Architectural details rise to the next level in a home's staircase. Whether sweeping or simple, the stairway not only serves an important function in a multilevel home, it should also have great form, says Jimmy Coltharp, a vice president with L.J. Smith Stair Systems, a 133-year-old company based in Bowerston, Ohio, that designs and manufactures staircases.

"As lot sizes get smaller in new home developments, builders are constructing houses upward," Coltharp says. "The staircase is a natural focal point in the home. Visually, it takes your eye upward and can create a grand entrance as you walk into a home."

The design of a home's staircase depends on the style of its construction and the materials used. In a new home, the staircase should be an integral part of its design, not an afterthought that merely connects the floors of a house.

"A home's staircase is the most intricate and fanciest piece of furniture built into a house," Coltharp says. "There's a lot of geometry that goes into building a proper stairway, and both builders and designers must meet strict building codes."

Stairs must not only be safe and easy to climb, they should also be aesthetically inviting. A staircase's general design fits into three categories:

-- A straight stringer. A straight-flight staircase is the simplest form that connects two floors without any twists and turns.

-- A curved stairway. The shape of this staircase is in the arc of a circle. For a grand effect, steps at the bottom of this staircase might also be larger and flared at the edges.

-- A spiral stairway. This system has steps that are supported by and rotate around a center pole, and is manufactured as a singular piece when assembled. When made of metal, a spiral staircase is weather-resistant and can be used to step down from a deck or private room onto a patio or pool area.

Straight and curved staircases are comprised of horizontal steps (or treads), vertical risers (the rear face of each step) and stringers (the structures that hold the treads and risers in place on each side of the stairway.)

The handrail system also steps up the luxe look of today's staircase. Also called a banister, a handrail system can be comprised of newels (larger vertical posts most commonly seen at the beginning and end of a handrail system); balusters (smaller, more numerous vertical posts, supporting the handrail between newels); and, of course, the handrail itself.

In new home construction, carpenters or woodworkers often build many stringers to specifications on-site, Coltharp says. Then, factory-manufactured staircase components are built to specifications, shipped to the building site and installed.

"The staircase is a serious piece of engineering," Coltharp says. "There are building codes that dictate tight tolerances to reduce the risk of injury."

While there is an International Residential Code for staircase specifications, there might also be local building codes that must be followed. Building codes dictate everything from riser height and tread width, to handrail graspability and width between balusters, which is often a gap that is no wider than 4 inches.

For those wanting to update or restore a tired existing staircase, Coltharp says a custom-made look can be as easy as swapping out wooden balusters for wrought iron ones, replacing carpeted treads with stained hardwoods or fashioning a new, custom-made handrail.

"We are often asked to replicate a broken baluster or newel post in older homes with grand staircases," Coltharp says. "This is done in our factory on a copy lathe, much in the same way one has a new key made from an existing one."

While the median price for a staircase in a starter home is around $2,500, prices can escalate to tens of thousands of dollars when treads are made of exotic hardwoods or stone, Coltharp says. Vertical balusters might also seem out of step, as horizontal cables are strung tightly between newel posts in many modern staircases. L.J. Smith Stair Systems has also developed ready-to-install metal panels with horizontal lines, which makes assembling the handrail system even easier.

Seasoned staircase contractors walk the line between designing a technically correct, built-to-code stairway and one that is also a welcoming focal point of the home. "Homeowners often hang pictures on the wall by a staircase as a personal gallery of sorts," Coltharp says. "A staircase that makes a statement is just inviting and can make a house feel like home."

In Step

To help design your home's staircase, go to LJSmith.com, and click the "Stair Designer" tab.

An ancient Japanese philosophy has found a devoted following in today's home design. Wabi-sabi, centered on impermanence and rooted in Zen Buddhism, elevates perfectly imperfect details. Loosely translated, "wabi" means simplicity, and "sabi" is an appreciation for the old and faded.

"Particularly in the West, there can be a culture to create spaces that are very seductive visually, but these projects can be missing a soulful expression," says Joshua Aidlin, architect and founder of Aidlin Darling Design in San Francisco. "For those who are aware of the Wabi-sabi philosophy, the aim in architecture and design is that there is an expression of the hand that created it."

The Wabi-sabi aesthetic can be described as one of beauty that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. Specific characteristics of Wabi-sabi design include surroundings that are simple, modest, asymmetrical and austere. Above all, there is a great appreciation of natural objects and materials, Aidlin says.

