is "noticeably different than what you would find in a typical Brooklyn town house." She adds, "It lends an element of surprise when moving between floors, and a dynamic spatial sense of expansion and contraction.”

The cottage’s new "upside-down" floor plan separates the private zones below from the social zones on the upper floor and makes entertaining much easier, says Adair.

At the taller end of the 2,575-square-foot house, a second story holds two bedrooms, one of which Justine uses as a music room and office.

Thick slabs of walnut serve as treading on the staircase.

The second floor is flooded with light; windows line the common corridor spaces.

Artwork throughout the house is courtesy of Lexi’s friends.

The Dinesen staircase descends along a wall of fluted Carrara marble.

The ground floor consists of the public space with ample room for entertaining, while all the private living spaces have been delegated to the second floor.

House Ocho

The Dora pendant lights in the kitchen are from Rejuvenation; quartz countertops are by Cambria and the custom bar stools are by Rocky Mountain Table Company. In Situ Studio designed the solid walnut steps with custom steel rails, a walnut hand rail, and a removable baby gate.

Architect Catherine Milanese wanted to use a single material—fir plywood—for the stringer, the stairs, and the risers, visually integrating the stairway with the wood box that contains the mezzanine level.

Left to right: Breakfast Nook, feature staircase and Dining Room with views of rear yard to right