Netherlands-based firm Marc Koehler Architects designed a staircase that doubles as a bookshelf for its homeowners. The elegant structure features a set of minimalist, white wooden stairs that frame a large, well-used shelving unit below. It’s a creative way to store the residents’ bevy of books whose arrangement mimics the shape of the steps.
This staircase was a redesign for the Amsterdam-based house. The residents wanted to connect the two floors, but they didn’t want to lose the book-storing capabilities of a cupboard that was first there. The architects’ solution was to treat the new staircase as a furniture element. They redefined its role as a pathway and expanded it into a storage unit. Cloaked in a sleek, neutral color, it allows the bright book covers to be the most eye-catching part of the room.
Photography by Marcel van der Burg