Stairs

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.

Full-height shelving lines the wood staircase, providing plenty of space for the homeowner's unique collections.

"I get a lot of personal satisfaction from the stairs and continuous handrail that runs from the rooftop deck to the ground floor," says Adair. "The stairs and this handrail detail took quite some time to perfect before they were made."

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.

“We had the brainy idea to combine all of the crazy colors throughout the house into a color palette going during the stairs,” says Claudia. “So now, when you walk into the house, you are hit with a beautiful presentation on the staircase of all the colors you are going to see throughout the house.”

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

Heritage architecture can be found all throughout the abode, including the built-in bookshelves winding up the main staircase.

The new stairs replace a narrow set that was only 30 inches wide. The couple packed storage underneath.