In 19th century France, it was a tradition that when a mortgage was paid off, people would throw themselves a party and install a boule d’escalier on the staircase. Boule d’Escalier translates to “stair ball” in English and essentially is a staircase finial. Having a boule d’escalier in one’s home was considered a fine luxury in the 1800s in France. Since then, they have become highly collectable and sought after decorative accessories. They are traditionally crystal and round, but now you can find them in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. For example, here at Architectural Accents we have a collection of antique boules d’escaliers along with a reproduction line that we carry.

Nowadays, you don’t see many homes with this kind of decorative accessory. With that, they are not always easy to find in the current antique industry. That’s what makes them so special. Boules d’Escaliers represent tradition and luxury but are one of the rarest decorative accessories in today’s residential design industry.