A bright yellow stairwell connects the levels Multigenerational living is all about creativity?how do you make a space that?s accommodating to the needs of different generations" Sometimes it?s a matter of clever design tweaks that make a small apartment bigger. Other times, it?s giving everyone enough space to claim as their own.
This three-story Amsterdam house from Dutch firm BETA does a bit of both. It houses three generations of a family?young children, parents, and grandparents?in what the architects call a ?mini apartment building.?

Photo: Ossip van Duivenbode

The solid rectangle of a home is split into levels: The bottom floors house an office, patio, and bedrooms for the young family. The upper floor is its own apartment for the grandparents, designed with level floors and a roof deck that looks out onto the city.
Photo: Ossip van Duivenbode

Photo: Ossip van Duivenbode

The centerpiece of the home is a staircase flanked by bright yellow walls that cut through the house like a lightening bolt. The staircase reaches all the way to the top of the house, but naturally, there?s also an elevator for anyone who might need it.

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