- [Narrator] There's
nothing more mind blowing than a good optical illusion. But while a lot of them exist in 2D, some designers have worked tirelessly to turn the unbelievable patterns into seriously phenomenal furniture. From creating incredible looking chairs and strange storage units
to bringing impossible rugs and trippy tables to life. So get your wishlist ready because we're about to go shopping for some amazing furniture
that'll make you look twice. (upbeat music) Imagine you walk up to a bar and pull out this stool to sit on, but as you reach for the nearest leg, your hand moves straight through it. What witchcraft is this? Don't worry, magic isn't real. This is just the "Legless Bar Stool" designed by Josh Carmody. At the right angle, the
four corners of the seat look like they're supported by a leg, but a carefully constructed
trident of timber at its base allows it to balance on just three legs while supporting the weight
of anyone brave enough to sit on it. However, at an extortion
at $1,180 per stool, I think I'd want my stool
to have at least four legs. Now, not to brag, but I am the master of making
a bottle of wine disappear. (hiccups) But this next piece of
furniture takes my supreme skill to another level and without
ever opening a bottle. This is the Pinetti Wine Rack. And as you can see or,
technically, as you can't see, it makes any wine bottle
placed inside disappear. Is this really good video
editing or is there some sort of reality breaking portal
inside this wine rack? Well, the answer is neither. If you look closely at the design, you can see that there's a very small seam running diagonally along the middle strut. This is where the rack's
designers, Harlequin Illusions, have cleverly placed a slim mirror. The angle of the mirror
reflects the bottom half of the rack, which matches the back panel, making it look like the middle is empty. That's smart. So smart that Harlequin Illusions
have patented the design to stop anyone from copying them. Damn. Guess I better stick to
the old fashioned way of making my wine disappear. (chugging) (hiccups) You know what might also be an illusion, those like and subscribe
buttons down below. Why don't you see if they're real or not by giving 'em a click? Did I get you? Nah, of course not. You're way too smart for that, I'm sure. But I wonder if you're smart enough to see through this next solution. It's not often that a piece
of furniture flaunts the rules of physics, logic or gravity, but from the right angle, this table appears to defy all three. Look at this cuboid table created by mastercraftsman
Ricardo Churchill. From the corner, the entire
structure seems endless while it's also floating. The reality though is that the top bottom and sides of the cuboid have
all been welded together in such a way that the
table balances perfectly while only connecting
at one of the corners. The result is something that
looks like a 2D illusion, which you can also rest
a cup of coffee on. How genius is that? But when it comes to
impossibly endless designs, there's one home accessory that takes it to a brain breaking new level. The 90° Vase, developed by
Cuatro Cuatros design studio, is based on the design
of the Penrose triangle, also aptly named "The
Impossible Triangle". In 2D, the design plays with
the orientation of each beam, twisting them into an impossible formation that can't exist in reality. And if that's the case,
how does this vase exist? It turns out that this is another design that relies on the power of perception. Because if you take a step
back, you can see how it works. The body of the vase is angled to look like the top and bottom connect, even though they're 90 degrees apart, allowing the shadows
to create the illusion that the structure is somehow whole. As surprisingly simple as it looks, this vase isn't cheap at
285 euros, roughly $340. That's a lot of money for a vase that only blows your mind from
one angle if you asked me. All perceptions aside, there's some furniture
that looks impossible no matter what angle you stare at it, like the "Cut Chair" from Peter Bristol. Whoa. Looks like this chair lost
a fight to an angry samurai. But despite having several diagonal slices missing from three of its four legs, the chair still sits upright. Not only that, but it can
also support the full weight of someone sitting or standing on it. So without magic, how
exactly does this chair work? Well, the answer isn't
actually in the chair, but in the mat below it. Beneath the wool rug is a
cleverly concealed steel plate, which turns the entire design
into a cantilever seat. This design counterweights any
force applied to the chair, allowing it to remain upright
on just one visible leg. I reckon it'd be pretty
funny to host a dinner party and invite your guests
to sit on one of these. I mean, their looks of clear cut confusion would be priceless, but this would be one seriously
expensive practical joke because at an astonishing $5,000 each, this steely seat illusion
isn't a cheap trick. But the "Cut Chair" isn't the only seat that seems to have had a run-in with a slick-sworded samurai. As its name suggests, the Samurai Chair seems
to have been sliced up by some sort of chair-hating swordsman. However, it too is just
an optical illusion. designed by Korean
visionary Seo Young Moon, the four sliced legs may
look ready to topple, but the chair can actually
support up to 330 pounds. At a glance, it looks like the chair legs must have been shaved down
to those razor sharp edges from one large block of wood, but a close look reveals cut marks along each of the supposedly slices. Seo has yet to reveal
