stairsContemporary Staircase, Portland

9. Staircase stunners. Using maple hardwood, designer John Prindle designed a knockout staircase that is as interesting as the pattern cut into it. If you thought it was just a matrix of random punches for purely visual effect, you’d be wrong; it’s actually each residing family member’s name cut into Morse code.

The names of the family members who live in this home are rendered in a more obscure language here: Morse code.

Greg designed an original pattern for the ApplePly panels that line the stairs and loft using the dots and dashes of Morse code. Each strip spells out the name of a member of the family.The stairs lead down to an apartment suite where Betsy lives. "Multigenerational living was part of the goal of redesigning the space," Greg says. Her dedicated level in the house has a separate entrance, laundry appliances and a small kitchen.Railing panels: B&L Wood Creations; railing: steel, custom, Formed Objects

Greg designed an original pattern for the ApplePly panels that line the stairs and loft using the dots and dashes of Morse code. Each strip spells out the name of a member of the family.

On the stairsThe beauty of ply is that it’s lightweight yet strong, comes in large sheets, is easy to machine and highly resistant to splitting, warping, shrinking and swelling. This means it can be used for applications for which solid timber wouldn’t cut it, like in the case of this conversation-starting staircase. Here, panels of plywood have been creatively machined to feature the names of each family member in Morse code. But even if you aren’t in the know about what the cut-out dots and dashes mean, the striking geometric motif still turns heads and adds plenty of drama to the space.Stair panels in ApplePly