Stepenice

The outline of the stair shape gives the design a playful quality and breaks up the outer face of the stairs to provide cupboard doors.

STAIR HALL

The caged staircase was designed by architect Patrick Ousey, with whom Flournoy collaborated in the home’s design. Although initially unconvinced by the staircase detail, “it is a great example of how collaboration brings in different perspectives,” says Flournoy.

The kitchen and adjoined dining space have a light, open feel, as does the rest of the home. Complementary design elements, like the low-slung steel bookcase next to the stairs, which Flournoy’s partner organized according to color, reappear throughout the house. Pops of color add an appealing break from the largely monochromatic palette, and reinforce the couple’s design aesthetic. The Bistro chairs are from Crate and Barrel.

Hynam designed and built the cabinets under the stairs and a drawer that slides out from beneath the bottom step. Drink H1 pendant lamps from Rotaliana hang in the kitchen and above a Grassworks dining table by Jair Straschnow.

The staircase features a minimalist design with maple treads and edges. The alcove beneath the stairs allows Magill to stash things where they can still be easily accessed. The metal shelving system is another coworker castoff.

The core of the glass-enclosed spiral stair is a hexagon, a reference to the moments in the floor plan in which six triangular modules are joined together to form the shape.

The open-plan kitchen and living room in the de Gaspé House in Montreal's Villeray neighborhood borrows natural light from a double-height space over the seating area.

The stairs are partically hidden behind a slatted ash screen that supports steel bookshelves.

The staircase was built using standard wood frame construction with plywood treads. Each step was then covered with a thin sheet of folded steel that outlines its angled profile.

"We composed the house to have its highest, brightest space in the middle," says Paul Raff. Warm wood stairs lead to the second floor, which houses guest bedrooms, bath, and a kitchenette for the family's frequent visitors.

Bright yellow and purple paints were used to add some vibrancy to the daughter’s desk area, one of the ways the architects tried to honor the personality of each inhabitant's space.

This double-height stairwell, just adjacent the kitchen, marks the transition from the historic building to the new renovation. A skylight pulls sunlight from above into the home office below.

Here also hardy materials—the dark oak stairs—contrast with clean white walls.

“The intimate courtyard, with a concrete floor and plants, is an homage to many charming places in Southern California, where my wife and I lived for four years before getting married," says Priatman.

“Elegant material choices, subtle detailing, and thoughtful spatial sensibilities belie the building’s intelligent space planning,” says Aniket Shahane of OA.

The metal used for the railing and wood for the stair treads in the hall were saved from destruction and reused.

Moseley notes the home’s distinctive staircase as one of her favorite features. "When the steel was ordered from the steelyard," she says, "it was marked with our metalworker’s name, for easy pickup. That scribble still exists in random places in the staircase and is very industrial—we love it!" Hand-welded by Mike Carman, a local contractor, the staircase runs through all three floors, and it was custom-sized to fit the dimensions of the shipping containers, measuring nine-feet-six-inches tall and eight-feet wide.

The architects created the illusion of more space by opening up the floor plan, repositioning the staircase and introducing sight lines to the large windows on the south side. Recurring black accents—from the dining room’s Serge Mouille light fixture to its tall bookcases—contrast the brightness of the crisp white walls. Walnut floors and lighter wood furniture like the Klaus Willhelm table and Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs cozy up the home, while colorful objects animate it. “We strongly believe that people do not need more space, they just need better-designed space,” Dubbeldam says.