The staircase in this west London house by Tigg Coll Architects has a glass balustrade and open treads to allow light to flood through from above (+ slideshow). The three-storey maisonette in ...

Personally, I find walking up an open-tread staircase a bit like climbing a ladder, and feel they are much easier to fall up or down. The other important aspect to a good flight of stairs is tidiness.