Galen NgTake a stroll down Seondu-ri in Incheon, South Korea, and you’d probably end up scratching your head in disbelief asking how on earth you ended up in Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland or Dr. Seuss’ Whoville. Just that there’s neither the talking Cheshire Cat nor The Grinch. Instead, you’ll see many other tourists craning their heads upside down in bewilderment at an upside down house! The best part? Right next to it stands another similarly oddly-shaped building.
If you’re in and around Ganghwa Island in Incheon, which is just a brief 1.5-hour bus ride west of Seoul, here are two freaky attractions you should mark out on your map.
The Upside Down House
How do you make a nondescript, plain-old apartment stand out from everything else around it? Why, you turn it upside down of course! This spunky Upside Down House, or Gyokuro Jip, was conceptualised by Jeon Yong-Sun, a former fashion designer. It’s easy for all to see that he brought his unusual sense of style over to the architecture scene.
On the outside, everything about this house is the wrong side up. From its roof poking into the ground beneath it, to the foundations facing backside up into the sky and the car suspended upside down midair. There’s even a clearly confused patio complete with upside down chairs, tables and coffee mugs!
The artist was inspired to build this house to challenge the notion that everything should stand upright. When you think about it, damn that’s deep…
At least its interior is the right side up and everything is furnished just like a normal apartment. These rooms were actually available for ₩90,000 to ₩170,000, but have since closed for renovation as the owner tries to add more unusual designs. Don’t worry, you can still head down for the photo opportunity!
Try copying the other tourists in stretching your head upside down and through your legs to see if it really is completely upside down! Disclaimer: If you lose your balance and fall, don’t blame us okay!
The Leaning Cafe
If you think your weird encounter with the Upside Down (heh Stranger Things reference) has concluded, just next to it lies the equally gravity-defying Leaning Cafe!
With an exterior caving 50 degrees inward, this architect’s nightmare took twice as long to build compared to any normal house. From the outside, this house is all types of abstract and looks like a pair of lover-houses snugly cuddling up to each other.
Thankfully, walk inside and you’ll see most of the furniture stands upright. Although expect to be looking out of slanted, somewhat diamond-shaped windows instead of your regular ones.
This cafe is also backed up by a pretty quirky theme! One area boasts a romantic setting while another has toilet bowl seats for you to enjoy your not-so-shitty meal on whilst dining on the flushers.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that we slanted the camera! With angled insides, the toilet is a popular tourist attraction. We bet you it will feel weird trying to keep balance while using the loo which slants to the side. But relax because there are handles to help you. This (a)cute design is one of the kookiest we’ve seen.
WHERE?
Upside Down House
1061-1 Seondu-ri, Gilsangmyun
Incheon, South Korea
The Leaning Cafe
Right next to the Upside Down House
Safe to say, it’s certainly a pretty peculiar world out there. At least in Incheon it is. You never really know when the next nonsensical but intriguingly attractive thing will pop up in whichever corner of the world. But let’s hope it’ll be even stranger. Bring out the child in you again and stay freaky everybody!
