Won’t someone think of the Slinkies?

January 23, 2008 in Remodeling,Spaces,Unusual homes with 7 Comments

Friends of mine bought a house with narrowest, scariest staircase I’ve ever seen in my life. There’s no handrail because there’s no room for a handrail — as soon as you installed one, there’d no longer be room for people! I’m not kidding you when I say it’s skinny, but that’s not all. Their staircase is also hecka steep. Woe unto those attempting to traverse its angle in the darkness!

Steep stairs in skinny spaces look cool but should be feared

If you’ve got no choice but to work with a skinny space (such as one formerly occupied by a ladder) you could do worse from an aesthetic point of view than to install stairs like these. Apparently the whole works was created out of stacked pine boxes — presumably they were anchored to the walls and to each other in some fashion. Or not…some folks do like to live dangerously. Me? I can hardly traverse my normal staircase without slipping and sliding into perilous territory so I think I’ll look into non-skid rugs instead of crates in bulk.

About Christa Terry: Christa Terry is a writer and wedding and lifestyle expert whose book iDo: Planning Your Wedding with Nothing But ‘Net is a one-stop planning resource for modern, free-thinking brides and grooms. With one husband, one toddler, and more on the way – kids, not husbands – Christa somehow manages to stay on top of the tricks and trends that make getting married and living life stylish and fun.

All Posts by  |  Personal Blog  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Share By Email

7 Responses to “Won’t someone think of the Slinkies?”

  1. The End of Motherhood? January 23, 2008 at 10:14 am #

    Tell me the owners of those stairs don’t have kids…Please!

  2. mkb January 23, 2008 at 11:03 am #

    Looks descended from these things.

  3. Bridey January 23, 2008 at 1:09 pm #

    My word, that’s terrifying! I understand the narrow space and all, but there was no need to do the alternating-triangular-treads thing. It looks like it would require a sort of bowlegged cowboy walk to negotiate it at all, and it’d be mad to try it in heels or a tight skirt.

    Yes, it’s pretty, but if I’d bought this house, the first thing I’d invest in is getting rid of that staircase and replacing it with something that is both attractive and a bit less likely to kill someone.

  4. Jennie January 24, 2008 at 12:26 am #

    Did they buy it from an architect? Looks like function had to follow form this time. Looks killer and looks like a killer. My cats would love it tho!

  5. Toby Wollin January 26, 2008 at 9:39 am #

    Wouldn’t pass code where I live. That’s one dangerous staircase.

  6. raincoaster February 2, 2008 at 8:22 pm #

    You have the plans for this? Me wants. Spiral cast-iron with a fireman’s pole just isn’t special enough, compared to this!

    Also: what a great incentive to moderate your drinking!

  7. Hulk February 5, 2008 at 9:35 pm #

    That’s gorgeous, but I’d have to climb up it using my hands (like a ladder) and down it the same way only backwards.