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The Eight Most Impressive Stairs in the World

12 October 2018

Stairs are very much an understated and often an underappreciated part of our lives. Despite their incredible importance, and hugely varying forms, stairs are very rarely seen as more than a tool performing the basic function of helping us get from A to B. However, stairs are full of possibilities, as shown by these eight incredible staircases from across the globe. 

 

Lello Bookshop, Portugal

Often cited as one of the most beautiful locations in the city of Porto, this heavily Art Nouveau library is full of artistic character from inside to outside, yet it is the staircase that attracts the attention of the masses. Flowing in and out with curves and symmetry, this grand staircase of dark wood and deep red finish is believed to be one of the main inspirations behind the interior of Hogwarts from J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter books – Rowling lived as an English teacher in the city for many years and often frequented the library before writing the acclaimed novels.

Lello Bookshop staircase, Portugal

 

The Tulip Staircase, United Kingdom

Built as part of the famous Queen’s House in Greenwich, London, in the early 1600s, this famous royal staircase is full of heritage and looks as stylish today as it would have done all those centuries ago. The first geometric self-supporting spiral staircase in Britain attributes its name to the unique blue colour of the rails painted with crushed glass, and the Queen’s love of flowers.

 

Stairway to Heaven, China

The Tianmen Cave in China’s Hunan Province is the highest naturally formed arch in the world, a giant gateway at the top of Tianmen Mountain. A cable car can take you almost to the top, but the summit is reached either by bus, or by a remarkable staircase known as the Stairway to Heaven. 999 steps tall – nine being a lucky number in China – this long, wide staircase takes you into the spectacular heart of the mountain.

 

Lightbulb Staircase, Czech Republic

One of the earliest surviving remnants of cubism interior design, this staircase designed by Josef Gočár in 1911 was initially part of a building used simply as an office under communism regime in Prague. Nowadays the building is known as the Museum of Czech Cubism and, looking up from the bottom, shows the perfect shape of a light bulb passing through this incredible staircase.

 

16th Avenue Tiled Steps, USA

A community art project in San Francisco, this 163-step public staircase outside Golden Gate Park boasts an incredible 2,000 handmade tiles. A mix of stained glass, coloured tiles and mirrors, these steps are pride-of-place for the local area, depicting beautiful imagery about the sea and the stars.


Bramante Staircase, Italy

The modern version of this double-helix staircase was created in 1932 by Giuseppe Momo for the modern Vatican museum, but the concept actually dates back to 1505. Simply broken down as two spiral staircases using the same space yet being completely separate from one another, these were designed originally to allow an uninterrupted flow of traffic up and down.

Bramante Staircase in the Vatican Museum, Italy

 

Awaji Hyakudanen, Japan

Translated as the 100 Steps Gardens, the Hyakudaden is a collection of 100 flower beds built on a small incline, with over 1500 steps geometrically cutting up through the gardens. A beautiful, sprawling collection of flowers and clean white steps, this is the centrepiece at the Awaji Yumebutai, a memorial dedicated to the 1995 Great Hanshin Awaji earthquake in Hyōgo.

 

Moses Bridge, Netherlands

A simple idea beautifully executed, this pedestrian bridge outside the village of Halsteren cuts through the old manmade water defences of Fort De Roovere. Named after the biblical character and his famous parting of the Red Sea, this remarkable pathway and steps allow people to travel under the water level around them, creating some quite stunning photographs.

Hopefully these incredible examples have inspired you to transform the stairs in your own home! There are no limits to what can be achieved with luxury custom made stairs that are designed with imagination and great expertise.

Want to learn more? Take a look at these five famous staircases!

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