Lifestyle7 min(s) read
Published 10:54 28 Aug 2019 GMT
When it comes to staircase designs, precision is everything. One miscalculated centimeter, and you can end up with some serious accidents on your hands. While we hardly ever think about these things, we pretty much use stairs on the daily. However, when there poor planning involved, stairs aren’t just an eyesore – they become downright dangerous. So scroll through this list of the worst designed staircases you’ll ever see!
[post_page_title]Choices[/post_page_title]
When I first saw this I thought, "Ooh, what an interesting rug." Then I remembered I was writing an article about stair design fails. Needless to say, my "Ooh," quickly turned to "Ohh..."
Can you say, "accident waiting to happen?" Hope whatever company that is, they have a good legal team. They're going to need it.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]What Even Is This?[/post_page_title]
Are they staircases or shelves? Whatever they are, they look like they're suspended in their air and it's not sitting well with us.
Did you know that stair climbing is officially classed as a ‘vigorous exercise,’ meaning it burns more calories per minute than jogging? And it also requires eight to nine times more energy expenditure than sitting, all while burning 7 times the amount of calories you would taking the elevator - but we don't think this information relates to these weird, wall-shelf stairs.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Optical Illusions For The Carpet[/post_page_title]
In keeping with the staircase fun facts, going upstairs means you burn about 0.17 calories for every step, so you burn roughly a calorie and a half for every 10 upward steps. And on the way down, you burn about 0.05 calories, so that is one calorie for every 20 steps down.
But our big question is really how much would you be burning calorie-wise by falling down these stairs? Because with that carpet pattern there is no way you won't get dizzy and go for a little tumble downwards.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]The Art Of Camouflage[/post_page_title]
I'm not a psychic, but somehow I'm managing to get a vision of many stubbed toes and twisted ankles.
Climbing stairs is supposed to be good for your health, guarding against heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and some cancers, as well as producing feel-good endorphins. But all I see this staircase producing is lots of scares and near-misses – none of which are good for your overall well-being.
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[post_page_title]Followed The Instructions Carefully[/post_page_title]
When you go to build something, if you follow the instructions that come with it, the process should go smoothly and the results should be as expected. Unfortunately, in this case, that was a resounding no.
It's said that if a building has five floors or less, taking the stairs is always quicker. In fact, studies have found that employees who take the stairs save up to 15 minutes a day...but in this case, I think the elevator would be the better bet.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Staircase To Nowhere[/post_page_title]
The following design might be bad now, but in 20 years when most everywhere is underwater thanks to melted ice caps and global warming, the hack who designed them will look like a forward-thinking genius.
But until that day comes, they still look like an idiot. I mean really, who builds staircases that only go halfway? Not even pigeons would be so inclined to use these.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]The Wood Is Pretty At Least[/post_page_title]
Just seven minutes of climbing stairs every day is estimated to reduce your risk of heart attack over the course of 10 years.
We doubt that is the case for these stairs. While the wooden steps are pretty and well-polished, we doubt that the unevenness of it all does anything to reduce the risk of heart attacks.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Wheelchairs Beware[/post_page_title]
I don't know what is worse here: the fact that there are stairs where there should be an accessibility ramp or the fact that a sign highlights it as a path for wheelchairs only.
Whoever designed this shouldn't put this design job on their resume. It's a big nope.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]A Serial Killer's Dream House[/post_page_title]
I believe there was a serial killer who designed the perfect murder home with all kinds of trick doors and false exits in order to further torment his victims while attempting to kill them. This would be his dream staircase – a flight of stairs that leads to a dead end.
Can we all agree that looking at this picture makes us imagine that familiarly creepy voice saying, "Do you want to play a game?"
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[post_page_title]Just No[/post_page_title]
There's nothing I can say about this staircase design other than just no. There is nothing aesthetically pleasing about this design, nor is there anything safe.
Not going to lie, this one gives me a little bit of PTSD to look at. It looks like the inside of a Charlie's Chinese, and I nearly broke my face in there one time because the steps to the bathroom were an optical illusion. True story.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Even Sober You'd Still Fail[/post_page_title]
I'm clumsy even on my best days. I still couldn't imagine taking these stairs on sober, let alone after I've had a couple of drinks. Could you imagine attempting this death trap drunk and while wearing high heels with one hand trying to balance a cocktail without spilling?
Neither can I. Thinking back to how I used to do the weekends in my early 20s gives me heart palpitations looking at this staircase. I don't even think 21-year-old me who was like a mountain goat in heels could have ever traversed these stairs.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]These Movie Theatre Stairs[/post_page_title]
I take it back, give me the stairs from the previous one. I'd rather those than these. I don't even think that an agile cat could make walking these look graceful.
They are way too camouflaged together to be safely walked on. Is this design even legal? Can people not get in trouble for making stairs blend together with carpet?
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Not Even a Staircase[/post_page_title]
The trouble with these stairs is they're not even stairs so much as a poorly thought out water fountain design. We've all seen them at some point right?
To try to walk on this I would say is pretty slippery and not at all safe. I mean, apart from Jesus, have you ever heard of anyone else walking on water successfully?
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]A Lawsuit Waiting to Happen[/post_page_title]
There are so many things wrong with this picture. The main problem being the stairs have no landing.
