The Staircase Balcony

About

The Staircase Balcony refers to a viral photograph of an awkward space hanging over the side of an indoor staircase across from a window, resembling a small balcony with a white-and-black banister. The photo was originally posted to the /r/interiordecorating subreddit in March 2024 by a user asking for suggestions as to what they should put in the space and was reposted to X / Twitter with the same question, inspiring discourse, photoshops and jokes about what might go in the space. The meme is similar to other interior design Photoshop trends, including the Inaccessible Foyer Landing, Staircase Cranny and Bathroom Cranny.

Origin

On March 2nd, 2024, Redditor u/forward_fantasy posted a photo to /r/interiordecorating^[1] of a square outcropping resembling a balcony to the left side of a staircase, writing, "What to put in this square?" The post gained over 1,500 upvotes and 2,600 comments (shown below).

We have this random square in the hall between the master bedroom and the flex room over the stairs. For the life of me I cant figure out what to do with it

The majority of the top comments are jokes about funny things that could go in the space (top examples shown below).

Spread

On April 11th, 2024, X^[2] user @MadHatter_LJ posted the image, writing, "how do we decorate this space?" garnering over 2,100 likes and 2,000 reposts in four days. Similarly to the Reddit post, the majority of responses were memes, including photoshops, about comedic things that could go in the space.

For example, on April 13th, X^[3] user @Murdoink posted a photoshop adding a Quan Chi Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet to the square, garnering over 41,000 likes in two days (shown below, left). On April 14th, X^[4] user @Tales_of_Taylor posted an edit of a Pokemon PC in the space, garnering over 35,000 likes in a day (shown below, right).

Later that day, X^[5] user @MattySocials posted a photoshop of a Bloons Tower Defense turret in the space, writing, "Bloons don't stand a chance," garnering over 7,000 likes in a day (shown below). Also on April 14th, the original image was posted to /r/Pikmin^[6] by a user asking, "Can someone please put a pikmin 2 hole here?" garnering over 300 upvotes in a day.

Various Examples

Related Memes

Inaccessible Foyer Landing

The Inaccessible Foyer Landing refers to a common interior design feature prevalent in suburban, American homes (nicknamed McMansions) in which a landing is added above the door placed beneath the large foyer window resembling a Palladian window. The design has been ridiculed online throughout the 2010s. Many call the foyer a "Lawyer Foyer" because of its resemblance to the inner entrance of a law firm. However, discourse and memes about the foyer landing peaked in early 2024 when Twitter / X user @RealEstateMaxi tweeted about it. Thereafter, many quoted the post, adding what nonsensical objects they would put on top of the landing.

The Staircase Cranny

The Staircase Cranny refers to a viral photograph of an empty opening below a staircase, likely meant for a wardrobe or storage. The photograph was posted on X / Twitter in mid-February 2024 was used for humorous edits as users referenced various media, similar to the recent Inaccessible Foyer Landing trend.

The Bathroom Cranny

The Bathroom Cranny refers to a viral photograph of a narrow niche between a bathroom and another room, likely meant for a wardrobe or storage. The photograph was posted on X / Twitter in mid-February 2024 was used for humorous edits as users referenced various media.

Search Interest

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External References