Subterms
With 2024 drawing to a close, Dezeen’s editorial team have each selected their favourite interior design projects from the past year, ranging from a Haussmann-era Paris apartment to a Stockholm office with a fully functioning rollercoaster. More
Continuing our review of 2024, we reflect on some of the most striking residential interior designs on Dezeen from the past year including projects by Fala Atelier and Uchronia. More
From an underground speakeasy in Hong Kong to an American “cathedral of fried chicken”, here are Dezeen’s top 10 restaurants and bars of 2024. More
Already thinking about your next getaway post-Christmas? Here is Dezeen’s pick of 2023’s top 10 hotels, put together as part of our review of the year.
Our selection of the most popular and noteworthy hotels featured on Dezeen this year includes what is possibly the world’s skinniest in Indonesia, the grand conversion of a 1940s bank building in Rome and a place in Tbilisi that aims to make guests feel like they’re inside a movie.
Read on for the full list:
Photo by David PermadiPituRooms, Indonesia, by Sahabat Selojene
This seven-room hotel in Central Java is just 2.8 metres wide. Each compact room contains a double bed and bathroom pod with a toilet and shower.
“Aside from the technical difficulties, the biggest challenge was the typical mindset surrounding the hospitality industry that is used to superlative words: biggest, tallest, most luxurious,” Sahabat Selojene studio founder Ary Indra told Dezeen. “Here we are skinniest.”
PituRooms was not the only skinny hotel to capture readers attention in 2023, with 324Praxis’ Sep’on Heartfulness Centre in Vietnam similarly slender.
Find out more about PituRooms ›
Photo by Nikolas KoenigThe Rome Edition, Italy, by The Edition
Dramatic seven-metre-high ceilings, full-height windows with green curtains and travertine surfaces grace the lobby of The Rome Edition.
Created by Amercian entrepreneur Ian Schrager’s hotel group The Edition, the 91-room hotel opened this year in a 1940s bank building. Other highlights include the intimate Jade Bar, which is fully lined in deep green antique marble and furnished with emerald-coloured velvet seating.
Find out more about The Rome Edition ›
Photo courtesy of Blueberry NightsBlueberry Nights, Georgia, by Sandro Takaishvili
Georgian architect Sandro Takaishvili wanted Tbilisi’s Blueberry Nights to make guests feel “like they’re inside a movie, where everything feels slightly familiar but otherworldly at the same time”.
With a theatrical colour scheme and cinematic moody lighting, its design evokes the visual style of directors such as Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch, while film projectors feature in all 16 rooms.
Find out more about Blueberry Nights ›
Photo by César BéjarBoca de Agua, Mexico, by Frida Escobedo
Wooden guest quarters perched on stilts characterise Boca de Agua, a resort in the Yucatán Peninsula designed by Mexican architect Frida Escobedo
The villas – including one with a private pool and terrace – were raised up to reduce the environmental impact of the ground plane and to raise guests into the leafy jungle landscape.
Find out more about Boca de Agua ›
Photo by Adrian Gaut Borgo Santandrea, Italy, by Bonaventura Gambardella and Nikita Bettoni
Overlooking the historic fishing village of Conca dei Marini on the Amalfi Coast, the 1960s Borgo Santandrea hotel was restored by architect Bonaventura Gambardella and interior designer Nikita Bettoni.
The hotel incorporates the atmospheric medieval stone fortifications carved into the cliff below, with some of the guest rooms built into the old ramparts.
Find out more about Borgo Santandrea ›
Photo by Emily AndrewsMaison Brummell Majorelle, Morocco, by Bergendy Cooke and Amine Abouraoui
Located next to the famous Majorelle Gardens in Marrakech, this boutique hotel was designed by New Zealand studio Bergendy Cooke in collaboration with Moroccan architect Amine Abouraoui.
With its sculptural, monolithic aesthetic and recurring arched openings inside and out, it was intended as a playful contemporary twist on the site’s history and the city’s traditional architecture.
Find out more about Maison Brummell Majorelle ›
Photo by Montse GarrigaThe Lodge, Spain, by Pilar García-Nieto
From Único Hotels, The Lodge occupies a 500-year-old farmhouse in Mallorca on a 157-hectare estate filled with almond and olive trees, lavender fields and hiking trails.