I wonder how many of those tenants have had to sign a release in their lease saying that they wave suing the landlord or letting agency should they end up falling and breaking their necks?
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Why[/post_page_title]
A ladder that wants to be a staircase or a staircase that wants to be a ladder? The question is posed, let the debates begin.
Either way, I don't think any of us will be wanting to use that as a means to get to higher ground at any point.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Instagram Versus Reality[/post_page_title]
Ok, on a first glance, if you were to factor out the guy risking his life to get down these stairs, they would actually be kinda cool. They're like shelves you can walk on. It's everything you could've dreamed of as a kid. Plus, without anyone in the shot, they'd made great Instagram feed.
The reality, however, is much different. Can you imagine trying to go up and down those stairs several times a day? Plus what if you forget something and have to go back up or down? It's like playing real-life Tetris in your own home. No. I'm too old for that s***.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Will You Suffer Now Or Later?[/post_page_title]
On a first glance, everything looks normal, right? You might even wonder why this design made this list in the first place. Look again.
You spotted it, didn't you? In the background, the ramp and stairs switch. So if you're presumably in a wheelchair or wheeling something up the ramp that has wheels the question is would you rather encounter your obstacles now, or later?
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Would Be Better Suited To Bookshelves[/post_page_title]
These stairs shouldn't be stairs. They're not practical and safe enough to hold the title. But they're still pretty cool to look at, it makes you wish you could designate them to a different job.
Maybe bookshelves instead? Put some cute potted plants in there as well and you could easily have a great picture for Instagram to hashtag.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Futuristic Nightmare[/post_page_title]
Whoever designed these probably thought they were cool and futuristic looking. I mean, who doesn't want to bring their home into the year 3,000 when we're all living on Mars is sleek white spacey-looking pods like in every sci-fi movie ever? But these stairs are a hard no.
The only thing you're doing by bringing these stairs into your home is making life dangerous for you and whoever lives with you. Don't do that.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Laziness At Its Finest [/post_page_title]
Too lazy to go up a tiny hill? There are stairs for that apparently. What would be even worse than this, is if those stairs were to rotate on a conveyer belt like an elevator.
This picture is probably how Wall-E started before all the humans ended up in floating chairs.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Double The Stairs [/post_page_title]
Don't see the second set of stairs? Look again, they're there. They're also tiny and don't seem to be wide enough for humans?
As Reddit user NanZ so eloquently put it, "I don't understand this one at all. I don't know why anyone would do that." Neither do we.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]These Stairs... Again[/post_page_title]
We already showed you a pair of these in blue earlier. Much like certain clothing items, trying them on in a different color is not going to help the fact that they're just a no.
These stairs look a dangerous attempt to recycle lightsabers. And as much as we like Star Wars, we can't support this look.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Must Be This Small To Climb The Stairs [/post_page_title]
Finally, a height limit that my short friends will be happy about. These stairs don't seem to account for the average-heighted people of the world.
Hopefully whoever's home this is, is either under 5 feet tall, or doesn't need to access the second floor all that often, because I foresee a lot of head-banging.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Monaco Stairs[/post_page_title]
The wife and I were talking about doing Monaco in mid-February as a way of dusting off the Dublin cold. But if their staircases are anything like this, I think I'd rather stay home.
It's a big nope. And I don't know what those little silver knobs are doing...they're certainly not fixing the problem that you can't see where the stairs begin or end.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]The Tiniest Skate Park Ever[/post_page_title]
If you're into skating, this would probably be the last place you'd want to test out cool new flips and tricks. It's like the skate park at would be suited to Stuart Little.
For the rest of us, we're just completely confused as to why there's a nook of stairs there. And a tiny ramp as well? What is going on? Did the construction team have extra concrete they had to use up?
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]The Staircase of Confusion[/post_page_title]
Looking at this, you can see how many people would be perplexed by it. It has absolutely no function in the middle of it for certain reasons. But over all the design isn't that terrible right?
Although since it looks to be something like a college campus, I can only imagine the traffic jam of people it creates at the beginning of the fall semester.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Poor Execution[/post_page_title]
They say you get what you pay for. And clearly what this person paid for was an architectural nightmare in their home. It's definitely going to be something that gets them and their guests more than once.
Hope they have good health insurance. With all the foreseeable trips to the ER, they're going to need it.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]You Shall Not Pass![/post_page_title]
There's nothing getting past these stairs. I certainly wouldn't be able to squeeze through even while wearing 3 pairs of Spanx. I salute anyone who would be able to get around the column.
I think I will be taking the long way around wherever this is.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Get the Holy Water[/post_page_title]
Remember that scene in The Exorcist where she comes down the stairs doing that creepy backward contortion? Yeah, that is what these stairs reminded me of immediately. They just radiate creep vibes so hard.
Plus, let's be real, they also don't look like they serve that much of a function other than to scare the bejeezus out of you in the middle of the night.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]These Measure A Foot High![/post_page_title]
No joke, they are apparently that tall. So you know how sometimes we like to take two stairs at a time in order to feel like we're being healthy? Well, now you can get that feeling while still just going one step at a time.
But I don't see that as fun but more of an inconvenience.
