Design Elements · Staircases

Staircases: 16 from real Napa & North Bay projects

A staircase is where a landscape invites movement, so I treat it as part of the journey between destinations rather than a utility. The rise, run, and landing rhythm should feel natural underfoot, and the route should lead somewhere worth arriving. I let planting crowd the edges to soften all that stone, and where there's existing rock or grade worth respecting, I work with it instead of flattening it. The best stairs look as if the hillside was always meant to be climbed this way.