Interior designer Pilar García-Nieto kept the interiors mostly clean and minimal but left traces of the building’s agricultural past visible – most spectacularly an old stone mill for pressing olive oil, which stands in what is now the hotel reception area.
Find out more about The Lodge ›
Photo by Darren SohPan Pacific Orchard, Singapore, by WOHA
Large, elevated garden terraces are cut into the form of this tall hotel building in Singapore designed by architecture studio WOHA, including one 18 floors up.
The studio wanted the hotel to have verdant views on all storeys despite its urban location, while the terraces also provide passive cooling in the humid climate.
Find out more about Pan Pacific Orchard ›
Photo by Ambroise TézenasVermelho, Portugal, by Christian Louboutin and Madalena Caiado
Fashion designer Christian Louboutin teamed up with architect Madalena Caiado to create this 13-room hotel in the Portuguese village of Melides.
Its traditionalist architecture meets maximalist interiors, with the rooms containing furniture from Louboutin’s personal collection as well as objects produced by local craftsmen. Louboutin talked to Dezeen about design process behind the hotel in an exclusive interview.
Find out more about Vermelho ›
Photo by Felix BrueggemannChâteau Royal, Germany, by Irina Kromayer and others
Berlin’s renovated Château Royal references the German capital’s heyday at the turn of the 20th century through abundant oak panelling, art nouveau tiles, sisal carpets and hardware in brass and nickel.
The 93-room hotel comprises two buildings dating from 1850 and 1910, in addition to a newer building and roof extension designed by David Chipperfield Architects.
Find out more about Château Royal ›
2023 review
This article is part of Dezeen’s roundup of the biggest and best news and projects in architecture, design, interior design and technology from 2023.
Read more: More
Continuing our 2023 review, we revisit the most popular lookbooks of the year – from minimalist bedrooms and biophilic homes to marble-lined bathrooms and kitchens with tiled worktops.
This year, the most-read lookbooks included wood-panelled dining rooms, homes with space-saving pocket doors and rooms with beautiful and practical bookshelves.
Read on to discover 10 of our most popular lookbooks of 2023:
Above: photo by Imagen Subliminal. Top: photo by Edmund SumnerEight homes with beautiful and practical bookshelves
This lookbook for booklovers was our most-read lookbook this year. It showcased homes where designers have created stylish bookshelves – both wall-mounted and built-in.
Among the projects on show is an apartment in Madrid, Spain, which was designed by Spanish studio Zooco Estudio and features white shelving units that span two floors and provide plenty of space to store reading materials.
See more homes with beautiful bookshelves ›
Photo by Nicole FranzenEight kitchens with tiled worktops that are pretty but practical
There’s plenty of kitchen inspiration to be found in this lookbook, which explored kitchens with tiled worktops.
Among the examples is a New York apartment that features a kitchen island covered in oxblood-coloured tiles (above), as well as a pastel-hued Belgian kitchen and a colourful Spanish kitchen in a former motorcycle workshop.
See more kitchens with tiled worktops ›
Photo by Anson SmartEight calming bedrooms with minimalist interiors
The bedrooms in this lookbook range from a Mexican bedroom with a concrete bed to a cosy space in a former girls’ school in Puglia, all in a colour palette that mainly features beige, gray, and warm brown hues.
To create soothing, calming bedroom spaces, walls were left bare and the amount of artworks and personal items were kept to a minimum in these projects.
See more calming bedroooms ›
Photo by Delfino Sisto Legnani and Alessandro Saletta from DSL StudioTen modern homes with interiors informed by biophilic design
Biophilic design, which aims to create spaces in which humans are more connected to nature, has been a trend this year and looks set to continue its ascent in 2024.
Homes with indoor trees, aquaponic systems with live fish, green roofs and verdant courtyards filled with plants are among the biophilic interior design examples in this lookbook.
See more homes with biophilic design ›
Photo by Sobajima, ToshihiroTen residential interiors that make the most of narrow spaces
Narrow interior layouts can be hard to decorate, but this roundup gave plenty of examples of how to work with tight living areas, kitchens wedged into corridors and interiors in skinny Japanese houses.
Tips include adding split-level floors, using built-in furniture to add visual depth and using glass doors to allow more light to penetrate the house.
