Around the world there are plenty of unique homes that stand out from the crowd, but have you ever seen a property that plays tricks on your mind? From hovering homes floating above the ground to mirrored properties hiding in plain sight, these optical illusion houses will really make you look twice. Click or scroll on and leave your expectations at the door because these buildings are not all they seem...

In 2013, people flocked to East London to take a look at Dalston House, a replica 19th-century Victorian terraced house that offered visitors the chance to climb up its exterior, dangle from its roof and walk vertically up its walls...

Yet on closer inspection, the property is merely a clever optical illusion, created using a giant mirror. The large-scale installation was created by Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich, who built the façade on the floor, positioned under a tilted sheet of glass. The piece was commissioned by London's iconic Barbican gallery.

Once you know the secret behind the illusion, it doesn't quite seem so peculiar, but we still love the weird and wonderful nature of this faux house. Though Dalston House has since been removed, Erlich continues to create one-of-a-kind optical illusions around the world, so watch this space!

If you look at this mind-blowing building in Mannheim, Germany, for too long you may just become entranced by its colours, shapes and pop-out three-dimensional elements. So, what's the story behind this quirky creation?

Well, it's all just a very clever paint job undertaken by Italian artist Peeta, also known as Manuel Di Rita. The project was completed in 2019 as part of the annual art project Stadt.Wand.Kunst, an open urban art gallery that sees artists from around the world transform otherwise plain buildings in Mannheim. 

To create the illusion that certain parts of the building are protruding and bulging, Peeta used layers of paint and graphic artwork to mimic 3D curves and deep hollows. The overall effect definitely plays tricks on the mind!

Fancy building your own optical illusion house? Clad in mirrored glass, this tiny pre-fab home blends into its environment, no matter where you decide to put down roots. Called the ÖÖD house, the clever shiny façade reflects its surroundings, allowing the structure to melt seamlessly into the landscape.

Designed and manufactured in Estonia, the unique flat-pack property takes just eight hours to assemble on-site. Amazingly the innovative design manages to fit every modern living essential into its snug 200-square-foot interior.

Making the most of its spectacular surroundings, The Illusion Villa can be found inside Eriksberg Nature Reserve in Trensum, Sweden. Considered to be the largest game reserve in the Nordic region, the beautiful natural landscape spans 2,200 acres and is home to wild red deer, European bison and even wild boar. From an elevated position inside the villa, you can witness these stunning creatures as they roam freely beneath the house.

The futuristic cabin was designed by architect Thomas Sandell and is a contemporary take on the traditional Swedish homes found in the south of the country. Raised almost 10 feet off the ground on stilt-like legs, the amazing holiday home is clad entirely in polished metal panels, which softly reflect the surrounding landscape. Also known as SynVillan, the mirrored dwelling melts into its plot, allowing lucky guests to observe the native animals that live in the park. 

Offering 538 square feet of inside space, the unique tiny home boasts a quaint thatched roof and floor-to-ceiling picture windows that frame the view. Inside, the hut is warm and light-filled, with amazing statement ceilings in every room. There's an outdoor terrace for alfresco dining, and even a glass floor where animals can be witnessed grazing below your feet. We think we might be in love...

Suspended 130 feet above Fairhaven Beach in Victoria, this spectacular home in Australia takes illusions to a whole new level. Thought to be the most photographed house on the famous Great Ocean Road, the property is supported by a single pole, resulting in the structure seemingly floating above the waves.

Recently renovated into a luxurious suite, the gravity-defying dwelling features a spacious living area, dining zone, bedroom and bathroom. Even though the front of the house is open to the ocean, the two walls facing the hillside are solid, providing complete privacy.

Swathes of windows frame the scenery of this ocean-view home, while a contemporary fireplace keeps things cosy come the winter. The best bit? From the balcony, you can glimpse 30 miles of uninterrupted coastline. If you've got a head for heights, the Pole House is available to rent for holidays down under.

A dramatic home that plays tricks on the eye doesn't have to cost the earth. Aptly named Casa Invisibile, this property designed by DMAA and photographed by Christian Brandstaetter, is an affordable prefabricated housing unit designed to fit an array of different terrains.

Clad in a stunning mirrored exterior, Casa Invisibile blends sensitively into its surrounding environment without obstructing the landscape. Available with add-on modules for a customisable layout, the structure is made from timber, reducing the cost of production. Including interior furnishings, this model was produced for the bargain cost of around $128,000 (£96k).

Measuring 484 square feet, the unusual property can be easily transported to its plot by lorry. Inside, the Scandi-style interior is clad in beautiful light wood, while swathes of glass flood the stylish living area with light. 

Hidden among the trees in the Swedish wilderness, this nearly-invisible treehouse blends in amongst the forest canopy. Part of the Treehotel in Harads, northern Sweden, the pocket-sized property has just enough space to accommodate two guests.

Accessed by a rope bridge, the mirrored structure reflects the surrounding woodlands and sky to stunning effect, while six internal windows allow residents to admire the views from inside the amazing treehouse. 

