Stairs

Using natural materials is one way of bringing nature indoors. Oiled white ash floors and ceilings, along with Italian poplar and Lawson cypress joinery, are found throughout architect Andrew Simpson’s 538-square-foot home outside Wellington, New Zealand.

The wooden staircase is a nod to the original timber cabin.

A restrained palette of wood and white makes the architecture a neutral backdrop. "It’s kind of cliché, but we believe you can create good spaces simply with modest materials and light," says Legge. The stairs are oak, and the built-in shelving is Douglas fir.