Stairs

Start with a top-down approach, then choose a shape that lands in a good spot by Paul DeGroot

A frame-and-panel box, dressed up with molding, creates an elegant anchor for a stairway by Gary Striegler

Comfortable quarters for a family of five on a postage-stamp lot in Houston, but for only $70 per square foot by Carlos Ulloa

A small guest house proves that you can make elegant spaces with stock materials by Gale Goff

Expanding the kitchen into a neglected porch fills it with daylight and a view of the private, wooded backyard by Eric Gill

Southern yellow-pine treads hide welded-steel brackets that make these stairs appear to float in space by Glen Stewart

by Mike Guertin

An updated and code-compliant interpretation of the classic Greene and Greene Gamble House staircase by Lon Schleining

Getting the details right might save a life by Gregory Harrison

An Arts and Crafts stair becomes the focal point of a house searching for a style by Miles Karpilow

Stairways can be minimal or very elaborate, but they're all based on simple geometry and accurate finish work by Bob Syvanen

Distinctive wood detailing, tile work, stained glass and carving in a California living room by Ben Tarcher