You can build a stairway to paradise or buy one to heaven, but its rare that we actually notice the architectural beauty of these underappreciated architectural elements. In this edition of Design Porn, our regular roundup of covet-worthy objects, we look beneath our feet at some of the most unusual and aesthetically pleasing staircases around the globe. After the jump, check out stairs that defy gravity, disappear, spiral, slide, and actually inspire us to skip a leisurely ride in the elevator.
Slide/Staircase Combo [via What The Cool]
Floating Stairs by Guido Ciompi [via cubeme]
Disappearing Stairs by Aaron Tang [via curbly]
Longchamp Store Stairs by Heatherwick Studio [via contemporist]
Suspended Staircase Bridge by Jürg Conzett and Rolf Bachofner [via we make money not art]
Slanted Stairs by Gabriella Gustafson and Mattias Ståhlbom [via bloesem]
Ancient Kauri Log Staircase by Ancient Kauri Kingdom [via zazafun]
Lello Bookshop Stairs in Portugal by unknown [via web Urbanist]
Spinal Staircase by Philip Watts Design [via fixr]
Inside-Out Staircase by Didden Village [via mental_floss]
Optical Illusion Stairs by unknown [via hubpages]