We believe every element of a home is worth our attention. I like to think of the experience of entering a home and moving through it for the first time. Later on, we might experience it daily and routinely just like an old and familiar friend. It’s worth considering how elements such as entries, greeting spaces, transitions between spaces and the outdoors, and stair access between floor levels can affect the day to day life of a home and the memories we build over time. Stair cases are often overlooked and designed as an afterthought. They are designed to be moved through and perceived as transitional spaces not destinations in themselves. But the act of climbing or descending the stairs…

Passageways and doors were so revered by the ancient Romans that they established Janus, god of beginnings, doorways, transitions and endings. He was usually depicted as having two faces, since he looks to the future and the past. Throughout history doors provided protection and invitation as they do today and can tell stories, evoke mood and create mystique. They frequently provide a strong first impression as an entrance to a building and mark transitions between spaces and connect the exterior and interior. They can be humble and unadorned providing a subtle change and draw minor attention or make a major statement demanding attention to an important entrance or transition. Often design solutions depend on both to provide a hierarchy of…