Via e-mail from my friend Bloggo, we learn of a very interesting Web site dedicated to, of all things, the architecture of stairs - or, as they call it, 'stair porn'!
The Web site states its purpose thus:
stair porn™ is a weblog featuring beautiful and unusual stairs from around the world. Who knew there was such incredible variety in stair design?! This site was borne out of a joke post on materialicious™, which featured a roundup of found stairs entitled "stair porn!", and turned out to be immensely popular. But if you're looking for sex, you're plumb outta luck, bub...
The pictures are oddly compelling. I'd never thought to look at stairs as a focal point of architecture before, apart from some classics like the Grand Staircase at Longleat House, shown below.
However, this Web site has shown me otherwise. Here are a few samples, given as 'teasers' to encourage you to visit it for yourself. (Click on the titles beneath each picture to go to that specific post on stairporn.org.)
There are dozens more at the link. Highly recommended viewing for photographers and those interested in architecture.
Peter
Attractive staircases exist for two reasons: their own beauty, and to allow people to make a dramatic entrance from upstairs as they descend to a milling throng of friends and admirers on the main floor below.
ReplyDeleteNext time you see a good example, ask yourself what royalty, society matrons or Hollywood stars (these three categories often being identical) would have used the stairs as a prop.