Looking for Home Elevator Ideas and Examples?

Home elevator ideas are hard to come by. Most lifts are boring, like purely functional ones (think a traditional traction lift) that you lock into a concrete shaft. You pretend those don’t exist until you need them… But there is a second kind: the showcase elevators. Those that are a centerpiece of your home and add value, design and elegance to your interior. The kind of elevator that makes you go ‘WOW’ when you first see it.

We much prefer the latter.

But we don’t stop at just finding beautiful elevators. We are constantly on the look-out for interesting and new ways to install an elevator for it to fit in with your interior. Discover our four favorites below:

Home Elevator Idea #1: Rooftop Garden Elevator

Most architects forget that screw-driven elevators do not need a machine-room, and can therefore open on the roof. This is particularly important for forever homes, as client after client has told us of their retirement dream, and having a garden to care for on their roof.

But who says garden, says heavy pots with plants, lots of water to carry up and down and more. Very quickly, the roof-opening elevator becomes absolutely essential, and a critical tool into making the forever home a true dream home.

Home Elevator Idea #2: Window Elevators

So you like glass, but your client wants privacy? Here are a few good home elevator ideas: balance openness and claustrophobia!

Thankfully, we have the perfect solution for you. Simply put, by being innovative with panel placement, you can create the illusion of windows in the lift. Only one glass panel per floor, at the same height as the top of the platform, creates a wonderful riding experience while disguising the lift completely and providing full privacy to the client.

We will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Idea #3: Sky Light – Remove the Ceiling!

Imagine this: your client has made you build a wonderful skylight above a spiral staircase, but has now decided he wants a glass lift in the middle. The skylight is now obscured by the lift!

Worry not, for we have a solution for you (and yes, we do see this happen all the time). Some lift shafts are structurally sound with or without a ceiling, which means that you can simply remove the ceiling.

Why not offer a glass ceiling, you ask? Well, for starters it would be against European regulations, but more importantly a flat glass ceiling quickly becomes stained with dust, even with regular cleanings, and requires replacement every 1-2 years. It is much easier to simply remove the ceiling and provide unfettered access to your wonderful skylight.

Idea #4: Decorate Your Elevator

What if a glass Lift wasn’t beautiful enough already? Some clients love to incorporate the lift further into their home by modifying it post-installation.

For example, this wonderful architect planned for an entire greenwall on the side of the lift to better match the surroundings. The lift both fades into the background and stands out as the centerpiece of the design. Beautiful architectural inspiration at its finest.

What do you think? Any of these designs you would like to incorporate in your work?