Looking at this picture, it seems pretty obvious that something is seriously wrong with the floor… right? And yet, as we should all know by now, things aren’t always as they seem, no matter how hard our brains try to reconcile the fact that a flat surface can look so believably sunken on one side. It’s kind of hard to wrap your mind around the fact that the effect is achieved simply by warping the shape of the tiles as they’re applied to the floor.
Casa Ceramica Tile Company created the illusion for the entrance to their own showroom in Manchester, UK. People must have had a hard time believing that the tiles are really flat from initial photos posted to Instagram and Twitter, because the company posted subsequent photos and videos of the installation process, saying “Like our entrance floor made from tiles #sorrynotsorry.”
They are actual tiles pic.twitter.com/7HvTqz9jHP
— Casa Ceramica (@casaceramica) September 22, 2017
Apparently, the illusion only works from one direction, and when visitors are exiting the building, it looks like a normal tile walkway.
Here’s how to navigate our floor! #tiles #Manchester #Lovetiles #Illusion #Aliceinwonderland #CharlieAndthechocolatefactory pic.twitter.com/fn8kV2Wcz9
— Casa Ceramica (@casaceramica) September 22, 2017
Unsurprisingly, the illusion blew up on Twitter and became something of an internet sensation. You might dig through the company’s website or Instagram hoping for more optical illusions, but it looks like most of their work is pretty standard. Maybe this project will get them some fun commissions.
