30+ Stunningly Designed Staircases That Are a Step Above All the Rest

Stair Design

Stairs are so commonplace in architecture that you might not give them a second thought. But as evidenced by modern stair design, it’s something that we should pay attention to more. When done well, they transcend their primary function and become sculptural works of art that make ordinary places come alive.

The best staircase design considers both form and space; it utilizes the area that’s available and activates it in a way that leads your eye from the top of the landing, down to the base. The solution doesn’t have to mean giant steps—on the contrary. In a design by Arquitectura en Movimiento, the staircase has a beautiful lyrical quality to it. Constructed with gentle, swooping lines, there are open slots between each of the minimalist steps that provide additional lighting to the rest of the room.

Staircase design can also mean more functionality within your living space, and few do this better than Object lev by Mieke Meijer. Here, the studio combined desk, storage, and shelving into one unit. For a home where space is at a premium, solutions like this are an ingenious way to maximize every inch of usable areas.

Whether grand or compact, staircases showcase the endless design possibilities that exist. Check out some of our favorite examples of the modern staircase below.

 

Some designs rethink the steps and their risers.

 

Other designs make use of lines in innovative ways.

 

Next: More Incredible Stair Designs

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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