Most beautiful rooms

[found5dollar]

So i found myself in NYC yesterday and went to the Morgan Library. I was stunned by the actual Library room and considered it one of the most beautiful rooms I have ever been in. That made me think.... what are the other most beautiful rooms I have been in. I quickly came up with this short list, all beautiful for varying reasons, in a somewhat descending order.

The Sistine Chapel
Palais Garnier Grand Staircase
Boston Public Library Sargent Gallery
Library room in the Morgan Library
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Main Gallery


I'm interested in other peoples ideas about what they consider the most beautiful rooms they have ever been in. What does your list look like?

[Beton Brut]

Totally on my shortlist:

[BarbaricManchurian]

Lowell Library, especially the second floor.

[BarbaricManchurian]

Not really a room, but the view from the south station bus terminal loop, best view in all of Boston.

[Shepard]

Had the opportunity to stay at the Radisson Blu Royal in Copenhagen at the SAS tower - entirely designed by Arne Jacobsen. Wonderful lobby.

[MonopolyBag]

Originally Posted by BarbaricManchurian

Not really a room, but the view from the south station bus terminal loop, best view in all of Boston.

Parking on top you mean?

[BarbaricManchurian]

Haven't been here, but this video just makes me want to visit. Truly stunning.

http://vimeo.com/29364486

[Beton Brut]

^ That's hot.

[datadyne007]

Jorn Utzon's Sydney Opera House (main chamber):



I've sung the Aus. nat'l anthem (Advance Australia Fair) in there. Incredible acoustics (obviously) to compliment the gorgeous structure and space.


---
A timeless classic:

Hall of Mirrors, Versailles



---
Rotunda, Marriott's Custom House: (One of 3 domes in the US with a Presidential Seal)

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by found5dollar

So i found myself in NYC yesterday and went to the Morgan Library. I was stunned by the actual Library room and considered it one of the most beautiful rooms I have ever been in. That made me think.... what are the other most beautiful rooms I have been in. I quickly came up with this short list, all beautiful for varying reasons, in a somewhat descending order.

The Sistine Chapel
Palais Garnier Grand Staircase
Boston Public Library Sargent Gallery
Library room in the Morgan Library
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Main Gallery


I'm interested in other peoples ideas about what they consider the most beautiful rooms they have ever been in. What does your list look like?

For a fan of architecture, I have been to admittedly few great architectural destinations (as they are popularly defined, anyway), but I remember the interior of Grand Central Station as being stunning. The NY Public Library and BPL are great, too, but Grand Central was tremendous. Oh and the food court at Square One Mall in Saugus .

[Beton Brut]

Not to be a homer, but it doesn't get much better than this:

[GW2500]

I believe HGTV has a show about amazing rooms. Not sure how great it is.

[Patrick]

Here is probably the nicest room in Portland, ME:

[found5dollar]

wow. these are all great! I feel sometimes on this board interior architecture can get overlooked. It is also surprising how the majority of rooms people are choosing are libraries and theaters, with very few houses and churches.

[datadyne007]

Originally Posted by found5dollar

wow. these are all great! I feel sometimes on this board interior architecture can get overlooked. It is also surprising how the majority of rooms people are choosing are libraries and theaters, with very few houses and churches.

AMEN! I'm constantly fighting to get the interior perspective known in many threads. I usually get dismissed because "this board is about how the majority of people see the buildings- from the outside," but that is hardly scratching the surface of what "built environment" really means.

Everyone just bitch bitch bitches about the exteriors but many ugly buildings have stunning interiors (case study: Westin BCEC)

[Ron Newman]

People aren't going to choose private houses for this, because they are not open to the public. To a lesser extent the same applies to churches, as people who aren't members of them generally don't enter them unless there are concerts scheduled there.

[found5dollar]

Originally Posted by Ron Newman

People aren't going to choose private houses for this, because they are not open to the public. To a lesser extent the same applies to churches, as people who aren't members of them generally don't enter them unless there are concerts scheduled there.

I would disagree with you. Many house are now tourist attractions. No one chose anything from any of the Newport Mansions or European castles with the exception of Versailles, which for all intensive purposes was a private home. Also churches, especially in Europe are a major tourist draw. Notre Dame, Sacre Cour, the Vatican, St. Paul's, Chartres cathedral, even in the US, St. Partick's in NYC, the National Cathedral and the National Basilica in DC are big draws. The public enters churches all the time to look at them, especially people that are interested in architecture like us.

[bdurden]

This one was really something:

[briv]

Is that La Sagrada Familia? When I was there the nave was bare and empty.

The photo is spectacular. However, the impression I got was that the new construction of Sagrada Familia seemed coarse, too geometric, and machined, clashing with Gaudi's organic, flowing, insanely rich detailed hand-carved forms. Too bad Gaudi did not live to finish this (or at least document the design). If he had, it would probably be the most amazing building on Earth. What he did complete is simply sublime. There's absolutely nothing like it.

[Beton Brut]

Here's four rooms worth staying in.