Best of stairways

ac and i walk up three steep flights of stairs every day to get up to our apartment, so i have a deep appreciation for people who spent extra time designing beautiful staircases. if you have to trudge up them, they might as well be beautiful, right? so i decided to go through the 500+ sneak peeks from our archives and pull out 30 of my favorite staircases. they range from sleek and modern to colorful and whimsical so i hope you’ll enjoy the selection!

[image above: still in my top 3 favorite homes i've ever run: jessica helgerson's design for a portland-area home]

[image above: i love scott engler's staircase and its chocolate brown wall]

[image above: i love the painted detail on kat heyes' staircase. it's like a beautiful wooden runner]

[image above: the amazing patterned moss staircase in sato's moss house]

[image above: the dark sophisticated staircase in gemma ahern's home]

CLICK HERE for 25 more stylish staircases after the jump!

[image above: this modern open staircase is stunning. it belongs to ombline de kersabiec's french home]

[image above: ok. so this is a ladder and not a staircase, but it's my favorite set of stairs i've ever seen inside a house. from jill's san francisco home]

[image above: the colorful staircase in karen barlow's manchester home]

[image above: melissa's industrial LA loft staircase]

[image above: maxine sutton's amazing carpeted stairs]

[image above: i love the red carpet on sibella court's stairs]

[image above: the colorful living room and staircase in supermarket sarah's home]

[images above: charise harper's playful staircases. one allows for artwork and chalkboard drawings, and the other uses a ruler as a handrail!]

[image above: the incredible tilework in the staircase of alex from alan the gallant's apartment]

[image above: i love this purple wallpaper in jeremy mcelwain's home]

[image above: more amazing stairways from interior designer jessica helgerson- this one with a mirror mural]

[image above: nina gottlieb's wallpapered stairs]

[images above: dramatic staircases in the brooklyn home of maya marzolf]

[image above: the staircase in fitzhugh's brooklyn home is just as gorgeous as the rest of the house. perfection from top to bottom]

[image above: eleanor's colorful staircase]

[image above: harper's sunny staircase (love the surfboard)]

[image above: the cozy country stairs at nancy lendved's home]

[image above: dramatic stairs in caryn grossman's atlanta home]

[image above: i love the wooden banisters on alethea's staircase]

[image above: anne lise kjaer's staircase]

[image above: a stunning staircase from the home of two pratt associate architecture professors]

[image above: charming wooden stairs and a great poster in the home of justin and michelle demers]

[image above: cool modern stairs in frank viva's home with a dramatic hanging light]