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Stairwell with kitchen visible in right background.

windows to flood the floors below. It was immediately clear that The living area is dominated by a gas fireplace with a
the new stair would be designed to channel light to the rest of floor-to-ceiling concrete surround that meets the wall at a
the house. narrow, precise reveal backed by steel. Other similarly subtle
“It was such a team effort,” Smith said of the stair design, but carefully considered gestures are found throughout the
fabrication, and installation, describing his collaboration with house, confirming the meticulous craftsmanship brought to
fellow architects and old friends Natasha Cunningham and the project. As an example, the architect points out the visual
Patrick Welsh, who specialize in design/build projects and interest created by the play between the horizontal ribbing of
custom metal fabrication. the exterior cladding at the entry and the etched linear pattern
Beyond the stair, the main floor has been cleared of its former of the translucent glass of the front door and adjacent window.
walls and closed-off rooms and is now an open sweep of living, Attention to detail shines especially bright in the two-island
dining, and kitchen spaces defined by a structural steel-supported kitchen. “I’m short,” says the homeowner. “I can never reach
system of metal rods and wood pipes running the length of the upper cabinets.” Her new kitchen saves her the stretch. Built by
house. The rod-and-pipe installation establishes a syncopated custom woodworker Robert Archer, the base walnut cabinetry is
visual rhythm that boldly defines spaces without enclosing them. topped by expansive blue-grey Caesarstone counters and offers
44 CRAFTSMAN RETOOLED