The Balton Residence, Indianapolis, IN

Type: Custom Single Family Residence
Role: Architect of Record - Beyond Architecture
Status: Unbuilt

The exterior is deliberately quiet, gray paneling, asymmetric massing, a shed roofline that reads as contemporary without shouting. The house settles into its wooded site rather than competing with it. What happens inside is a different story.

The central staircase is the project's defining move. Fabricated in steel with open treads and glass panel railings, it rises three levels through a volume of full-height windows that bring the tree canopy directly into the house. The effect shifts by season, winter light filtering through bare branches, summer light filtered through full leaf cover. The house was designed to be lived in across all of them.

Open plan living spaces extend from the stair volume toward the kitchen and dining areas, finished in dark cabinetry, wide-plank flooring, and tile detail that is precise without being fussy. A house designed for a client who knew what they wanted and an architect who knew how to deliver it.