Measuring a snug 172 square feet, the unique holiday home features a double bed, toilet and seating area. Anchoring the one-room space, a tree trunk grows through the centre of the living area, while behind the mirrored façade, a hidden balcony allows guests to enter the box without being seen. 

Located just outside the Italian city of Bolzano, the Mirror Houses are a pair of stunning properties set amongst the beautiful surroundings of the South Tyrolean Dolomites. Holding a mirror up to their stunning rural setting, the reflective duo are nothing short of spectacular.

Inside, the accommodation is crisp and clean, offering an open-plan kitchen and living room, bedroom and bathroom, plus cantilevered terraces for soaking up the scenery.  Although the properties are not for sale, you can call these architectural marvels home for a night or two as they're currently available to rent.

At first glance, this street in the English seaside town of Margate looks pretty unassuming, until you notice the curved brick house whose façade appears to be sliding off. The building had been derelict for 11 years when British artist Alex Chinneck used it for this innovative project entitled From the Knees of My Nose to the Belly of My Toes in 2013​. 

In 2018, this derelict office building in Kent received a rather unexpected makeover. Scheduled for demolition, Alex created a striking installation called Open to the Public, affixing a double zip down the centre of the structure. Partially unzipped, the walls of the top storey seem to fall away from the building, revealing the office interior.

To mark 2019's Milan Design Week, Alex took his playful aesthetic to the streets of the iconic Italian city, with a project known as A Sprinkle of Night and a Spoonful of Light. Featuring a larger-than-life zip seemingly secured to the brickwork of a traditional Milanese building, the façade appears to peel away from the structure, offering a whimsical reimagining of the city's historic architecture.

The Dancing House by Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić and Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, sits on a vacant riverfront plot of the Rašín Embankment in Prague. The building that appears to lean into a dance was designed in 1992 and finished in 1996 by BESIX.

A house was destroyed by the U.S. bombing of Prague in 1945 on the original site. The plot and structure lay in ruins for a further 15 years until the area was cleared in 1960. The design was controversial at the time, standing out amongst Prague’s famous Baroque, Gothic, and Art Nouveau architecture.

Czech president, Václav Havel lived next to the site for decades, and was a keen supporter of the Dancing house project, hoping that the building would become a centre of cultural activity. Architect Frank Gehry originally named the house Fred and Ginger but decided against bringing American Hollywood kitsch to Prague.

In the middle of a square of buildings from the 18th and 19th century, the Dancing House has two main parts - one of which is a glass tower that narrows inwards halfway, and is supported by curved pillars. The second part runs adjacent to the river below, complete with rippling plaster mouldings and these asymmetrical windows.

Designed by architect Piet Blom in 1984, The Cube Houses are a structuralist housing project located on Overblaak Street and beside the Blaak Subway Station in Rotterdam and Helmond in The Netherlands and are one of the city’s most iconic attractions.

There are 38 small cubes in total and two ‘super-cubes' all attached to one another. Architect Blom tilted the cube of a conventional house 45 degrees, and rested it upon a hexagon-shaped pylon. The design was based on the idea of a village within a city, with each house representing a tree and the collection of houses creating a forest.

Optimised to make the most of the available space, the cutting edge Cube Houses (Kubuswoningen) were originally designed in the late 1970s by Blom at the request of the city’s planners. The houses form a pedestrian bridge across one of the busiest roads into the city centre.

Visitors are able to explore the apartments themselves by visiting the Show Cube Museum (Kijk-Kubus), or you could even spend a night in the Cube House Hostel yourself and find out what it's really like inside.

While there may be plenty of tourist attractions in  Niagara Falls Ontario, you might want to try entering the Upside Down House without getting vertigo. The surreal design was constructed in 2012 by lego enthusiast Marke Cyran and his partner Adam Nielbvowicz.

Once inside you’ll find the whole house has been inverted, with furniture on the ceiling in every room. Making for perfect photo opportunities, the Upside Down House is open to the public and certainly provides a stimulating interactive experience for visitors of all ages.

Dizzying decor continues throughout the surreal construction, with toys stuck to tables and bunk beds in the playroom to add to the disorientating feeling. To view how it works in action, check out the Youtube video here. 

The confusing creation is crooked as well as upside down, bent at confusing angles to really boggle the mind. The building’s natural backdrop adds an enchanting layer to the experience, where three waterfalls reside; Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, collectively known as Niagara Falls.

Over in Dunedin, New Zealand, you'll find a street filled with lopsided houses that appear to be melting into the ground. Angular and slanted, these mysterious homes aren't quite what they seem, but can you guess the optical illusion?

That's right, Baldwin Street is in fact the world's steepest road and it was even declared so by Guinness World Records in August 2020. Baldwin Street, which spans 1,150 feet, held the record for over a decade until June 2019 when Ffordd Pen Llech in Wales, UK, was crowned the steepest, but the decision has since been overturned. At its steepest, Baldwin Street sits at a gradient of 34.8%, compared to Ffordd Pen Llech's 28.6%.

For years, people have flocked to the street to take photos alongside the properties, which look as though they're sinking lopsidedly into the ground if you tilt your camera in the right way. We're not sure how we'd feel about walking up that gradient every day!

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