Mornings tend to start low and quiet, coffee carried out to the Zen yard where the koi pond and the planting keep the city at arm's length. As the day warms, the house draws people upward through its floors, past the theater and the bar and the marble kitchen, each level pulling a different person into a different mood. The climb pays off on the roof. That is where golden hour happens, in the pool and spa with the city laid out past the rail, the outdoor shower for after, and the kind of long evening light that makes dinner run late. We found ourselves thinking the elevator, meant only for luggage, is the smartest tour of the house going, because taking the stairs is how you actually learn the place, floor by floor. After dark the master suite becomes a retreat of its own, with a spa bath, a private balcony, and a sitting area for the last stretch of the night. The built-in theater keeps a rainy evening from ever being a problem.