See more residential interiors with narrow spaces ›
Photo by Megan TaylorEight tidy kitchens with slick storage solutions
This lookbook presented eight well-organised kitchens, where smart storage solutions help to hide clutter and create a more pleasant cooking experience. The projects, which range from compact apartments to home extensions, use hooks, nooks, racks, shelves, cubby holes and display units to make the best use of space.
Featured kitchens include the above example from London, which uses multifunctional plywood partitions with arched openings and alcoves for storing belongings.
See more tidy kitchens ›
Photo by Salva LópezTen earthy bedrooms that use natural colour to create a restful environment
Dreamy bedrooms from Mexico to Thailand were showcased in this lookbook, which gathers interiors that use earthy colour palettes and natural materials to evoke a sense of calm and tranquility.
Earthy browns, neutral beige and tan colours are complemented by terracotta and green hues to create bedrooms with a peaceful atmosphere, while materials include stone, timber, linen, clay accents and limewash finishes.
See more earthy bedrooms in neutral colours ›
Photo by Yoshihiro MakinoTen bathrooms where marble lines the walls
Carrera and Verde Aver marble, as well as similar natural stones such as travertine and quartzite, decorate these 10 bathrooms.
Whether it’s a renovated 1920s Stockholm apartment clad in Swedish Ekeberg marble, or a bathroom in an art-deco building covered in green Verde Aver marble (above), this lookbook showcases how the durable material can be used to create elegant interiors.
See more marble-lined bathrooms ›
Ten homes with space-saving pocket doors that disappear into the walls
Pocket doors – sliding doors that are designed to slot into a wall cavity so they can stay hidden from view – were the subject of this lookbook, which was one of the most popular of last year.
The solution is especially useful for rooms where there isn’t enough space for a door to open outwards and for locations where it makes sense for the door to integrate into surrounding joinery.
See more homes with pocket doors ›
Photo by Roland HalbeEight welcoming wood-panelled dining rooms
The cosiness of a wood-panelled dining room was the focus of this lookbook, which collected eight examples of homes where wood took centre stage.
Among the examples is this house in Chile, above, which features an open-plan kitchen and dining room with a vaulted ceiling that is clad in laminated pine.
See more wood-panelled dining rooms ›
2023 review
This article is part of Dezeen’s roundup of the biggest and best news and projects in architecture, design, interior design and technology from 2023.
Read more: More
For the latest roundup in Dezeen’s 2023 review we’ve selected 10 of this year’s most popular and evocative restaurant and bar interiors, ranging from a space-themed sushi bar in Milan to a beach-style eatery in London.
Also among this year’s eclectic roundup of restaurant and bar interiors is a renovated 16th-century brewery in Poland lined with a bold interior of red brick and ceramic tiles, as well as a bar and restaurant informed by Japanese psychedelia and cabins in Canada.
Read on for Dezeen’s top 10 restaurant and bar interiors of 2023:
Photo by Irina BoersmaIkoyi restaurant, UK, by David Thulstrup
Copenhagen-based designer David Thulstrup designed a copper and oak interior for the Ikoyi restaurant, situated within London’s 180 The Strand building.
Drawing on spice-making processes from sub-Saharan west Africa, the interior features ceilings clad with metal-mesh panels and walls lined with oxidised copper sheets.
Find out more about Ikoyi restaurant ›
Photo by Alicia DubuisSando, Switzerland, by Sapid Studio
Sapid Studio used Japanese patchwork techniques to inform the renovation of a burger restaurant in Geneva.
Named after the Japanese word for sandwich, Sando features a largely retained interior decorated with a corrugated stainless steel bar, patched up tiled flooring, and translucent tapestries.
Find out more about Sando ›
Photo by ONI StudioTenczynek Brewery, Poland, by Projekt Praga
Red brick, ceramic tiles and oak furniture define the Tenczynek Brewery interior, designed by Polish design studio Projekt Praga.
Located outside of Krakow, the centuries-old brewery was converted into a bold-coloured restaurant and bar, with a self-service beer fountain occupying the centre of the historic brick-vaulted space.
Find out more about Tenczynek Brewery ›
Photo courtesy of PradaPrada Caffè, UK, by Prada
Located in London’s luxury department store Harrods, fashion house Prada opened a cafe informed by one of Milan’s oldest patisseries.
Contrasting with Harrods’ baroque facade, Prada Caffè’s mint green latticed storefront references the brand’s signature green hue, which extends to the interior walls, ceilings and furniture.
