One of the best things about wood as a building material is it’s so malleable. Take staircases, for instance: using nothing but wood, you can achieve an incredible array of shapes and effects. Fancy something that looks like a hand-carved work of art? You can have it (at a price, of course.) Envisioning something a little more minimalist? From floating boxes to clever storage stairs, there’s no shortage of inspiration out there to spur a creative idea of your own. Here are some of the coolest examples on the internet.
![atmos stairstalk](https://easternwhitepine.org/wp-content/uploads/atmos-stairstalk.jpeg)
Is this the most impressive wooden staircase on the entire internet? Maybe. Standing as a grand centerpiece at London’s HIDE Restaurant, the incredible “Stairstalk” design by Atmos Studio is absolutely breathtaking.
![wooden timber stacked stairs](https://easternwhitepine.org/wp-content/uploads/wooden-timber-stacked-stairs.jpeg)
Reminiscent of the game Jenga, this minimalist staircase for a barn home in Flanders, Belgium by Studio Farris integrates storage space for books and other small items.
![Stair slide mahogany](https://easternwhitepine.org/wp-content/uploads/Stair-slide-mahogany.jpeg)
Can’t choose between a slide or a staircase? Have both! This design by Scott Jones was custom carved from mahogany.
![atmos cnc stairs](https://easternwhitepine.org/wp-content/uploads/atmos-cnc-stairs.jpeg)
Made of CNC-cut plywood, this gorgeous staircase designed by Atmos for a London apartment sort of looks like a tree spreading its limbs into the building’s various floors.
![JDN spiral staircase](https://easternwhitepine.org/wp-content/uploads/JDN-spiral-staircase.jpg)
This spiraling residential staircase by JDN uses a typical metal frame you can find from staircase suppliers or at architectural salvage depots, and adds wood treads for a warmer feel. Photographed by Jack Newton. https://flickr.com/photos/jdn/2684442487
![wood spine staircase jouin](https://easternwhitepine.org/wp-content/uploads/wood-spine-staircase-jouin.jpeg)
It’s hard to resist calling this design “spine-tingling.” Designed by Patrick Jouin, this design spirals the curved treads around a serpentine central support with an effect resembling twisted vertebrae. The glass and metal banister makes it airy and open, showing off the best part of the design.
![plywood storage stairs](https://easternwhitepine.org/wp-content/uploads/plywood-storage-stairs-338x1024.jpeg)
These puzzle-like storage stairs feature niches for display and giant drawers to store shoes and other items in a small apartment in Bordeaux, France by L’atelier Miel.
![wooden nest stairs strasbourg](https://easternwhitepine.org/wp-content/uploads/wooden-nest-stairs-strasbourg.jpeg)
Another staircase by Patrick Jouin, this one located at Strasbourg Hotel’s restaurant in France, wraps a curving wooden staircase with strips of wood for a dramatic nest-like effect.
![void staircase guido ciompi](https://easternwhitepine.org/wp-content/uploads/void-staircase-guido-ciompi.jpeg)
The Void Staircase by Guido Ciompi for the Gray Hotel in Milan, Italy features hollow steps that could also be used as shelving. From some angles, they appear to float.