Though slightly larger than it's neighbor (see 554 Edenton) to accommodate a home office, this house shared the challenge of fitting all the spatial needs onto such a tight urban lot. As a result, the home office became a partial third story. A deep roof overhang shades a porch off the office that affords a panoramic view of the Raleigh skyline since it rises above the roofline of the adjacent house.

Form and materials intentionally recall elements of the context. For example, the cantilevered second floor creates a "front porch" beneath it, and front porches are typical of every home in the old neighborhood.

Locally available exterior materials are both sustainable (recycled) and familiar. At 556 Edenton Street, the exterior is clad in Corten® steel, which weathers to a warm, rusty patina that will never need painting.
Reclaimed North Carolina cypress adds warmth to the decidedly modern forms. Similarly, white oak floors warm the all-white minimalist interior.

“Public” spaces – living/dining/kitchen, which flow into each other – are located on the first floor, along with both a screened-in and an open back porch.

Like its neighbor, the kitchen is the literal and figurative heart of this house, too. A huge skylight above this central, two-story-clear space floods the core of the house with natural light. A dramatic, custom-fabricated steel staircase rises from the central space to provide vertical circulation. It is the single ordering element that connects all spaces and all levels. Painted black, it is also a sculptural element within the house’s white interior. The kitchen also features a custom-fabricated light fixture in North Carolina walnut above the central island. A similar fixture hangs in the master bedroom.

The neighbors have warmly welcomed the new houses, and their occupants, and expressed their pleasure over hearing the sound of children’s laughter again.