Stairs

The large terrace on the upper level, which contains the house's bedrooms, is nearly 968 square feet.

Staircase

Custom Tempered Glass Stair Railing

Under the steps are built-in storage spaces.

White-painted storage cabinets are built-in to the wall beneath the staircase.

Built-in cabinetry beneath the staircase provides extra storage space for the 1,024-square-foot home.

The ground floor’s adjoining staircase, as well as the kitchen cabinets and tables, can be adjusted depending the homeowner's preferences. “The design of the house is an attempt to respond to [French novelist] Georges Perec’s question, ‘We should learn to live more on staircases. But how?’” Simpson says.

Photo caption: The wall beneath the stairs of this Beverly Hills home holds hidden storage, including an Enomatic wine dispenser and Sub-Zero refrigerated drawers.

Loft stair with hidden pull-out storage

The couple's daughter reads in the cozy nook just inside the front door painted in a vibrant blue from Benjamin Moore. Of the storage area below, Fredrik says, "In Sweden, there's always a place to sit and take off your shoes. This is a version of that."

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.