Hooked on Houses

There are staircases that simply get us from one place to another. Then there are staircases like this that make a statement (which may be, “You’re not good enough to tread on me–try the back stairs off the kitchen”). 

I may not feel entirely comfortable living in a house with a foyer the size of a high school gymnasium, but I like to look. Just for fun, here are a few of the biggest and baddest–and most interesting–I’ve come across on the MLS lately. 

To see more staircases that make a statement, click “more” below:

For some reason, after looking at this staircase above, I can’t get the “Beverly Hillbillies” theme song out of my head. They had the same kind of curved staircase on the right side of their foyer, too, and black and white marble floors, remember?

Am I the only kid who watched the show and wished she’d find some oil in her backyard, too?

This staircase is in an old mansion that was originally modeled on castles in Europe–but it’s actually in Ohio, not far from where I live. It has “old money” written all over it. 

This ostentatious foyer is what happens when you take your decorating cues from Liberace.

There are a lot of staircases more grand than the one above, but it’s refreshing to see one that is so simple and beautiful. The house is new, but they gave it the charm and character of one that is old.

Love this white staircase against the green walls. It’s so unexpected.

Remember the contemporary family room I showed you in Just Say No: Rooms That Need Rehab? The one with the black valances and carpet to match? This is from the same home’s foyer. I wish they had a photo of the staircase from the opposite angle, but you can tell it’s pretty unusual. It not only spirals up to the second story, but goes down to the finished lower level.

This staircase is from a beautiful old home in the Lasalle Park neighborhood of St. Louis that I talked about in an earlier post. It’s also where I took the photo used in the Hooked on Houses logo at the top of the page. I love how there’s a bench built right in.

The skylight and woodwork make this simple staircase (above) simply stunning.

Well, that was fun. Which were your favorites? Nothing could top the drama of Tara’s staircase in “Gone With the Wind,” really. I just watched the famous scene where Rhett sweeps Scarlett off her feet (literally) and was amazed by how grand it really was, with its red carpet and treads the width of a tractor trailer. It would take half an hour to climb to the second story. 

I don’t know about you, but all of this makes me feel as if my own foyer is seriously lacking in drama. Let’s just say it’s hard to imagine Rhett Butler sweeping me up my narrow, carpeted stairs. For one thing, he’d probably trip over the kids’ toys.

Just for fun:

• Read about the role staircases played in “Gone with the Wind”
• Purchase your own commemorative “Scarlett and Rhett on the Stairs” musical figurine (shown below) 
• Watch the famous scene where Rhett carries Scarlett up the stairs
• Watch Carol Burnett’s take on Scarlett’s Staircase

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For more Decorating Inspiration, check out:

• Photo Gallery of Rooms with Crown Molding
• A Parisian-Style Sanctuary
• Decorating in Black & White