Find out more about Prada Caffè ›
Photo by Charlie McKayMilk Beach Soho, UK, by A-nrd
London-based design studio A-nrd brought a “beachfront feel” reminiscent of an Australian beach club to this restaurant interior in Soho, London.
Milk Beach Soho’s minimal interior has a neutral material palette featuring a polished terrazzo floor and art deco-style furniture and lighting.
Find out more about Milk Beach Soho ›
Photo by Luis BeltranIchi Station, Italy, by Masquespacio
Ichi Station, by Valencian design studio Masquespacio, is a dine-in restaurant in Milan that draws on sci-fi and space tourism.
Designed to resemble a futuristic spaceship, the cylindrical restaurant interior has a material palette of glass and micro-cement along with rounded, custom-made furniture.
Find out more about Ichi Station ›
Photo by Erin FeinblattDrift Santa Barbara, US, by Anacapa Architecture
US studio Anacapa Architecture transformed a formerly closed early-1900s building into a hotel – hosting a ground-floor bar and cafe for both hotel guests and local visitors.
Located in central California, the rustic interior accentuates the building’s historical character and is complemented by concrete and wooden furniture.
Find out more about Drift ›
Photo by Luís Moreira / Matilde CunhaCozinha das Flores, Portugal, by Space Copenhagen
Located in a 16th-century building in Porto, Cozinha das Flores’ interior is decorated by a ceramic mural created by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza.
Designed by Space Copenhagen, the rustic interior is lined with green and burnt orange tiles, along with oak furniture and brass accents.
Find out more about Cozinha das Flores ›
Photo by Jack HobhouseCorner, UK, by Holland Harvey
London-based architecture studio Holland Harvey revamped Tate Modern’s ground-floor cafe to be less “Herzog & de Meuron-y”.
Doubling as the gallery’s first late-night spot, the interior is organised around a grey stone bar, while salvaged chairs and bespoke tables are used throughout the space.
Find out more about Corner ›
Photo by Chris AmatHello Sunshine, Canada, by Frank Architecture
Situated within the mountains of Alberta, Hello Sunshine is a bar and restaurant informed by Japanese psychedelia and cabins in collaboration with Little Giant.
Designed by Canadian studio Frank Architecture, the wooden interior features two raised fire pits accompanied by large flues clad with glazed ceramic tiles, along with paper lanterns and textile artworks.
Find out more about Hello Sunshine ›
Read more: More
Continuing our 2023 review, we have selected 10 striking staircases published on Dezeen this year, from prefabricated plywood steps at a Cornish home to a colourful set for an opera in a Swiss theatre.
Architects and designers have continued to find clever solutions to travelling on foot from one storey to another in 2023 by creating staircases that are both beautiful and functional.
Ranging from the spectacular to the space-saving, here are Dezeen’s top 10 staircases of 2023:
Photo by Purnesh Dev NikhanjRibbon House, India, by Studio Ardete
An angular balustrade with tilting black rails twists around sweeping concrete steps to form the staircase at Ribbon House, a home in Punjab with an equally sculptural exterior.
Architecture office Studio Ardete placed open living spaces next to the staircase on each floor to create lobby-like communal areas on the house’s different levels.
Find out more about Ribbon House ›
Photo by Lorenzo ZandriHouse by the Sea, UK, by Of Architecture
House by the Sea is the home of a surfer-and-artist couple in Newquay, Cornwall, that was designed to be “simple, robust and utilitarian”.
For the interior, London studio Of Architecture inserted prefabricated plywood steps leading to a cosy mezzanine level tucked beneath the dwelling’s sloping roof.
Find out more about House by the Sea ›
Photo by Schnepp RenouHaus 1, Germany, by MVRDV and Hirschmüller Schindele Architekten
A bright yellow, zigzagging staircase juts out from the facade of the Haus 1 building in Berlin, creating the appearance of a striking crane and providing a beacon for approaching visitors.
Dutch studio MVRDV worked with local studio Hirschmüller Schindele Architekten to design Haus 1, which forms part of the city’s Atelier Gardens redevelopment.
Find out more about Haus 1 ›
Photo by Pezo von EllrichshausenLuna House, Chile, by Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen
Brutalist-style spiral staircases connect the storeys of Luna House, an expansive geometric complex in Chile comprised of 12 individual buildings.
