Drool-Worthy Staircases

Filed under: Your Home, Living Room, Fun Stuff, Design, etc, Architecture

Risers, treads and railings. Oh my!

When it comes to stairs as an architectural element, function is the number one priority. If you can't walk up and down, there's no point in having them.

But that doesn't mean that your stairs can't be a piece of art or reflect your personality. Architects, designers and artists have found ways to take the staircase and turn it into something beautiful and mesmerizing, and we rounded-up some of our favorites.


EeStairs by EeDesign is a worldwide company by Cornelis van Vlastuin and Dick Cluistra who have a passion for developing unique architectural staircases. Not only have they created a DNA-inspired staircase, they have designed a space-saving stair solution that fits into a tiny 3-foot-by-3-foot space.



This "Ribbon" staircase was designed by HSH Architects back in 2001 in a house in Prague. It looks very beautiful -- and a bit treacherous! Using the undulation of a ribbon as their inspiration, the architects created a beautiful staircase from sheets of 10mm thick sheet metal, fastened to the wall on the left side with invisible brackets.




The ladies over at Desire to Inspire discovered this clever stair storage solution in Vogue Living Australia. I had no idea that this magazine even existed and now I feel like we desperately need to have an American version of Vogue Living again. The staircase was designed by Unicraft Joinery, an Australian company. Not unlike a design you might find in a boat, these stairs use every bit of space to help maximize space as well as hide valuables.



The custom ironwork of Philip Watts Design goes above and beyond functional. For example, this series of custom aluminum and stainless steel vertebrae-inspired stairs look like something you might find in a science museum. How cool is that drippy metal "puddle" toward the bottom stairs in the second photo?



Ecole's Flat #1 has one of the most zen-like, floating (and scary-looking) staircases that I've ever seen. The stairs are held in place by a metal structure hidden in the wall. I wouldn't attempt to try building these in your own home without consulting a professional.


Swedish designers TAF created this teeny tiny steep staircase where a ladder used to be. Can you imaging having to get down once you're up? Yikes!




Artist Jim Lambie took a staircase in the Museum of Modern Art and some vinyl tape and made an inspiring installation.




These stairs, in the home of a powerful Malaysian family, almost seem to open up like a blossoming flower. They were designed by Paris-based Jouin Manku.




Ferm Living was inspired by steps from a Danish home that used Ferm's wallpaper on the stair risers and they re-created the effect. This is something that you can do in your own home to spruce up your staircase. Simply cut the paper to fit each stair and use double-stick tape to affix the wallpaper to the risers.

For more inspiring stairs, check out these bold painted staircases.

 

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