"Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?" — College Student Shares Automatic Desk and Bed Combo
Updated Aug. 22 2023, 10:50 a.m. ET
Whether you live in a dorm on campus or you lucked out and found the perfect off-campus apartment to share with friends while you attend college, the setup is almost never perfect. And when @notmaxcohen on TikTok, whose name is Max Cohen, shared a video of his transformer desk and bed in his college dorm, it made me more happy than ever that my college days are behind me.
I mean, maybe I do still wish I didn't have to pay back those pesky student loans just yet, but I do not envy those who live in dorms or university apartments. In Max's TikTok video, he shows his room in his "new off-campus USC apartment" and the crowning jewel is his bedroom that features a desk that transforms into a bed and then back again with the touch of what appears to be a very sensitive and finicky button. What could possibly go wrong?
A man shared his transformer desk bed combo from his college dorm apartment.
In the video, Max shows his small bedroom and how whoever designed it tried to make sure the renter had the best of both worlds. In the middle of the room stands the transformer (that's really the only word for it), which has a desk on one side and doors to a wardrobe and a bed underneath on the other side.
With the touch of a button on the wide panel, the transformer can move completely to one side of the room to allow Max to use the desk and have space for it. When he touches another button on the keypad, the unit moves to the opposite side of the room and a bed pulls out from the opposite side of it.
Never mind what could happen if someone comes into his room and presses the 'desk' button while he's asleep in the bed, though. I mean that was my first thought and it continues to weigh on me. For Max, the idea of having a guest in his room is his biggest concern. And I totally get that too.
"I just can't imagine bringing someone over and this is what they see," he says in the video as a twin bed slowly comes out of the 'bed' side of the transformer unit in his room. "Like, who thought this was a good idea? Like, be honest."
There are some safety concerns when it comes to the bed / desk combo.
Not only are people curious about why the transformer unit is in the room if there's space for a desk and bed without a pricey contraption, but they're also a bit concerned about Max's safety. In the video, he has a bit of trouble pressing the right button for the bed side when the desk side is initiated. What happens if the entire thing malfunctions?
"My thing is, what happens when someone comes in and [presses] desk mode and now you're squished and half dead?" One user commented on the video.
Someone else wrote, "What if the power goes out?" Another user commented, "imagine coming back from a party drunk and having to operate this." And from where I'm sitting, these are all valid concerns.
On the one hand, it's kind of nice to have a fully furnished and (kind of?) state-of-the-art room while you go to college. On the other hand, there seems to be a ton of things that could go wrong with this transformer contraption. And I may just prefer a lumpy twin bed and scratched-up desk from years of use by other students, thank you very much.
