Good design is harder to get right than you think. Especially if common sense decides to take a long vacation. Meanwhile, truly bad design can have some devastating consequences. And we’re not just talking about how bad aesthetics can hurt your awesome sense of taste. Bad design can actually end in someone getting hurt.
To show you exactly what we mean, the team at Bored Panda has gone all around the internet to compile this list of the most horrendously designed staircases. Ever. They’re the types of (sometimes beautiful) designs that don’t give a damn about health and safety. They’re accidents waiting to happen that we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemies. Scroll down to check out the worst stairs from hell.
Just be careful not to trip!
#1 Ayo, The Pizza’s Here! Image Description: A Flight Of Stairs That Goes Straightforward For 13 Stories Without Turning
Image credits: Richard Vautrin-Hickam
#2 This Stair Is At "Pico Da Tijuca", Rio De Janeiro, Brasil
Image credits: Felipe Muniz
#3 A Set Of Stairs Going Down With A Metal Handrail
Image credits: Chris Coman
Quality design gets two fundamental things right. On the one hand, you’ve got to get the form of whatever you’re designing right. Essentially, this focuses on what the thing looks like.
On the other hand, you also have to worry about the thing’s function. If either or both of these aspects are missing, you end up with a disaster, whether aesthetically or functionally.
#4 Stairs For People Who Aren’t Afraid To Die And Who Enjoy The Nauseating Feeling Of Vertigo
Image credits: Devin McLachlan
#5 I Am Amazed By These Stairs... Are They Carved In Marble? Won't It Be Slippery?
Image credits: Farhana Ahsan
#6 Concrete Steps Stained In Brown And Beige Stripes, Made To Look Like Wood. Stripes Are Parallell With Steps. Unable Identify Number Of Steps
Image credits: Magnús Georg Rødtang
So, you’ve got to aim for a balanced approach. First, you want the thing that you’re designing to properly do the function that it’s actually meant to do.
For instance, if you’re working on a flight of stairs, then its purpose is to allow people to move upwards. In a safe, comfortable, and natural way. Without straining themselves, no less.
#7 Stayed In London Last Fall. Bathroom Was Upstairs
Image credits: Marinus de Graaf
#8 Steps Are Complete!!!
Image credits: Michael Duty
#9 In Brussels, The Vast Majority Of Bars, Cafes And Restaurants Have Their Toilets Down Horrifying Stairs
Image credits: Alice Gillam
Once you’ve got the function all sorted out, then it’s time to think about the aesthetics of the thing you're making or building.
To put it bluntly, people like looking at beautiful things. It's therapeutic. Good aesthetics form an important part of a city’s atmosphere. Being surrounded by beauty can affect how you feel, too. It can encourage and motivate you, and make you feel proud to be a part of the local community.
#10 Looking Down A Window Lit Rail-Less Stairwell. Dark Planks Across A Central Point With No Added Support
Image credits: Tabby Jackson
#11 Oh Yes, Good Old Huayna Picchu, Legend Says A Couple Of Tourists Die Each Year (Pic Is From Google, But Ive Been There, Its Scarier In Real Life, And Its Always Wet)
Image credits: José Tomás Yáñez
#12 I Just Found In An Unrelated Group Saying “New Design”
Image credits: Ayu Anindithya
In short, you want your building, product, poster, or whatever else you’re designing to look good. If it looks good, it appeals to more people. And that’s good for business, whatever line of work you’re in.
However, aside from following building codes and safety regulations, there are two things that you want to make sure of when you start honing in on the aesthetics of your staircase.
#13 Stairs Hanging From The Ceiling Of A Gas Holder I Didnt Go All The Way Up Far Too Bouncy For My Liking LOL
Image credits: Peter Franck
#14 A Fire Escape Of The 38-Story Copan Residential Building In São Paulo, Brazil
Image credits: Interesting Chit
#15 Tom Dixon’s Mykonos Villa Is On The Market
Image credits: Livingetc
For one, you want to ensure that the form of your stairs doesn’t actually impede their function.
Sure, adding a bunch of gorgeous details in many different colors and materials everywhere might sound cool to you, but there are limits.
If those extra details make people more likely to trip and fall, if they can’t hold the banister properly, if they get woozy just looking at the flight of stairs… well, clearly, you’ve gone overboard.
#16 There Seems To Be No Good Reason At All To Make These Steps So Wonky. I Almost Broke My Neck
Image credits: Ishara Hunter
#17 Found In An Airbnb Listing. Imagine Being Drunk, Trying To Walk Down These, Stepping On The Wrong Side, And Breaking Your Legs
Image credits: Chris Bokros
#18 A Wood Staircase Is Covered With Decorative Stones Leaving Only A Narrow And Snaking Path For The User
Image credits: Katherine Gales
In a similar vein, if the stairs are too low, too narrow, or too high for the average person to comfortably climb, you’re needlessly increasing the risk of accidents.
Naturally, not everyone’s going to be happy with the staircases you design because they might be far shorter or way taller than other people...
...And accidents can and do happen even when you’ve accounted for everything you could. But you still have a responsibility to do the best work that you can.
