These Instagram-Worthy Staircases Take Luxury Developments To The Next Level

Luxury residential developers are taking bold and beautiful steps with statement staircases. Not only are staircases becoming Instagrammable design features in condo and apartment buildings, but they also have the potential to promote physical health, especially during May, which is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.

The extraordinary centerpiece of New York City’s new Hudson Yards development is its spiral staircase, the Vessel, a giant public sculpture that has gone viral. The interactive artwork was imagined by Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio as a focal point where people can enjoy new perspectives of the city and one another from different heights, angles and vantage points.

Comprised of 154 intricately interconnecting flights of stairs, almost 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings, the nearly one mile of vertical climb offers extraordinary views of the city, midtown Manhattan and the Hudson River.

Intentionally designed to be functional and aesthetically pleasing, statement staircases encourage residents and visitors to skip the elevator and take the stairs, which is a practical, everyday physical activity that provides health benefits.

Here are seven more examples of staircases that take luxury condo and apartment developments to the next level.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences in Miami Beach features a unique multimillion-dollar lobby designed to cater to art enthusiasts and globetrotters. A $500,000 Piero Lissoni-designed staircase is the focal point. Leading up to the second-floor library, the staircase is designed for both beauty and function.

KTGY Architecture + Planning designed Aperture Apartments, a 421-unit luxury rental building in Reston, Virginia. The six-story building showcases an elliptical staircase that anchors the lobby and connects the first- and second-floor amenities in an example of design that balances form with function.

The free-standing, white-plaster spiral staircase at luxury condominium 277 Fifth Avenue in New York City was designed by interior architect Jeffrey Beers with a custom-made, commercial-size chandelier composed of 18 strands of brass-trimmed pendants that suspend down its center. The staircase was intentionally crafted to create a visually stunning and dramatic connection between two floors that house 7,000 square feet of amenity spaces, including a game lounge and state-of-the-art fitness facility.

Bright pops of color are a design signature of renowned architect and developer David Hovey Sr. and surround residents at Optima Signature, a 57-story, 490-unit luxury apartment tower in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood. But it’s the bright steel staircase connecting the building’s two amenity floors that draws the most attention.

The glistening bronze and wood staircase at Skyline Tower in Long Island City, New York was crafted to create a dramatic entryway to the condominium building’s expansive residential lounge. Cascading elegantly into the open-air common space, the staircase was designed to feel like an extension of each resident’s home. The third-floor lounge features an integrated business center, a large- screen television and billiards table.  

At Related Midwest’s newest luxury residential development, the Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) designed One Bennett Park in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood. An Art Deco-inspired grand staircase winds between amenity floors three and four. The staircase, custom designed by RAMSA, features an ornamental brass railing hand-forged at the 163-year-old Postville Blacksmith Shop near Madison, Wisconsin.

The graceful floating stairs at Nine on the Hudson in West New York, New Jersey take residents and visitors from the foyer to the rooftop in the penthouse. Marchetto Higgins Stieve Architects designed the luxury condo building. The staircase leads to a contemporary glass atrium that captures the sunlight and serene Zen garden, bringing  natural elements into the home. The penthouse at Nine on the Hudson, listed at $8 million, is the most expensive condo unit ever in New Jersey.

Walking upstairs is twice as intense as walking on level ground. To encourage this, the health and wellness experts at Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences in Riviera Beach, Florida created proprietary technology in the form of an easy-to-use app. This guide highlights the location of stairwells in both of Amrit’s towers and will prompt automatically when near elevators, encouraging residents and guests to take stairs instead. The stairwells include details of steps and recommended stretching and breathing techniques. The app keeps track of steps and calories burned. The Easy Access Stair Guide delineates checkpoints for each step goal.

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.