exactly how she created this crafty illusion, but we can certainly speculate. Have they been sliced up
and glued back together to appear more realistic? Maybe four long steel pins hold
each impossible looking leg in place. Maybe it really was sliced
up by a seat-hating samurai whose village was
slaughtered by a rogue seat many years ago. But after taking his
revenge on this lone chair, he felt guilty and tried
to put it back together before wandering the land in
eternal search of atonement for his crimes against chairkind. Man, you can make an entire
anime series out of this. A lot of mind-boggling furniture
relies on wood or steel to establish a strong illusion, but complex designs can also be achieved with a few well-placed
sheets of plexiglass, as designer Davide Conti proved with his creatively
confusing "Magic Chairs". At a glance from the side, these chairs look like they're
missing a couple of key legs, but they're standing on their own. It isn't until you view them head on that you see sheets of
transparent plexiglass are what's really keeping them up. Even though that explains it, I don't think I'd have the
nerve to sit on a chair that looks like it relies on magic. It's not just Davide Conti's chairs that play around with
transparent partitions though. Without knowing any better, I thought that this
chair built and designed by Nissa Kinzhalina was
just an impossibly balanced, black metal frame. Turning it round twists
the slick metal edges until they overlap, making it look more like an
art installation than a seat. However, the layers of
cleverly clear acrylic that make up this chair are present providing the perfect structure
for the black framework to mess with onlookers' minds. Now, here's a question. What happens when you combine
a Russian nesting doll and a chair into one piece of furniture? The answer, I think, is
the "Inception Chair" created by Vivian Chu. From every single angle, this
incredible piece of artistry looks like the frame of
a chair being repeated into infinity, like it's been trapped
in between two mirrors. However, Chu didn't break
the rules of reality to bring this incredible
contraption to life. She designed 10 separate
frames with little grooves, each of which allows a
slightly smaller frame to slot inside it. The result is 10 different sized
frames that all come apart, but that can be put back together to form one fully functional seat. Are anyone else's eyes
straining as much as their mind just looking at this thing? Vivian Chu's chairs aren't
the only inconceivable seats on the market. I mean, just take a look at this chair. It's just a picture of a chair, you idiot is what I can hear the overeager
keyboard warriors among you typing down in the comments. Well, yes and no, because even though this
is a picture of a chair on a canvas, it also doubles
up as an actual chair. This creative collection was made by printing images of a
chair and armchair and a sofa onto an elasticated canvas. When stretched over a frame
and propped at the right angle, they can support someone
who needs to sit down. These multifunctional frames were designed by YOY Studio in Tokyo, Japan. And even though they're
just a frame, some fabric, and paint printed pictures, they're insanely innovative
design means that their prices start around $1,600 each. And talk about stretching the budget. Those canvas chairs aren't
the only seats with legs that don't touch the ground though. Another Japanese company called Nendo made it their mission to design a chair that looked like it was levitating, something they definitely
achieved with the "Fadeout Chair". It looks like the wood of
the legs magically morphs into some sort of transparent
glass halfway down. But in reality, all four of the legs are made of clear acrylic and have been painstakingly painted to match the wooden texture
of the rest of the seat. The final effect makes it look
like the chair is floating, which is oddly unnerving
when a bunch of them are put together. And while the sky certainly
seems to be the limit for some of these illusions, there's even more mind blowing
ones that exist on the floor, more specifically 3D flooring designs. In the world of fancy floors,
nothing quite tops a bedroom that looks like it's perched on a beach or a bathroom set in an English garden, though it probably
wouldn't smell like one. Others can even add an element of danger like this hilariously unnerving
bridge to the bathroom or a hallway that leads
down to the depths of hell. But how can they look so realistic? Well, the secret lies
in a specialist resin. Once the image has been
printed and laid down, these designs are
covered in a transparent, two-component epoxy polymer,
which gives the image depth. The result is a floor that
looks realistically deep from the right angle, like the fishy floor of this bathroom. And the technique isn't
just limited to floors. If you use your imagination, you can create a 3D mural anywhere, from the base of your stairs to a whole new world on your walls. Now that's guaranteed to make
bath time a bit more tropical. Now, despite what it looks like, this next piece of
furniture from D.K. & Wei isn't an optical illusion. Called the "Cloud Sofa", this
comfy looking couch concept is designed to float
several feet off the floor. But how does it literally levitate? Are there hidden wires? Maybe some invisible supports? Nope. This thing relies on the power of magnets. The base and sofa conceptually
contains super strong, repelling magnets, allowing the structure
to float in the air. Although there's no specifications detailing how the design
locks the sofa in place. - That's suspicious. That's weird. - [Narrator] If you've ever pushed two opposing magnets together, you know they slide off each other, thanks to the spherical shape
