#staircase-functionality

#staircase-functionality

Meininger, who grew up in Germany but now lives in London, likes making things. So when he saw how much his young sons enjoyed the jungle gym and play forts at the local park, he made an indoor treehouse for them.

The Goddess escalator, which takes almost 21 minutes to ascend, is almost certainly the world's largest of its kind, cutting through the center of Wushan and rising straight into the sky.

Lately we've noticed designers, artists, and even jewelers making their own collections of knobs, drawer pulls, and handles that are anything but an afterthought-they're a statement.

The building is conceived as four independently functioning households for approximately 60 residents, fully barrier-free, emphasizing independence and accessibility for the elderly.

When you design your home with intentionality, you are essentially 'hard-coding' healthy behaviors into your daily rhythm. Health outcomes are the result of thousands of micro-decisions—so in his own home, he prioritized spaces like the kitchen, whose open layout makes cooking a pleasure, and the gym, centrally located.

The ballroom design features impractical elements like a stairway to nowhere and fake windows, emphasizing a focus on flashiness over functionality.

"The clients are a family of five who were already living in the Barcelona flat but wanted to give it new character through the redesign of the kitchen and bathrooms," says Muñoz. "Our focus was to update the spaces while maintaining continuity with the rest of the apartment, which has a lot of personality thanks to the clients."

The results? They picked out 26 cleaning solutions, calling them their favorites. From tried-and-true staples to brand-new discoveries, see below for our top picks.

Decades of research in environmental psychology and building science reveal that indoor conditions can profoundly affect human health and behavior. Lighting influences circadian rhythms and sleep patterns. Air quality impacts cognitive performance and respiratory health. Temperature and acoustics shape comfort and concentration.

Thornton says that the secret to making a small space feel expansive is to think vertically. As the eye goes up, there's an illusion of higher ceilings and a larger space. "Anything that draws attention upward instantly adds a sense of height and breathing room," he told me. But how do you actually implement these tactics IRL? Ahead, the pro shares tips for how to make the most of every square inch in your own home.