Think of the downtown housing boom and you think of five-story luxury condominiums built in the last six years. Back in 1990, Steven Schuster started living downtown in an entirely different form of residence.

Schuster is an architect and a founding principal (along with artist Thomas Sayre) in the firm Clearscapes. In 1990, downtown living options were limited: the historic Capital Apartments building, the then-new Founders Row condominiums and not much else. Clearscapes' offices had been located downtown since the mid-1980s, but Schuster didn't want to pay lip service to downtown revitalization. He wanted to live there, too.

He chose to renovate an existing structure, the 1925 Atlas Plumbing Supply warehouse. Driving by on Martin Street, you'd never know that tucked behind the storefronts of art galleries, bookstores and photography studios were the homes of Schuster and Sayre and their families.

There's no "front" door -- whether you're visiting the Schusters or going to the Clearscapes office now in the other side of the building, you enter through the loading dock. This isn't a showpiece in terms of external appearance, but rather an experiment in recycling an old building.

In designing their homes, Schuster and Sayre gutted the interior, leaving only the brick walls, wooden columns and roof. In adding a second level, they had to remove part of the roof truss and reinforce what was left; otherwise the truss would've been an obstacle in the upstairs area. The living and dining areas use the full height of the space, creating a sense of openness.

"In order to slip this second level mezzanine in, there's some limit in the height we had available," Schuster said. "Because you're always looking out into a higher space, you're not aware that it's a 7 foot 6 inch ceiling."

The most striking new feature of the Schuster house is the central stair. It has a very conventional layout: living area, kitchen, bedroom on the first floor. Upstairs is the master bedroom and bath, as well as office-type spaces for Schuster and his wife. But unlike a traditional Foursquare plan, here you enter from the rear. The staircase is angled away from what would be the front door, touching down in the living area.

"When people are here for the evening, the stair becomes a place where people sit and converse. It is necessary to get to the other level, but becomes a part of the environment as well," Schuster said.

The exposed brick walls, the practical woodstove in the corner and the abundance of artwork all combine to create a warm atmosphere. There are pieces by many North Carolina artists: a Mark Hewitt pot, a David Larson pastel, a large colorful painting by Richard Garrison. The furniture and color scheme (white/black/gray/red) are designed to remain in the background, highlighting the art and the historic warehouse "shell."

"We wanted the coloration of the natural brick to be dominant. Everything else is neutral so that as we continue to add art to the environment, the art becomes what's important. We tried to let the architecture be a bit quiet and not compete for attention," Schuster said.

There is light everywhere, even though this corner of the warehouse only had external windows on the north and west sides. Those remain (with newer insulated sashes) in addition to new skylights and clerestory windows. The master bath has a glass block wall, to allow external light to penetrate.

There is no backyard in the conventional sense, but the two families do share 100 square feet of grass and garden behind the loading dock. The Schusters also count nearby Nash Square as part of their outdoor green space and take evening walks there.

Since 1990, Clearscapes has been involved in many downtown housing projects -- from the affordable apartments in the Prairie Building to the luxury revamp of the Hudson Belk building. They are also part of the design team working on the new convention center. Schuster is too humble to take credit for today's downtown housing boom, but he is certainly a downtown pioneer.

"My work is not about me; it's not about style. It's about trying to, in each little piece, see if we can make Raleigh into a great city."

Count this downtown experiment a success: "Last night my wife and I walked down the driveway and sat at the bar at Nana's and had a glass of wine and dinner. It was really nice to do that and then walk home, five minutes away rather than to get in your car and drive someplace else."