Sometimes a staircase may be necessary to get from floor to floor. And sometimes it can be an architectural marvel. We found a round-up on MSN Real Estate that caught our fancy. Here are two of our favorites. Check out the rest here.

If you have an abundance of books and limited space to store them, why not include them in your stairs?

It can’t be denied that these stairs, seemingly supported by nothing, are chic and modern. Our concern would be safety–how do you prevent falls not only down the stairs but off the stairs?

What are the most interesting stairs you’ve ever seen? Let us know in the comments!

Images courtesy of MSN Real Estate.

Ceilings: they don’t matter until they do. People give much more attention to the ceiling’s flashier sister, the wall — so many choices for colors and decor! But the ceiling is just sort of… there.

Nonetheless, there’s a lot of room for a decorating statement on the ceiling and MSN Real Estate runs through various ceiling types. Here are our favorites:

• Panel ceiling: This wood ceiling might scream 70s basement, but with beautiful wood, it can give off a rustic woodsy vibe.
• Tin ceiling: These ceilings are gorgeous and intricate and add a lot of detail to a room. The downside is that they can cause extra noise.
• Cathedral ceiling: This soaring ceiling can add space and light to a room (it looks especially great with large windows!). If you’re going for a cozy look though, this might not be the best choice.

What kind of ceilings do you like?

Image courtesy of MSN Real Estate

Real People, Real Kitchens: 15 Small Cool Kitchens You Won’t Want to Miss
The Kitchn
Check out The Kitchn’s roundup of little kitchens with big style.

Boulder Tiny House: Colo. Couple Build Simple, Sustainable 125 Square Foot Home
Huffington Post
“Could you live in only 125 square feet? That’s exactly what a Boulder, Colo. couple are doing now that they have completed building their brand new, tiny home from scratch.”

Death to the McMansion
Slate
“Add it all up, and the National Association of Realtors estimates that—today—56 percent of Americans want the attributes of this new American dream in their next housing purchase. Yet only 2 percent of new units being built today fit these attributes. That’s a massive pool of pent-up demand, locked away by federal policy still supporting suburban growth at the expense of all other types of communities. Change the policy—without having to spend a dime—and we’re off to the races with new jobs in construction and infrastructure, plus homes and communities that reflect the way we want to live today. And they happen to be good for the planet, reducing energy, water, and waste by at least one-third.”

How To Live Well in 1oo Square Feet
Apartment Therapy
“Recently, at SXSW 2012, we had the pleasure of hearing Jay Shafer of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company extol the virtues of living in a small space. While he admits that living in 100 square feet might not be for everyone, his talk contained plenty of tips that apply to anyone looking to live efficiently.”

A while ago, we asked you if you could only change one thing in your kitchen, what would it be? Let’s expand that to asking what one thing in your entire house would you change? Here are some ideas:

• Have you always wanted a fireplace for cozy winter evenings?
• Maybe your “vintage” kitchen doesn’t have a dishwasher
• Are your white walls bothering you?
• Would new windows make your house sparkle? (Hey, we know who can do that!)
• Do you want to rip out your old carpets and install gleaming hardwood floors?
• Does the thought of an additional bedroom or bathroom make your mouth water?
• Or maybe a walk-in closet or finished basement would be the way to go

Tell us in the comments what one thing you’d change in your house if could. And maybe search around this site for some ideas and tips, like in our remodeling category.

Jim & Theresa’s House on the Venice Canal
Apartment Therapy
“The moment I spotted Jim and Theresa’s home on CA Home + Design online I knew it was unique. To my happy surprise their interior designer Erinn Valencich of Erinn V. Design Group happened to be a recent acquaintance of mine. Welcome to a lovely family home that sits right on the water of the Venice canals.”

Homes with Incredible Backyards
Forbes
Check out this roundup beautiful luxurious yards that Forbes put together.

Designers’ Homes on the Market
Architectural Digest
“To coincide with the April designers’ own homes issue, AD presents a portfolio of seven extraordinary estates for sale, all of which were conceived–and inhabited by–prominent architects and decorators.”

