50 Times Designers Went Ahead To Make The Worst Stairs Nobody Asked For (New Pics)

One of my most spectacular falls happened many years ago. Let’s call it my student days (or nights). So spectacular was that stumble that it’ll likely live rent-free in the shadows of my mind until my dying days. I’d gone out to play pool with a group of friends. The place was popular but had a never-ending stairway to hell. What felt like over a hundred of those old, creaky wooden steps with some twists and turns thrown in for good measure. And barely any lighting – for chaotic effect. I guess we figured the night was worth the flight. So up we went.

But what goes up must come down… And when I say “come down”, what I mean is I made it halfway (semi-gracefully), before my foot missed a beat and my ass took a beating. I bounced the rest of the way down – all the way out onto the sidewalk. Luckily for me, no major injuries were reported, save for a bruised bum - and a broken ego.

While the primary purpose of stairs is to get us from point A to point B (on our feet), there’s a whole other level to them many of us might not even realize.

David Rockwell calls stairs ”a form of art”. And is there such a thing as bad art? We’ll leave that for you to decide.

In his Ted Talk, “The Hidden Ways Stairs Shape Your Life”, Rockwell described how stairs shape our movement and emotions: “As we move across a stairway, the form dictates our pacing, our feeling, our safety and our relationship and engagement with the space around us.”

“So for a second, think about stepping down a gradual, monumental staircase like the one in front of the New York Public Library. From those steps, you have a view of the street and all the people around you, and your walk is slow and steady because the tread is so wide," he told the audience, before adding, "That's a totally different experience than going down the narrow staircase to, say, an old pub, where you spill into the room. There, you encounter tall risers, so you move more quickly.”

So, if you happen to take a tumble on the stairs after drinks at your local bar, you have our blessing not to blame it on the alcohol.

Provided you weren’t engaging in any other risky behavior, blame it on the stairs. Obviously. They should have understood the assignment and encouraged you to walk at a slow and steady pace.