Ways to Get Creative with a Staircase

The cork stairs with a rope railing lead down to the kids’ level.

Rail-free stairs are unnerving for a first-time visitor, but they amplify the home's free-flowing sense of space and structure. The stairs were built inside one of the six concrete towers, and they lead from the central living space to the front door. The experience of moving from the enclosed stairway into the expansive open family area is dramatic.

A thin Y-shaped metal banister guides movement up the stairs to the client’s son’s room. Below the Corian stairs, an office nook was carved out of the wall in the daughter’s room.

On the second-floor landing, just outside Liv’s bedroom, is the family’s “mushroom wall,” comprised of a blend of cypress and hemlock repurposed from the bedding bins of a mushroom-growing facility. During the mushroom growth cycle, enzymes digest and erode the soft wood grain, producing an organic, sculpted effect. ECOS chalkboard paint—zero VOC and non-toxic, natch—appears under the stairs.

“I love this low-level stair window. It’s at head height when you’re at the bottom of the stairs; it gives you a glimpse of, and connection to, the garden outside. Most of the windows capture what I’d call ‘hero shots,’ but some, like this one, are completely unexpected.”

Ab Rogers dons a bold suit that suits the spirit of the accompanying decor he designed.