Another reason for relocating the home's staircase was to create better access to the backyard. As you turn to the right at the landing, another set of stairs leads up to the second floor. "The owners really wanted superclean detailing," notes Griffin of the simple, open stair treads.
As the last few examples show, stairs are an effective place to make transitions between spaces or between material palettes. This stair appears to curl around the wall that supports it on the right, but it's the window straight ahead that makes it so appealing. Forced movement through a house — stairs, corridors and so on — offers opportunities for leading the eye and framing views.