Moussafir Architectes’ Maison Escalier, or Staircase House, is luxury squared. Built in Paris’s sixth district, this steel three-level, open-plan home features black locust wood finishes, no walls between rooms (other than the bathroom), and concrete boxes built into the walls for tasteful, functional storage. The house is built around a central core, anchored by wide stairs that open into a new room with each subsequent level. The south side of the structure is complemented by the rectangular steel-and-glass window construction, outfitted with electronically controlled patterned steel shades that paint shadows on the interior when the sun filters through. One of the coolest things about Maison Escalier is the fact that three of the stone walls from the site’s previous structure were left intact, adding an old-world feel to this otherwise wholly contemporary building.