of their magnetic fields. So how does this couch ensure
that anyone who gets on doesn't slide straight off? Well, it might rely on
magnetic levitation technology. Instead of using one big magnet, a series of super strong electromagnets would need to be encased
inside the base section. As the magnet in the couch is repelled and begins to slide off, sensors in the base would
react to the movement by increasing power in different magnets, balancing the couch out and
keeping it from crashing. But even then,
electromagnets strong enough to repel an entire couch wouldn't be small so they wouldn't fit inside
such a sleek base component. No wonder this couch is just a concept. On the more possible end of the magnetic furniture spectrum though, there's a lamp design
that looks like its bulb is levitating. But unlike the cloud sofa, these "Gravitas Lamps"
are completely real. Not only that, but the
disconnected bulb also lights up as if by magic. So how exactly does this
wireless system work? Well, the lamps use induction, which is where an electromagnet with a current flowing through
it can generate a current in another body placed nearby. This process is then
combined with magnetism. So while gravity pulls the
light bulb towards the ground, a magnet with a coil in the cap keeps the light bulb levitating while the coil itself receives
the induced electricity and powers the light. That's pretty ingenious. And if that wasn't enough, its wireless induction ability also makes it the perfect place to wirelessly charge
compatible cell phones as well. I hope the creators of
that concept Cloud Sofa are taking some notes right now. While levitating lamps are cool, they're not exactly the kind
of large floating furniture that the Cloud Sofa got us excited for. For that, we need to
look to the Netherlands, where a real floating
bed has been developed by inventor Janjaap Ruijssenaars. Using the power of permanent opposing industrial-strength magnets, the Floating Bed, or, more accurately, uncomfortable looking rectangular platform floats 16 inches above the ground while tethered to the
floor by four cables. As much as they look
like a huge trip hazard, they're the only thing that stops this bed from sliding off the magnetic force field and crashing into the floor. And like that didn't
sound dangerous enough, back in 2009, the price
tag for this hovering bed started at a wallet
draining 1.2 million euros. That's roughly $1.67 million today. But you definitely get your money's worth because all that magnetic
power can apparently hold up a whopping 2,000 pounds of weight. You know what that means? For all its strength, it still won't be strong
enough to support your mom, just like your dad. Now, this next piece of furniture may look like it's floating, but there's not a magnet in sight. The aptly named "Illusion" side table, from design company Essey,
appears to be a tablecloth without the all essential
table underneath. Made from a three millimeter
thick acrylic sheet, the plastic-like material
has been intricately shaped to mimic the flowing
folds of falling fabric. The four corners reach down to the floor, acting as a set of feet
with a robust material making the entire structure
surprisingly sturdy. Weighing in at just 6 1/2 pounds, this is one seriously
lightweight illusion. But costing around $200, it will make your wallet
a little lighter as well. If you're looking for
a floating coffee table with a bit more heft to it though, then the "Poised" table
designed by Paul Cocksedge might weigh in your favor. Comprised of a staggering half
a tons worth of pure steel, the simplistic 20
millimeter thick metal plate is bent fluidly as if it
were a page in a book. But this creative curve
doesn't detract from the fact that it can support the
weight of a fully grown man on its farthest end without tumbling over. It relies on a series of
super precise calculations regarding mass, gravity and equilibrium. And if it were just a millimeter off, the entire thing would topple. However, Paul hasn't
revealed this amazing math to the public to stop people
from ripping off his design. And that's hardly surprising, considering it took him over half a year to correctly calculate. From the photos though, I'd say the bottom section
must weigh considerably more than the top. Well, however it looks, you just can't knock that
final result, literally. However, the title for
best floating table design can only go to those that rely on the gravity defying
principle of tensegrity. No, you don't need to adjust your screen. The tops of these tables
really are being held up by nothing more than a set
of self-contained strings. But how is this even possible? Well, tensegrity is a structural principle based on tension and compression. So here, the tension of the central string is supporting the top
section of the model, while the strings at the four corners are compressing it down. It's this delicate
balance of tensile forces that creates a continuous pressure that stabilizes the entire structure. And it doesn't just work
for miniature models, the principle supports fullsized
tables made out of wood and high strength wire, with more polished versions
looking less like furniture and more like physics-defying art. Don't you just hate it when
you need to check the time but you've forgotten your phone or watch? A wall clock is usually
your next best solution. Though looking at this one, you might mistake it for some
super hipster picture frame. But assuming it's not 12
o'clock or six o'clock, you'd probably realize this
oddly shaped piece of art is actually a wall clock. Two separate sections that
