I have some very strong feelings and emotions regarding stairs. The stairs in the apple store at 14th St and 9th Ave are some kind of textured plexiglass that are lit up from the bottom and from the top, it appears that they blend into each other making it very hard to climb downstairs. The stairs at UNIQLO in Soho are made of polished metal and see-through from the front, so walking up them gives me epileptic seizures and a nauseous feeling. Word to the wise: do not attempt to climb either of these if you are hung over.
Regarding design, however, it is entirely possible to elevate a staircase from a simple functional feature to a sculptural architectural element.
The stairs in these post represent when walkways become works of art.
