A Newcastle, U.K. apartment is currently trending on TikTok because the entirety of it resembles one big hallway. In a clip that’s been uploaded by user @cringedgg, they show off the place, which features a slew of closed doors in narrow hallways.
When one thinks of an apartment layout, one would expect some type of foyer, or an entrance into an open living room, with subsequent halls leading to various bedrooms and some closet doors. However, the uniformity of the doors, and the corridors featured in this TikTok gives off an “Inception” style effect— @cringedgg leaves one hallway just to walk into another.
@cringedgg Most normal apartment in Newcastle 💀
♬ original sound – Subezewo
The TikToker begins their video in the hallway of an apartment building. They head into their unit and unlock it, only to reveal a setup that is similar to the hallway that they just entered from.
@cringedgg writes in a text overlay of the clip, “Did I just rent an apartment or a hallway like what?” while revealing a series of small corridors and different doors in the apartment building, which appears to be partitioned in a way to give an individual sense of privacy for each room.
The user added a text overlay for the video, which reads, “Most normal apartment in Newcastle” followed by a skull emoji.
There are a number of commenters who thought that the layout was anything but normal.
“Looks like a torture house you make in the sims,” a user said.
For others, the clip sparked their curiosity as they wanted to know what lay beyond each of the doors that were shown off in the video.
“I need to see what’s behind all the doors rn,” one commented.
Others pointed out a distinct structural issue with the apartment—the logistic nightmare of attempting to bring large-sized furniture into the place. “Getting furniture in there would be insane,” the user shared.
Other Newcastle residents said that this was a typical layout of the types of apartments offered to dwellers in the area, with a user sharing, “Average newcastle apartment ( i can’t wait to get out of newy i hate it here).”
This isn’t the first time a wonky apartment layout has gone viral on social media. In August of 2021, a New York City rental made headlines for its abundance of walls and rhombus-like room arrangements.
NYC’s apartment scene is one particular area where folks highlight uncommon apartment layouts, something City Signal says is due to “outdated legislation” when it comes to housing: “New York passed the Tenement House Act of 1901, requiring building owners to install pipes and kitchen sinks into their tenants’ apartments. Of course, not all building owners knew about architecture, so running water appliances were installed wherever they could fit, just one of many problems with Tenement buildings,” the outlet writes.
According to Chronicle Live, “Newcastle is [the] second cheapest of 20 major UK cities for 20-somethings looking to rent a room to live.”
Perhaps the apartment featured in the aforementioned TikTok is set up in such a way that is conducive to multiple renters sharing the same apartment while maintaining a certain level of privacy for themselves.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @cringedgg via TikTok comment.