#19 Finland. The House Was Built In 1930. Fire Escape Ladder, “Routed” To Each Apartment
Image credits: Thor Fogh Rasmussen
#20 Ruined External Stairs Leading From One Roof To The Other. Venice
Image credits: Asia Głowacka-Sączek
#21 I’m On Holiday In Cardiff And Let’s Just Say That Medieval Architecture Does Not Meet Modern Safety Standards
Image credits: Tricia Anderson
Secondly, you should not sacrifice your target audience’s comfort for the sake of your artistic vision. To be clear, we’re huge fans of aesthetic designs, art, and creativity. And some works are meant to be purely artistic, to be admired and not used.
However, designing private or public staircases means that you’ve got customers and their wants and needs to consider. You cannot and should not put their safety in last place.
#22 Now Imagine It Filled With Water, Because It's A Bath Tub
Image credits: Ryan Hamshire
#23 Someone Commented The Man Built This To Connect With A Daughter Who Passed Away, But I Really Have No Idea Of The True Story
Image credits: Gabriel Moreira
#24 Francesco Librizzi Studio Designed This Staircase For A House In Milan That Was Built In 1900
Image credits: Constantine Goh
You’ve also got to consider what materials you use. Try to think about the building’s purpose itself, as well as the future wear and tear the stairs are going to experience.
Some materials might be extra slippery, so you want to avoid those. Others might make people’s footsteps echo incredibly loudly, which would be annoying in, say, a hospital or office setting. And you don’t want to use materials that will get scuffed and break apart very quickly. You want resilience.
#25 (Photo Taken At Fort Knox Me) Stairs Leading Down Into The Murky Water Almost Completely Covered With Slippery Seaweed
Image credits: Corey Driscoll
#26 A Flight Of Steps In The Shape Of A Number 2, Around A Very Steep Wheelchair Ramp That Turns At A Right Angle
Image credits: Anna Ouram
#27 Fire Stairs On A Building In Vietnam Where Handrails Are Only On The Top Floor
Image credits: Neverovali ILI DA
There needs to be proper communication between the people on the design side of things and the contractors who actually turn their drawings into reality. According to This is Carpentry, builders ought to review their architects’ blueprints very carefully. “Don’t assume that they know the code requirements in your area or have accurately measured the site conditions.”
#28 A View Down A Flight Of Stairs Made Of Some Sort Of Wooden Parquet
Image credits: Marek Wói
#29 Stone Stairs So Steep And Narrow They're Like Climbing A Ladder Almost Straight Up
Image credits: Ryan Hamshire
#30 I Found One In The Wild!
Image credits: Lauren Plavisch
Which of these staircases from hell would you be most scared to go up or down, dear Pandas? Though, putting safety concerns aside for a moment, which flights of stairs impressed you the most with its aesthetics?
Are there any horrendously designed stairs in your local area? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share yours in the comments below.
#31 8 Helical Stone Stairways Going Down Into A Deep Circular Hole In The Ground
Image credits: Laurie Lingel
#32 Okay, But, What Are The Stairs For?!
Image credits: Rob Sweet
#33 Very Narrow, Very Rounded Concrete Stairs Cut Into A Steep Sloping Wall. Stairs Lead To What I Can Only Assume Is The Abyss
Image credits: Claire Butcher
#34 Not One, But Two Amazing Orange S**g Carpeted Spiral Staircases Adorn This 70s Masterpiece Home In Boulder Colorado
Image credits: Maggie Nichols
#35 Very Narrow Stairs Covered In Dark Plain Carpet, Every Step Seems To Be Different Length And Maybe Even Height.
Image credits: Martin Števko
#36 A Set Of Granite-Effect Stairs That Resemble Those Right-Left Space-Savi G Stairs, But Each Step Has A Little Half Step After It
Image credits: Anna Ouram
#37 I Think This Fits In This Group.. I Made 8 Of These 25’ Long Snakes For Private Suites At A Hotel In San Diego Called The Lafayette
Image credits: Jordan Mcgarry
#38 Left, Picture Of Stairs From Top-The Wood Planks Run Parallel To Stair Edges Seemingly Forming A Flat Surface. Right, Steps Viewed From Bottom After Fall
Image credits: Stanna Sims Edwards
#39 More Lighthouse Stairs
Image credits: Ashton McGill
#40 Image: Staircase Comprised Of Stacked Shipping Pallets Seemingly Supported By Metal Pipes Which Serve As A Handrail
Image credits: Jeanette Marie Coppinger
#41 Trippy Stairs
Image credits: Sarah Jane Walker
#42 This One Takes The Cake. It's Like Climbing Stairs, But With Your Legs Apart. A Fall From Here Would Be So Bad
Image credits: Natasha Irene Nduta
#43 Spiral Concrete Steps
Image credits: Luke Brower
#44 A Rusty Metal Spiral Staircase Leading To The Top Of A Rocky Ridge In The Middle Of A Woodland
Image credits: Anna Ouram
#45 Double Spiral Staircase
Image credits: Yanie Michael
#46 Extremely Steep, Sloped Mountain Located In Saint Helena, With A Woman Sitting On The Upper Most Part Of The Steps, Facing Down Towards An Ocean
Image credits: Damian Yates
#47 I Present To You, My Basement Steps
Image credits: Augusta Ramsey
#48 Black And Silver Metal Stairs, As A Variation On Red, Edge-Lit, Angled Plexiglass
Image credits: Chris Hayes
#49 Haha… I Finally Found One In The Wild. Not Context So I Have No Idea
Image credits: anonymous
#50 I Can't Understand Why
Image credits: Sandra Hebner
