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

While perusing Twitter, we came across Nigel Maynard’s Tweet about these interesting hooks. As HomeIQ says, these “will either make you smile or freak you out.”

By artist Nick Davis, these bronze hands and feet are perfect for hanging coats, acting as 3D art and scaring your guests. What do you think? Would you want these in your hallway?

Images courtesy of HomeIQ. 

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.

Are you looking for a multi-person seating alternative to the couch? Have a dream of “swimming” in cushions? Do you really love birds? Then this seating option might be for you!

The Giant Birdsnest by O*GE is “a prototype for new and inspiring socializing space, which can be seen as a morph of furniture and playground.” It looks like it could be used as an unusual sleeping space in addition to seating. Think of the great conversations you could have while in this nest!

Would you ever put something like this in your family room?

Image courtesy of O*GE

Are you remodeling a princess-themed bathroom? Or maybe one in Vegas? Well, look no further than this sparkly bathtub by SICIS. It’s made out of glass that l00ks like pink sequins.  A perfect present for the sparkly shoe-lover in your life!

We want to know if the heel of the “shoe” could be used as a water slide into the bath for an extra dash of fun. What do you think of this fun and unusual bath?

Copper and wood are two of nature’s most beautiful materials. Tamasine Osher has used copper piping, along with wood, to create some gorgeous industrial-chic pieces. It’s a very innovative use of a material that might otherwise have been used for scrap! What do you think?

Images courtesy of DigsDigs.

While we all yearn to own the perfect home, is it possible we’re overlooking the perfect spaces that already exist? It might be a quiet breakfast nook, a tucked away computer desk or even a comfortable reading chair with just the right light for reading. Whatever the case, those perfect spaces are worth celebrating.

If your home is without one of these perfect spaces, it’s time you created one.

Samantha Shoech over at Houzz has photo inspiration for creating standout spaces in your home. They can be as simple as a wall organizer or as complex as a reading den (like in the photo above).

If your home already has one of these spaces, what is it, where is it located and what does it mean to you?

[Photo from Susan Jay Design]

A Whole Different Animal
Houzz
Your home  doesn’t have to be country or rustic to incorporate animal inspirations. (You don’t need to shop for a leopard-print rug, either.) See how some homeowners have added character to their home by bringing barn animals indoors.

Green & Affordable Prefab Home Debuts in Palm Springs
Dwell
Imagine living in a brand new, stylish, LEED Platinum-certified home in Palm Springs for a cool $180,000. Imagine no more. The LivingHomes C6 might be a prefab, but your jaw will drop when you see this slideshow. Vacation home, anyone?

Piles and Piles of Tile
Centsational Girl
CG is in pursuit of the perfect tile backsplash as she takes on an ambitious hallway bathroom remodel. Turns out selecting the perfect tile isn’t for the faint of heart.

Tour the Art-Filled, Luxuriously Appointed Gramercy Park Hotel
Casa Sugar
Need a little color inspiration? The Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City employs a bold Raphael-inspired color palette that fearlessly blends colors from the across the spectrum. (The photo at the top of this post is from the on-site Jar Bar.)

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