Chilean studio Pezo von Ellrichshausen designed the stairs and the majority of the structure in reinforced concrete, which is highly textured thanks to imprints left behind by wooden formwork.
Find out more about Luna House ›
Photo by Paolo Abate.Rigoletto set design, Switzerland, by Pierre Yovanovitch
French interior designer Pierre Yovanovitch embedded moving, curved walls within an undulating staircase that stretched the full width of the stage for a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Rigoletto at Theatre Basel.
Bathed in coloured light, the flexible walls created a neutral set for the performers to balance the play’s complex plot, according to the designer.
Find out more about this staircase ›
Photo by James Leng (also top)Hairpin House, USA, by Studio J Jih and Figure
This Boston house was renovated to revolve around a sculptural “hairpin” staircase informed by the twists and turns of mountain roads.
Designed by American firms Studio J Jih and Figure, the white oak stairs were created to increase the home’s useable floor area by 20 per cent.
Find out more about Hairpin House ›
Photo by Alex Shoots BuildingsHouse in Pernek, Slovakia, by Ksa Studený
This home in the village of Pernek, Slovakia, was designed in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, mirroring its longitudinal profile.
Architecture studio Ksa Studený positioned a chunky white staircase over a slanted slab of concrete to divide the interior space.
Find out more about this house ›
Photo by Jim StephensonThe Arbor House, Scotland, by Brown & Brown
A spiral staircase made from birch plywood winds into the dining area at The Arbor House by Brown & Brown, located in a conservation area in Aberdeen.
The studio assembled the stairs over three weeks, with timber treads individually cut and hand-layered to form a smooth curve.
Find out more about The Arbor House ›
Photo by Gokul Rao KadamSNN Clermont residential tower, India, by FADD Studio
Indian practice FADD Studio renovated two apartments within the SNN Clermont residential tower in Bangalore to create a fused multi-generational home.
The studio took cues from the curves of caterpillars when creating a swooping staircase, which connects the two flats and features deep red marble risers.
Find out more about these apartments ›
Photo courtesy of The Conran ShopThe Conran Shop, Japan, by Keiji Ashizawa
Japanese designer Keiji Ashizawa created interiors for The Conran Shop in Tokyo to reflect the inside of someone’s home.
The store’s mezzanine floor is accessible by a minimalist geometric staircase featuring a handrail made from black paper cords.
Find out more about The Conran Shop ›
Read more: More
For our review of 2023, we take a look back at the year’s 10 most interesting home interiors and invite our readers to pick their favourite.
With more than 500 interior stories published on Dezeen in 2023 so far, there is a wide variety of beautiful and unusual homes to choose from.
Among the 10 most interesting we’ve published are a lodge in South Africa, an apartment in Spain’s Torres Blancas tower and a tiny Scottish flat.
The winner will be announced in a post on Dezeen on New Year’s Eve.
Read on for this year’s home interior highlights, then vote here or by using the form at the bottom of the article.
Photo by René de Wit and Pim TopDomūs Houthaven apartment, The Netherlands, by Shift Architecture Urbanism
This home in Amsterdam residential complex Domūs Houthaven features a bedroom cupboard with built-in shelves and under-bed drawers. It can be closed off from the living space with folding doors made from perforated steel.
Shift Architecture Urbanism used striking colour-blocked modular units in pastel hues to give the apartment a playful feel. The home also has untreated concrete ceilings and pale laminate floors that contrast with the colourful furnishings.
Vote for Domūs Houthaven apartment ›
Photo by Fabian MartinezCasa Tres Árboles, Mexico, by Direccion
“Monastic sanctuaries” inspired this weekend home in Mexico’s Valle de Bravo, which was designed to celebrate light and shadows. Natural materials and an earthy colour palette were used throughout.
Mexican studio Direccion, which designed the interior, removed a number of walls and adjusted the split-level floor to connect the home’s social spaces and open it up more. Artworks and artisan craft pieces were dotted throughout the house.
Vote for Casa Tres Árboles ›
Photo by Lorenzo ZandriHouse by the Sea, UK, by Of Architecture
Designed for an artist and a surfer, House by the Sea is located by the sea in Newquay, Cornwall, and has an understated colour palette of off-white and grey hues.
Its sitting area has expansive sliding windows that directly overlook Newquay’s picturesque Pentire Steps beach. A long L-shaped sofa was dressed in beige marl fabric, while a classic Eames lounge chair offers another space for relaxation.
