An البند in September's issue of ELLE DECOR entitled "It's Time To Bring Back the Chic Elevator" makes the case for vertical transportation as an important design element. The author laments that today's elevators are primarily functional when they once served as an essential transitional space, smoothing the aesthetic shift between a building's lobby and hallways. He cites the Art Deco doors of the Chrysler Building elevators and the woven metal mesh cabs in the Seagram Building as examples of lifts being treated as architectural marvels.
Quoted in the article is Jonathan Baron, a New York interior designer, who says that elevators are the most intimate experience one has in a building. Baron notes that the developers he works with are eager to talk about the design of the lobby and hallways, but the elevator is usually put off until the end of a project when its budget is depleted. The author notes that the decline of unique design choices can also be linked to the long life of elevators. Clients typically choose neutral elevators that won't conflict with any interior design updates to the lobby and halls in years to come.
الرأي العام عامل مؤثر أيضًا. في أواخر القرن التاسع عشر، عندما بدأت المصاعد بالانتشار في الولايات المتحدة، صُممت لتشبه غرف معيشة الشقق، وذلك للحفاظ على هدوء الركاب وراحتهم. ومع تطور المصاعد الكهربائية، مما قلل من الوقت الذي يقضونه في الكابينة، وازداد اعتياد الناس على هذه التقنية، انخفضت الحاجة إلى ديكورات متقنة.
That doesn't mean that elevator aesthetics are a thing of the past. Custom cabs are still being designed and built today by developers who value their design impact. The W-Hotel chain has strategically chosen to install سيارات أجرة غير متوقعة ومذهلة بصريًا لتشجيع ضيوفهم على التقاط صور سيلفي داخل المصاعد، مما يؤدي إلى دعاية مجانية. ولعلّ نهضة تصميم المصاعد، كما يقترح الكاتب، يجب أن تأتي من مستخدميها.