"Humans are innately imperfect, and people can have an instinctive response to seeing a space that doesn't hide the beauty of organic imperfection," he says. "There is an elegance in a humble piece of stone or wood."

While the Wabi-sabi aesthetic emphasizes the beauty of organic imperfection, this philosophy is not an endorsement for slipshod construction, Aidlin says.

"We are not talking about poor craft," he says. "Construction must still have tight tolerances and adhere to building codes. Rather, it's knowing when to let the organic and hand-quality craftsmanship come through."

Windhover, a contemplative center at Stanford University, is a public display of a natural space that engages in Wabi-sabi principles, designed by Aidlin Darling Design. The building's construction was meant to contribute to a visitor's contemplative process, as one is guided alongside the building with only glimpses of the interior revealed. Elements including weathering steel, rammed earth walls, stone, glass and water are all brought together to create a beautifully balanced atmosphere.

"The use of rammed earth walls is a process of mixing earth, concrete and aggregate to provide a stratified, tactile wall. This process of compacting the earthen mixture results in a naturally imperfect construction," Aidlin says. "The final result is a soulful and tranquil natural oasis."

Fashioning a Wabi-sabi retreat at home is about creating a place with stripped-down surfaces, natural textures and handmade objects, says Dayna Isom Johnson, trend expert with Etsy, an online marketplace for handmade items based in Brooklyn, New York.

"In life, as well as in home decorating, I firmly believe in keeping it real, which is a tall order in the age of pervasive Instagram perfection," Isom Johnson says. "With an emphasis on organic materials, softly textured fabrics and natural shapes, Wabi-sabi is all about embracing authenticity -- it's the anti-retouching."

While "Wabi-sabi" is trending online as a top search in home design, Isom Johnson has noticed the commoditization of wood with rough-hewn finishes and metals with factory-made patinas. "Wabi-sabi can be the yin to the yang of the super-modern minimalist home with highly polished surfaces that doesn't look like anyone lives there," she says. "In a home with a Wabi-sabi philosophy, we're talking about having hand-thrown ceramics, wrinkled linen sheets and gently gnarled wood."

Creating a Zen-like zone at home amongst imperfections isn't about living in cluttered chaos, Isom Johnson says. "In a Wabi-sabi home, possessions are pared down for their functionality and beauty," she says. "Objects or design attributes in a home that ascribe to the Wabi-sabi philosophy are deliberate. Showcasing an imperfection is intentional, not something achieved through neglect."

Homes with a Wabi-sabi aesthetic have natural materials that make the space hospitable and comfortable. Uncluttered, yet not overtly austere, imperfect objects make the space more inviting. A home with a color palette that mimics nature -- greens, grays, blues and earth tones -- creates a tranquil atmosphere.

In the bedroom of a home that ascribes to the Wabi-sabi philosophy, the walls may be exposed concrete, with weathered floorboards and sumptuous, wrinkled bed linens that invite rest and relaxation. In the kitchen, hand-thrown ceramic bowls and plates can be put on display and used to serve a meal. Natural design inspiration is as simple as placing a single stem in a unique, asymmetrical vase.

A treasured piece of artwork in Isom Johnson's Brooklyn apartment is a framed picture drawn by her young nephew. "I see the perfection in this childish drawing, and it's not home to me without having it on the wall," Isom Johnson says. "A Wabi-sabi approach to home honors the beauty of embracing your truest self -- and the reality of the space you live in."

Promoting the Perfectly Imperfect

-- Aidlin Darling Design, AidlinDarlingDesign.com or 415-974-5603

-- Etsy.com, search "Wabi-sabi"

Reused, recycled and repurposed materials give new life to residential remodels. For some homeowners, it's not all about out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new when upgrading their home's interior, says Judy Mozen, a master certified remodeler, green certified professional and president/founder of Handcrafted Homes Inc., based outside Atlanta.

"From my experience, people who remodel their homes using reclaimed wood or tiling want these personal touches to reflect a unique sense of style," Mozen says. "Aside from the sustainability aspect of using salvaged materials, homeowners also love telling the story about the old wooden mantel or reclaimed barn beams."

