40 Stair Designs That Should Honestly Come With a Warning Label

John Summers • Contributor

Jul 5, 2025 7:00 PM EDT

Stairs shouldn't be complicated. Really. If there's one thing in this world that should not require advanced training or an insurance waiver, it's the act of walking from one level to another. And yet - here we are. Somehow, architects and designers around the world keep looking at a perfectly functional set of stairs and going, "You know what this needs? A spiral of doom. Or maybe an invisible step halfway through."

Stairs are supposed to help us. But these ones? These 40 monstrosities feel like boss battles in a video game. They taunt you with weird angles, optical illusions, and what I can only assume are portals to the ER. Some are artsy. Some are lazy. Some are clearly the result of one guy shouting "Trust me, I know what I'm doing" before disappearing forever.

Anyway. Good luck walking after seeing these.

01
Good luck

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02
But where stairs?

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03
And so it begins

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04
...Nope...

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05
Why do this?

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06
Looks as beautiful as it is unsafe

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07
Is this a death trap?

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08
it's the kind of stairs you go up on all fours

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09
Is this a test?

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10
we made sure it's padded with boulders

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11
Very human design

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12
This is why I never travel

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13
This is mean

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14
I know a ladder when I see one

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15
No one has gone back up yet

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16
Is it art?

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17
Looks like something out of Squid Game

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18
Yes, those are stairs

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19
This house hates you

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20
Do you WANT people to fall?

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21
That would be a "no" from me

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22
Fire escape in Finland

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23
Do these even qualify as stairs?

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24
Who needs handrails anyway?

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25
Is this the entrance to hell?

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26
Medieval castles stairs are the worst!

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They were designed to make it hard to climb so invading forces will be at a disadvantage while fighting in the stairway
27
So... this is a bathtub... somehow

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28
"We made the stairs extra wonky for no reason"

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29
Stairway to heav... no, it just stoppes

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30
What could go wrong?

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31
It's like a test

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32
Thanks, I hate it

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33
Just in case you want to climb out of the bath and onto the counter

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34
Pretty sure these just lead to death

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35
This only gets you part of the way up

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36
Seems safe

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37
Somehow not the worst stairs in this list

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38
"It's like walking on muppets"

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39
Nothing is right here

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40
Extremely Steep, Sloped Mountain Located In Saint Helena

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