Floating stairs give me the heebs. I'm afraid of heights, accident prone, and fall down my own traditional carpeted stairs with alarming regularity. I have reoccurring nightmares of slipping through these sorts of stairs or of the stair treads being placed at distances which require me to jump (and miss). I'm sure that means something, but I can't guess. ;o)

I'm not accident prone, but I floating stairs make me really nervous, especially pictures 3 and 7!

I love the look- really cool (but as you said, not very practical and safe if you have kids).

floating stairs make me feel faint. they look so scary.

I am a happy owner of floating stairs similar to those on bottom picture #4. They look beautiful and are as safe as regular stairs for a grownup. The hollow spaces between stairs and rails are nowhere near big enough to fall through. I also have a 3yo and though initially I was very fearful about safety issues, I am much less concerned now. Kid loves the stairs but is very, very careful with them (result of our training). Kids can also fall off regular stairs quite easily if left unattended.

The floating stairs to the basement did not have a side rail (kind of like bottom picture #2) and that was really too dangerous so we had a child-safe side railing installed.

There are well-defined safety standards for staircases and they include having a handrail that can be grasped with the entire hand. Those shown above with no handrails at all and one side completely open are accidents waiting to happen.

People of all ages and degrees of fitness trip and fall on stairs all the time. It's not just small children and the elderly. Stairs are the most common sites of household accidents. Can you really see yourself carrying a load of laundry up those stair treads? Would you be comfortable having guests use those stairs?

I love the look of them but I don't think they're worth sacrificing basic safety. There are plenty of ways to combine form and function to get a great-looking staircase.

I'm firmly on Team Squeamish.

Aside from falling, I am a total klutz on flat terrain and would likely bonk my head (or put out an eye) on one like the center top picture or the second one on the bottom. Some are very nice looking, if squeam-inducing (not one for heights, either), but I'd think long and hard before having something like this installed.

I love my one story home.

I think I'd be willing to give up on children just to have one of these staircases. Though I would definitely want a handrail or glass sides.

I think I enjoy beer too much to make this a design element in my home.....but good Lord they look beautiful.

code anyone, CODE? you'd have to construct, inspect, demolish, secretly construct, review voided homeowner's policy...

I love the airy look of this type of staircase, and they don't make me squeamish just to look at -- however, when I use stairs like that, I get vertigo. I wouldn't say I am afraid of heights, there's no anxiety involved -- it's a totally physiological-feeling reaction. The vertigo thing obviously has nothing to do with perceived safety, because the stairs to the basement in my house shake violently every time you step on them, like they're about to collapse, and I just use them. I could make it up and down only some of these staircases, -- all I can think is I hope these homes have a bathroom for guests on the 1st floor!

*trip* Boom BOOM Thump pop pop crack. My back hurts!