stairs

A Frank Gehry Wiggle Chair and Globe light from Ligne Roset sit beneath the stair. The metal encircling the concrete pillar was finished to match all of the other metal elements. Photo: Mike Schwartz

The staircase handrail was custom designed by Unicus Developments specifically for this renovation. It’s constructed from a combination of iron and unlacquered brass. The craftsman applied a step notch—a linear cutout—to each stair tread.

Climb the steel staircase from the first floor to the living, dining, and kitchen area, which open on to a small terrace with a private garden. On the top floor, rooms for the homeowners and their children are tucked away along with a bathroom illuminated by light from the courtyard.

"The staircase is a ribbon to fold you downstairs," says Andrew.

"We try to find the straightest line between two points," explains architect Andrew Fischer. "We always want to edit down, and be efficient with space."

Floor-to-ceiling glass doors that stretch 27 feet long connect the interior to the side patio.

The redesign of the staircase is a contemporary touch which could have just as easily existed in the home's original state. The wood slat screen blends with the wooden staircase and the wood ceiling opening the space and making it feel bigger—a huge improvement over the sheetrock wall that had been previously there.

Homeowner and co-designer Christopher Hansen heads for the beach from the home’s double-height entry hallway, where a glass stairway with parota wood treads maintains sight lines.

The living room sits at the rear of the house, connected to the garden. "Even though it's a very small house, we wanted the living room to be very generous," says the couple. "This room is the life of the house."

Entry

Dining and Kitchen

A planter is integrated under the open staircase leading to the upper floor, and a skylight in the roof illuminates the stairwell.

The living room also connects to a deck via sliding doors from B&B Doors and Windows.

LaFayette Studio, which helped with the interiors, selected a Holly Hunt fabric for built-in sofas in the new living room, which also features a rug from Rush House, a sconce by Brendan Ravenhill Studio, and a Swift ceiling light from Cedar & Moss.

Windows along the new staircase connect the family to the outdoors, and allow more natural light inside.

Another view of how the white oak stairs wrap around to become the bench. Rogers wanted the simple interior material palette to both celebrate and gently contrast with the site’s features, becoming a backdrop for the “bark on the trees and the texture on the boulders.”