Walls were mostly kept clear, while green plants were scattered throughout the space to liven up the minimalist spaces.
Vote for House by the Sea ›
Photo by José HeviaTorres Blancas apartment, Spain, by Studio Noju
This two-storey apartment in the curvy Torres Blancas apartment in Madrid was renovated by local firm Studio Noju to remain “in constant dialogue” with the original apartment design.
The studio added terraces with curved floor-to-ceiling glazing and slatted crimson shutters, as well as gleaming sea-green floor tiles. Curves were used throughout the interior in a nod to the facade of the tower, which has cylindrical, bulbous balconies.
Vote for the Torres Blancas apartment ›
Photo by Jack LovelCity Beach house, Australia, by Design Theory
This 1960s house in the City Beach suburb of Perth was given an update by interiors studio Design Theory.
“The brief was, on the surface, simple: to update the home while keeping its considerable mid-century charm,” said the studio.
The resulting home features warm, earthy materials, including Forbo Marmoleum flooring, exposed brick in terracotta tones and native Blackbutt timber. The furniture and decorations also reference the house’s mid-century modern origins.
Vote for City Beach house ›
Photo by Adrien DirandTembo Tembo Lodge, South Africa, by Studio Asaï
Tembo Tembo Lodge, which won home interior of the year at Dezeen Awards 2023, is a family lodge made from rammed earth and located close to the Kruger National Park.
Designed by Paris-based Studio Asaï, the living room features a “bush”-green sofa to evoke the colour of the foliage outside the house, as well as a stone table decorated with stone vases and a selection of small side tables in dark wood and steel.
Vote for Tembo Tembo Lodge ›
Photo by José Hevia10K House, Spain, by Takk
Russian Matryoshka dolls, which are stacked inside each other, informed the interior of this apartment in Barcelona that was designed with a material budget of just 10,000 euros.
Spanish studio Takk designed the home to be as sustainable as possible, nestling rooms inside one another to maximise insulation. The bedroom was raised on white recycled table legs and clad in gridded frames of medium-density fibreboard (MDF) that are enveloped by slabs of local sheep’s wool.
Vote for 10K House ›
Photo by Pierce ScourfieldGlasgow apartment, Scotland, by Lee Ivett, Simon Harlow and Duncan Blackmore
Designed by its owner, developer Duncan Blackmore, together with architect Lee Ivett and designer Simon Harlow, this flat in Glasgow’s Govanhill area measures just 25 square metres.
It was designed without any freestanding furniture. The designers removed internal walls and raised its existing structural openings closer to the ceiling, before inserting a number of 3D-volumes with built-in functions.
“The main space is entirely unprogrammed and uncluttered and has almost nothing in it,” Blackmore told Dezeen.
Vote for Glasgow apartment ›
Photo by Seth Caplan (above and main image)Dumbo loft, USA, by Crystal Sinclair Designs
An eye-catching book-lined mezzanine was among the solutions created by Crystal Sinclair Designs for this loft apartment in Brooklyn, which was renovated in a way that would expose its concrete shell.
The studio also created a bedroom behind a glass partition for the home and filled it with furnishings intended to introduce European flair against the industrial backdrop. In the living space, wooden furniture adds an organic touch and contrasts with the concrete walls and white floor.
Vote for Dumbo loft ›
Photo by Tomooki KengakuHiroo Residence, Japan, by Keiji Ashizawa
Architect and designer Keiji Ashizawa filled the Hiroo Residence in central Tokyo with wood, using the material for furniture pieces as well as panelling and artworks.
To underline how light-filled the open-plan flat is, he used muted, subtle tones of grey and beige instead of bright white. The 200-square-metre apartment, which overlooks the Arisugawanomiya Memorial Park, also features decorative stone sculptures and Shaker-informed furniture.
Vote for Hiroo Residence ›
Read more: More
As part of our review of 2022, we have selected 10 eye-catching staircases published on Dezeen this year, including stairs that turn, twist or double as seating.
This year’s roundup of staircases features a children’s library in China with two intertwining timber stairs, a 25-metre-tall staircase in the Netherlands and a plywood spiral staircase in a barn conversion.
