In most people’s homes a staircase is just a functional means of travelling from one floor to another. Usually there is nothing very remarkable about a staircase, though some are more attractive than others. It used to be that you had a choice. Closed or open sides, and natural or painted wood. Some might have more ornate spindles and balusters, while others would just have paneling underneath the handrail. That all now seems a bit dull and passé, especially when compared to this collection of 22 outstanding and individual staircases we spotted on Bored Panda. All of a sudden we were overcome with a sense of ‘How could anyone think up such a remarkable design?’ as we looked at image after image. Clearly there are some genuine ‘outside the box’ thinkers in a number of architectural practices and wouldn’t the word be a duller place without them?
What particularly appealed to us about these designs wasn’t just the style and flow, the grace and elegance, the uniqueness and individuality. It is just so lovely to see that in a world of synthetics and polymers, good old fashioned timber and other ‘raw’ materials are being used once again to give features within a property some extra life and warmth. Okay, we have to confess that having a ‘tree trunk’ as a newel post and the branches as handrails is quite far-fetched, but the idea of adding some unique character to an otherwise bland space is genius. We had to giggle and certainly most of us were hit with twinges of jealousy when we saw the kids’ (we assume they were for kids!) slides running alongside the staircase itself. “Race you to the bottom” must be one of the most often used phrases in that household!