Art
This copper-plated iron baluster once lined the stairs of one of America's grandest department stores. Designed by architect Louis Sullivan, it represents a moment when even functional hardware—the everyday railings shoppers gripped—became objects of beauty and pride.
Art · Full story
You climb the wide stairs of the Schlesinger and Mayer store, your gloved hand sliding along the smooth copper rail. Beneath your fingers, delicate patterns catch the light—flowers and vines wrapping the metal in an unexpected elegance. The store rises around you, magnificent and welcoming, and even this simple bannister says: you belong here.
Reflect
What everyday object in your home do you wish was beautiful as well as useful?