Oh yes, they do. I absolutely lust after one. I've seen one here that slides into it's own nook, out of the way. It's an idea that I plan to copy when I renovate my kitchen. I love the first and third kitchens most especially.

When you're short, ladders in every room is a wonderful thing.

I love the idea of cabinets up to the ceiling... it adds SO much storage space! I also worry about tripping over the ladder in a small kitchen though. Sliding it into a built-in nook is a perfect solution! Do you have a link, mntwmyn?

I just looked more closely at the photos above. It looks like the ladder works best on a long, uninterrupted wall of cabinets. I see the last image has rails on both sides of the stove hood and also on the adjacent wall. I wonder how difficult it is to move the ladder around to those other rails.

Sagekitten85 - that is a good point you bring up. The last photo looks beautiful with the addition of the rolling ladder, but I don't think it is the most practical use of it.

These are lovely. I do wish my apartment's ceilings were .... oh ..... two or four feet higher!!

This would annoy me to the point where I would pick the ladder up and bang it against the floors into a million toothpick sized splinters. It would be in my way more than it could EVER be useful. It's pretty though.

I think the loss of space from having a ladder in the kitchen is definitely made up by all the extra storage from the top cabinets. Great designs!

I've been thinking about doing this. I have an alley kitchen with limited cabinet space, but 14' ceilings. I could easily add another layer of cabinets above the existing ones. The "get in the way" factor has been what's stopping me. Moving it back and forth so it wouldn't be in the way while cooking would drive me crazy.

A good solution to the ladder tripping would be to build a pocket wall to slide the ladder into when not in use. Or as in the 3rd picture to move it to a corner where it would be less of a tripping hazard.

is there a weight limit on those things?

i totally love this idea ... except how to get things down from those upper shelves, gracefully? i would imagine i couldn't store anything large, heavy, or fragile for fear of dropping it!

This is a design NO-NO. Talk about safety hazard...MAYBE, if convinced and properly designed, I would consider a pocket closet for storage of the ladder. One wrong step and there goes boiling hot water down the front of the chef....yikes

Okay, these are beautiful, and I can see why the extra storage would come in handy. But I really can't imagine storing anything breakable (like the dishes in the second photo) up that high, where I'd have to make it down a ladder carrying them. Could be useful for less fragile things, though.

While very beautiful, the first thing I imagined was me trying to bustle about in the kitchen after an ingredient while something begins to smolder on the stove and the oven timer starts ringing... If I didn't trip over it first, I'd throw it out the window in one of those moments. I guess if you had a large kitchen and the ladder was not inside the work triangle it might be okay. But I just have wooden step stool handy, tucked out of the way in the pantry. Fits the bill.

Pretty but ultimately kinda silly. Who needs/has access to ultra high cabinets anyway?

I once rented in a house that had a top set of unreachable cabinets and it was necessary to have a paint splattered step ladder stored in the back porch, right next to the kitchen at all times. I hated it so much I eventually removed everything from those top cabinets, put the ladder in the basement, and pretended they didn't exist for the rest of the time I lived there. This is only a little bit better, because it isn't paint splattered.

I think a simple nice looking step stool, is a much better way to go here. Some of those steps go all the way to the top for no apparent reason. And trying to carry a big heavy stack of plates down a narrow ladder (2nd pic) doesn't sound appealing to me. I just don't think it's practical enough for a functioning kitchen.

As a short person with kitchen cabinets that go up to the 10' ceiling, I can see the advantage of the ladder, but agree that it would probably be more in the way than anything. Luckily my apartment is tiny so I can grab my desk stool out of my bedroom or even just climb on the counter.

Don't forget, you don't have to put kitchen related items in high cabinets. I would put christmas decorations or something like that on the very top. But then I wouldn't need a ladder just sitting there for show

Pass. If you have too much crap for your kitchen, you have a small kitchen. If you have a small kitchen, you don't have room for a ladder.

I agree with the comment that a pocket area to store the ladder would be a great idea. Having it always around would drive my crazy. I always used a step stool but a library ladder is a whole new concept to me. Thanks for presenting the idea Marcia.

oh my. i want that first kitchen more than i've ever wanted anything before in my life. ever.

(hyperbole?)

I love this idea, although I think the aesthetic (for my tastes) could be improved by having open cabinets (no cover). That would give it more of the "library" feel. However, now that I think about it, I can see how very quickly that could look disorganized and cluttered and ruin the effect. Hm....maybe have just the top level open?

These are so beautiful. But I bet the kids like them as well, if you know what I mean.

Last night while lying in bed trying to go to sleep I was thinking about the day I can move from NY to North Carolina and have the kitchen of my dreams. The one thing that instantly came to mind were the very tall 42" cabinets that I would have. But alas I am all of 5 foot. Suddenly I thought, Library Ladder, wouldn't that be great. I was pleased to find your site and the different examples of the ladders in kitchens. I think it is a wonderful idea.