You may have decided your staircase at home is a bit humdrum and in urgent need of a revamp. However, you might be struggling for ideas. It’s not the first thing you may think of when it comes to home improvement.
Well how about taking a look at some of the more weird and wonderful types of stairs found both indoors and out from across the world?
If you’re feeling bold, how about a staircase with minimal parts? This one has no newels posts, spindles or handrails. The steps are simply fixed to the wall and just seem to float in mid-air! It will certainly get people talking when they visit your house but it’s definitely not recommended if you have children. And while a cat would probably be able to nimbly leap from step to step with ease, dogs wouldn’t be so confident.
Staircase with minimal parts
A more child-friendly example is this great spiral staircase complete with attached slide. Taking an early-morning ride down the helter skelter might just make the kids more enthusiastic about getting up for school. And you can bet the parents will have a go as well. You’re never too old to go down a slide, something demonstrated by Google, who have one leading down to the canteen in their European office in Switzerland.
Spiral staircase complete with attached slide
Stairs can also be very practical (other than the obvious use). Using stairs for storage is becoming more and more popular, whether it’s using the space underneath or even within the steps themselves. For the avid reader, a combined staircase and bookcase would seem like an ideal proposition. The books simply fit into the space below the stairs and as well as being an eye-catching design feature, it also saves space that would’ve been taken up by a conventional bookcase elsewhere. Another variation on this is converting the space under the stairs into cupboards and drawers, so you get the same storage capabilities but in a more discreet way.
Stairs for storage
However, the ultimate combination of stairs and storage, how about this creation where the steps themselves act as the storage space? It’s certainly different, though it’s debatable how comfortable walking downstairs on the spines of DVD cases and books would be first thing in the morning, especially if you’re doing it with bare feet. And if you have kids and animals who like charging up and down the stairs, you’d also have to think about the potential damage to your items.
Stair steps act as storage space
If you’re sprucing up your stairs, chances are these ideas might be a bit extreme but it might just give you the inspiration to do something a little bit different!