mimic the shape of the frame are attached to the hands. So as they move, the entire frame shifts
into a different shape. Designed by Nazar Sigaher, the aptly named "Frame
Clock" is strikingly unique. There's just one issue though. Because all the hands are the same length, it's hard to tell what the actual time is. I mean, is this 6:50 or is it 10:35? As quirky and creative as it might be, this might have been a
slight design oversight. Nothing brings a room together
quite like a well-placed rug. Except this rug looks like
it's tearing the room apart. Fortunately for whoever lives here, it's not actually a doorway
to another dimension. These are "Vortex" rugs, incredibly cleverly designed
mats that stretch out sections of a checkboard pattern, which gradually get darker
to look like they lead down into a black hole. It works best when you're
looking at it head on so that the direction of the
hole angles straight down. But even from the side or upside down, it still looks like it could whisk you off to another dimension. And despite what it looks like, this interdimensional interior design won't cost you the Earth. Found for as little as $30 online, just about anyone can
afford this dimension door, sorry, rug, in their home. But if you're after an
illusory rug that's sleeker and, for some reason, more terrifying, then the aptly named "Void
Rug" might be the one for you. Created by designer and
clear hater of visitors, Scott Jarvie, the fear of falling this rug introduces to a room is enough
to make anyone wanna leave. The brilliantly simple design is achieved by using a simple gray
crescent to skirt the outside of a big black oval. This gray gradient gets
slightly darker in the middle, giving the illusion that
the far side of the void is further away, which makes the whole
pole up here realistic. But this realism comes at a cost with smaller rugs
starting at a steep $250. Though it doesn't just
come in a circular shape. Rectangular runners are also available to fit snugly inside hallways. I reckon this would be perfect for making any unwelcome
visitors think twice before stepping into your home. It's not just rugs that can
be transformed into apertures with some carefully
placed skirting though. This amazing mirror from Bower Studios proves that with a little tint, a mirror can be transformed
into a magical door that looks like it leads
into another reality. It's such a simple concept, but that doesn't mean it's cheap. At an astonishing $3,500,
it's a hefty price tag for a door that doesn't lead anywhere. I wonder, what would it cost
to add a strip of black tints to a regular archway mirror? Not several thousand dollars, I bet. Are you old enough to remember
watching distorted VHS tapes which had those weird wavy lines that traveled up and down your TV screen? These familiarly fuzzy images occur when the tape gets old
and starts to degrade. But despite the apparent distortion here, there's actually nothing
wrong with these images. This weirdly wavy dresser
may look like it belongs on a VHS tape, but every curve has been
painstakingly carved out like that. Created by Fratelli Boffi, this "Good Vibrations" unit was made using a computer
numerical control machine. The woodcarving machine used
a specifically coded program to a flawlessly fuzzy finish. But the most astute among
you might be wondering how those cupboards work. Well, just like an old
damaged VHS tape, they don't. It actually conceals a bookcase behind all the creative curves. Now that's something worth recording. You might think of bookcases
as glorified shelving units, but they don't always look so uniform as proven by the wonderfully whimsical "Hole In The Floor" bookcase. This incredible illusionary piece, which was designed by Raw Edges Studio looks like a series of
drawers that have been pulled right out of the floor. Just imagine the fun you could have if these were in a kid's room. I don't know about you but
I'd definitely have wanted to read more as a kid if
I thought that my books were being provided by a
magical room in the floor. But bookcases aren't the
only pieces of furniture that can look like they're
erupting from the floor. This fantastic staircase aquarium has been built to fit
the groove of the stairs, which doesn't just make
it a stunning centerpiece, but also ensures it won't topple over. What's more, it acts as a
handy underwater nightlight. So whoever owns this home
won't trip on the stairs in the dark ever again. Do you ever feel like you need a reminder to read a book once in a while? Hey, it's easy to forget, but not if you have this book case. You might not see why at first, but take a really close look. Can you make out the
cleverly concealed letters? Thanks to a few craftily placed shelves that perfectly fit a few good books, this unit spells out,
"Read your book case." Pretty neat, right? However, if you're a
less avid reader like me, who doesn't own enough books to fill up 16 20-inch letter like
units, then don't worry. The bookcase created by Eva Alessandrini and Roberto Saporiti
is completely modular. That means you can buy as
many or as few of the shelves as you like to make up
whatever word you want. Well, personally, I think I'd get N-O-P-E. Not because my personal
library is lacking, to say the least, but because these standing
modules can cost up to $370 each. So altogether, that big
bookcase costs almost $6,000. Yeah. I think I'll stick
to watching YouTube videos for free. Thanks. Which of these incredible illusions would you most like to have in your home? And which ones just broke your brain? Let me know down in the comments below and thanks for watching. (upbeat music)