Scavenging twosome Ryanne Hodson and Jay Dedman moved from San Francisco in 2009 to Luray, Virginia, after buying a home that was in foreclosure. Since that time, the couple has renovated three houses in the area, which are within driving distance of Washington, D.C., and nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Their first renovation continues to be their private home, while the other two homes have become short-term vacation rentals.

"Not having a lot of money forces you to be resourceful, and this translates to repurposing other people's trash into beautiful furniture, shelves, beds, flooring and art," Hodson says. "(Materials) can ultimately be cheaper, but turns out, it's going to be more meaningful than just buying items new at the big box store."

Years of neglect and so-called improvements by previous owners in all three of Hodson and Dedman's properties had to be stripped away to reveal each home's inner beauty without compromising upgrades in modern technology and conveniences. A home remodel using reclaimed materials begins with solid craftsmanship, and is a way to bring a bit of an "old soul" into a newly remodeled home.

For Hodson and Dedman, using reclaimed materials in their remodeling projects also required hard work and sweat equity:

Kitchen Reclaimed

A repurposed soapstone laundry sink resting on a heartwood pine barn beam cabinet is the showpiece in the 1850s-era farmhouse kitchen owned by Hodson and Dedman.

"The largest soapstone quarry in the United States was in Albemarle County, Virginia, right down the road from where we live," Hodson says. "The quarry ... made a very popular, deep basin laundry sink that was a mainstay in Victorian houses throughout the east coast."

Hodson says the salvaged soapstone sink was so heavy that it took four men to lift it onto the custom-made cabinetry, which was made from salvaged barn beams from North Carolina.

Refuse Reused

What's old can be made new again after Dedman reclaimed piles of beautiful heartwood pine, sycamore and dark walnut woods from an old Victorian home that was being torn down in the Luray area.

"We were allowed to help clear debris and scavenge anything we could haul in terms of flooring, beadboard, scrap wood and fixtures," Hodson says. "The bathroom sink cabinetry at the farmhouse is made of the heartwood pine ceiling boards from that very building."

And, in a squeaky-clean salvage, the couple lined the shower with antique tiles originally from a Richmond, Virginia, estate.

Building Built-Ins

To create a clean, yet cozy home, Hodson and Dedman built in details that used solid, modern-day craftsmanship, made with reclaimed wood, during the remodel of their 1973 A-frame house. Salvaged barn beams and paneling were used to create a custom-made sleeping sanctuary in a nook of the home.

"Rather than buy some (bunk beds)," Hodson says. "We decided to make a more unique and sturdy set that should last for generations."

Custom Cabinetry

Today's open-concept home calls for a clean kitchen design. With open shelving and custom-built butcher-block countertops made from salvaged dark walnut, Hodson and Dedman had a watershed moment of inspiration after sourcing a stainless steel commercial sink from a restaurant supply warehouse for their A-frame home.

"Kitchens can get pricey," Hodson says. "We were able to make a small, European-style kitchen into fully functioning space -- to just make coffee or cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner -- for a fraction of what most people spend. "

By investing in slightly used appliances, this kitchen with a modern flavor is one that doesn't cut corners in taste and functionality.

Warm Wood Flooring

Reclaimed wood flooring builds a home's character from the ground up. Southwestern-style terra-cotta tiles were cold and out-of-place in Dedman and Hodson's rural Virginia cabin loft.

"After copious amounts of blood, sweat and tears, we were able to lay salvaged heartwood pine flooring throughout the whole house," Hodson says. The use of reclaimed flooring opened doors to hanging solid, salvaged Douglas fir five-panel doors rescued from an old Victorian home.

These doors became the gateway to creating more privacy within the home and added old world details to a modern remodel.

Mozen says that using reclaimed materials during a remodel doesn't always save dollars, but for some homeowners, it just makes sense. "Homeowners can have a real feeling of pride, in that these old materials aren't being cast into the landfill," she says. "There's also something very calming about surrounding yourself by architectural details that tell a story."

Reclaiming Information

National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), NARI.org. To find a professional contractor in your area, click "Consumer," then drop down to "Find a Pro." In Atlanta, visit: HandcraftedHomes-inc.com.

To listen to Ryanne Hodson and Jay Dedman's podcast on the adventures of owning properties for short-term rentals, go to: ShampooandBooze.com, so named, because renters are most likely to leave these items after their stay. To see more pictures and rent homes that Hodson and Dedman have remodeled, go to LurayModern.com.