Builders’ Special
Dwell
“A resourceful sound mixer sources some local design talent, rolls up his sleeves, and builds small, green, and affordable in Bozeman, Montana.”

Here’s a kitchen question for you: let’s say that you want to change something in your kitchen, but it can only be one thing. What would it be?

• Replacing your old linoleum countertops with granite or quartz adds instant modernity to your kitchen. But will it make the rest of it look shabby?
• Maybe you’d knock down a wall to connect the kitchen with the living or dining room. This really opens up your home, but without improvements to the kitchen, do you really want to put it in a position to be seen?
• Appliances: New appliances can look great, but if this were your choice, it’s probably because you need things that work better. You’ll definitely get function, but will you choose form too?
• If you dislike your cabinets, you could choose to paint and get new hardware which would probably satisfy your desire for change. But sometimes that’s not enough, and replacing them is necessary. However, its back to the countertop conundrum then: will your gorgeous new cabinets only serve to highlight the parts of your kitchen that you dislike?

What one part of your kitchen would you change? Let us know in the comments!

Over at Architectural Digest, they are featuring some beautiful celebrity kitchens. We recommend checking them all out and imagining how your favorite celebrities whip up gourmet meals, but we have to share the one we loved the most. Feast your eyes on this unusual kitchen:

No, it’s not in a European dungeon — although you probably figured that out from the stainless steel appliances. It’s Gerard Butler’s New York kitchen and it manages to be subtly masculine and cozy at the same. It seems like the sort of kitchen where you might roast a whole pig just as easily as you could boil up some pasta.

During the colder months, this kitchen would be especially nice to warm up in. It’s not the typical light and bright kitchen we’re used to seeing, but it works. We’re jealous of Gerard! You can read more about it here.

What do you think of his kitchen?

Image courtesy of Architectural Digest

A stunning restoration and renovation of a historic plantation home on the Eastern Shore of Virginia by Stephen Muse and William Kiwan of Muse Architects, this project was awarded because of its meticulous attention to detail, authenticity and preservation.

Originally constructed in 1784 and expanded in 1829, the brick-ended clapboard structure with twin Georgian entry porches follows a one bay deep linear plan typical of Tidewater homes.

Along with complete renovation and restoration of the original house, the scope of work included removal of recent out-of-character additions and construction of additional living space capturing the view of nearby Hungar’s Creek.

To accomplish this, the twin porches from the drive side of the house were replicated on the waterfront side and a new kitchen with breakfast bay was connected to the existing structure by a one-story hyphen.

Additional work included the restoration of all outbuildings, construction of a new garage and the restoration of all driveways, walkways and gardens.

Marvin products used in the project included Ultimate Double Hung Windows, French Casement Windows, Ultimate Casement Windows, Stationary Windows and Transom Windows.

To see more winners and learn more about the Architect’s Challenge, please visit Marvin.

Today the marketing department at Marvin Windows and Doors had the privilege of hearing Sarah Susanka talk to us about her work. Sarah has been a long-time friend of Marvin and we are huge fans of her. She’s a top architect, designer, author, visionary and all-around good person.

Sarah talked about her new showhouse in Libertyville, Ill., which feature both Marvin and Integrity windows. She shared some of her design tips with us. Here’s a sampling.

• Varied ceiling heights. This makes a room feel cozy instead of stark.
• Aligning the house so that the eye has something to be drawn towards. For instance, Sarah designed the entry of the Libertyville house with a recessed shelf that can hold some artwork or a vase of flowers. You see the focal point as soon as you enter in through the door.
• Walking towards light. As Sarah reminded us, human beings are drawn towards light, so when designing a home, it’s important that we are able to move towards light-filled spaces, whether that is a window, a door, or just a lighted area on a wall.
• Multi-use spaces. Sarah showed us a floor plan that could be switched around to include large gatherings. As she pointed out, in traditional home plans, there are often spaces that get used once or twice a year. Why not design homes to be as flexible as possible?

Learn more about Sarah and her Not So Big philosophy here.

Image courtesy of Susanka.com.