When the process of converting a circa-1880 brick building in Lincoln Park (once a German Lutheran Congregational school) into a modern single-family home bestows upon you a towering pile of salvaged old-growth pine planks—ceiling joists, floorboards, and rafters from the original building—you display this gift prominently. That’s what Jeff Goulette of the LEED-certified firm Sullivan, Goulette & Wilson Architects (sgwarch.com) did, cladding the stairs to the house’s third-floor addition in this marvelous material and canting the risers at a slight angle to create a dynamic zigzag profile. Located above the home’s front entrance—at the end bay of a vaulted, light-flooded atrium—and framed by an elegant arch, this modern-yet-warm stairway is heavenly.

Photograph: James Yochum
Styling: Gisela Rose