Read on for Dezeen’s top 10 staircases of 2022:
Photo by Leonardo FinottiCasa Thomé Beira da Silva, Brazil, by Marcos Bertoldi Arquitetos
This helical wooden staircase anchors the large living space in Casa Thomé Beira da Silva, a Brazilian house designed by Marcos Bertoldi Arquitetos.
The winding staircase leads to the bedrooms on the first floor of the home, which features a screen of chevron-patterned wooden planks wrapped around the exterior.
Find out more about Casa Thomé Beira da Silva ›
Photo by Ronan MézièreEscher House, Canada, by Naturehumaine
Informed by the works of Dutch artist MC Escher, Canadian studio Naturehumaine inserted an angular staircase into this family home in Montreal as part of a renovation project.
The centrepiece of the Escher House transformation, the new staircase is top-lit by a skylight and made up of wooden treads with black steel sides and guard rails.
Find out more about Escher House ›
Photo by Alex BaxterBarn at the Ahof, the Netherlands, by Julia van Beuningen
Architectural designer Julia van Beuningen converted a late 19th-century barn into a residence with this plywood spiral staircase as the central focus.
The staircase has a curved, swooping form designed to contrast with the barn’s rustic structure and leads from the open-plan living space on the ground floor to the newly added first floor, where bedrooms and bathrooms are located.
Find out more about Barn at the Ahof ›
Photo by Kenya ChibaKappa House, Japan, by Archipelago Architects Studio
A series of staircases divide the spaces inside Kappa House in Kanagawa, Japan, designed by architecture practice Archipelago Architects Studio.
The first two sets of stairs connect the house’s three floor levels, while the third staircase extends to the ceiling and is used as a place to sit, eat, drink or read.
Find out more about Kappa House ›
Photo by Lorenzo ZandriFarleigh Road House, UK, by Paolo Cossu Architects
UK architecture studio Paolo Cossu Architects renovated the basement of Farleigh Road House in London, adding a chunky oak staircase to connect the floor with the rest of the house above.
Designed to double as a place for the residents to sit and chat, wooden blocks were inserted on one side of the stairs to define the walking route, while deep steps that align with bookshelves on the adjacent wall provide seating.
Find out more about Farleigh Road House ›
Photo by Stijn PoelstraDe Niewe Herdgang, the Netherlands, by Architectuur Maken
De Niewe Herdgang is a sculptural staircase designed by Dutch studio Architectuur Maken that rises 25 metres above the landscape to create a viewpoint overlooking the city of Tilburg in the Netherlands.
Built from a galvanised steel frame with thin planks of Accoya wood, the watchtower aims to reconnect people with the landscape, which has been fragmented by roads.
Find out more about De Niewe Herdgang ›
Photo by Marcela GrassiLoft in Poblenou, Spain, by NeuronaLab
This blue stair unit provides additional storage and a mezzanine bedroom in a compact Barcelona apartment renovated by local architecture studio NeuronaLab.
The unit also divides spaces in the residence, transforming it from a studio loft to a two-bedroom apartment with separated work and living areas.
Find out more about Loft in Poblenou ›
Photo by Roberto RuizPalau Apartment, Spain, by Colombo and Serboli Architecture
In another Barcelona apartment, Spanish studio Colombo and Serboli Architecture designed a multi-part staircase made up of micro-cement bottom steps with recessed shelving, timber box steps and suspended timber steps.
The micro-cement base extends and dog-legs to form the backrest of the sofa on one side and a bench for the dining area on the other side.
Find out more about Palau Apartment ›
Photo courtesy of Kengo Kuma and AssociatesHisao & Hiroko Taki Plaza, Japan, by Kengo Kuma and Associates
Japanese studio Kengo Kuma and Associates designed this student hub for the Tokyo Institute of Technology, which is built partially underground with a stepped roof made up of bleachers.
The stepped roof is accessed by an external staircase that extends into the interior of the building, separated by glazing to blur the boundary between inside and out.
Find out more about Hisao & Hiroko Taki Plaza ›
Photo by Zhao SaiPingtan Book House, China, by Condition_Lab
A double-helix staircase with deep treads and spacious landings provides space for children to read and play in this library located in China’s Hunan province, designed by architecture research studio Condition_Lab.
Accessed from the ground floor, the two spiral timber staircases at Pingtan Book House intertwine around a square void before meeting again on the top level.
Find out more about Pingtan Book House ›
Read more: More
