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oh I remember this gate...I think it is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen on this site...for a baby gate, it is stunning...

all the ones for purchase are SO ugly. Is this really as good as it gets?

Fortunately, our toddler has never been that inquisitive about the stairs, so this hasn't been an issue for us. But a friend has the Kiddy Guard retractable gate, and if I had to get one, that's the one I'd get. The polyester mesh isn't the most beautiful thing ever, but I love how the gate practically disappears -- especially in a lighter coloured home -- when it's not in use.

Re: the homebrew safetygate... hate to be a wet blanket, because it really *is* beautiful, but when we were having custom railings made for our staircase, we were told that safety regulations/building codes required the elimination of horizontals on designs of railings & gates, as children can gain purchase, climb them, and fall off. Can't tell from the scale of the picture whether little toes could grasp the horizontals...

i think the ikea patrull fast gate is pretty simple and not hideous... and at $34.99 is on par with some of the others listed:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70113598

monika1, i think i remember from the previous post that the designer put a piece of plexiglas on the back side (not visible in the photo) to eliminate climbing. S/He wasn't worried about climbing on the other side, since it was at the top of the steps, and not in a place where the child would be unsupervised.

I wondered about that too, but plexiglas would be an easy solution to that.

My experience with the Safety First gate has been less than ideal - we used it for our puppy and had an awful time getting it to apply even pressure to all fours points on the walls. At first I thought that it was an issue with the walls in our hallway being not-so-straight, but no matter where I tried it, I has the same problem.

We have the Everywhere Gate (in Australia its marketed under a different name but its the same gate). Its not very attractive but it works well (we used the hardware fixing, not the pressure mount). Our pantry is open and we don't want our littlie helping himself to snacks, as is our bar and it goes without saying we don't want him helping himself to bourbon.
I wonder if they do a height extension for the teenage years....

I'm bookmarking this post for when I'll need it in a few months!

I also have to consider my older cat. He needs to be able to get up and down the stairs and won't be able to jump the gate.

We bought a freestanding pet barrier gate from Frontgate to use downstairs as a safety gate so our daughter could not leave the family room and then bought the Dream Baby Hallway Gate for the stairs as this one had to be extra safe. Both blend in nicely with our decor.

That homemade one is not safe. You think a climber can't figure out how to step up on that thing? Heeeheee!

We had regular white gates for the staircase, and honestly, who cares if they didn't look good? Safety was our priority. Our guests weren't bothered by them, and they didn't go, "Oh well, these contraptions suck and we can't associate with you anymore."

Once our tot was mostly skilled with stairs, we switched to beige Retract-A-Gates (mesh gates that can be removed from hinges).

We love the Retract-A-Gate as well. I like the way it mostly disappears from sight when you open it. http://www.gearheadmom.com/review/comments/heavens_gate/

Stickyricemomma, see the earlier comments. The parents with the homemade gate attached plexiglass to stop climbers.

I don't have kids, but I have an ornery dog. After going through many gates in the early years, we found the BEST gate on the market:

First Years Hands Free Gate.

It typically sells for $60 and is worth every last penny. (Search for it on Amazon.) It's mostly metal, as compared to all the plastic ones on the market. And it has a fairly minimalist design, as far as baby products go.

Four individual pressure mount points accommodate baseboard trim. The vertical bars thwart climbers. The pressure lever is difficult for even kids ages 5-7 to open but is just second nature after you get the hang of it.

We own two which have been served us well for about 5 years now.

I have a tricky stair situation - if anyone can help...

I have basement stairs that have a brick wall on one side and an open metal railing on the other (it wraps around the stairwell opening on the other side). So a tension mounted gate wont work and it will be difficult to drill anything into the brick (its actually cement formed to look like brick).. any ideas?

we have that first kidco one for our kitchen and it's great!

We have the First Years Hand Free Gate. At 15 months my son learned how to open it. I think all baby gates are a total scam. They really only slow the child down but not prevent them from accessing the stairs. Luckily, he only had an eye swollen shut for a day and a large rug burn for a couple of days after he fell 15 ft. down the stairs. Hopefully, you will have better luck with your gate.

It is very stunning for a baby gate!

Cardinal gates are the best we've found. While not beautiful by any means they work well and do not disappoint. It looks like they added wood and plexiglass gates to their line recently. We searched for months, bought a few different gates, but always had problems with them. These aren't the cheapest gates but you won't be sorry you purchased them.

Our stairwell has a border that kept the gate from fitting flush to the wall while the wall itself was at an odd angle. Cardinal has a model called Stairway Special that allows for uneven walls, swings both ways, and is a one-hand operation. I can easily open the gates when holding my wiggly toddler. For the person with a brick wall on one side, perhaps you can call Cardinal for advice. My husband called to verify the gate would work with our wonky wall, and they were quite helpful. Bought ours through Babycenter during baby safety month for an additional percentage off. Amazon also carries them. Expect to pay extra shipping, but it's worth it. I love those gates!