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Jul 27, 2023

College Student Apartment That Jams the Bed, Shelf, and Closet in One

TikTokers are unsure how to feel about a student's viral video showing an apartment feature that combines a desk, bed, and closet into one hulking machine. The device, which is remote-operated, is meant to save space and allow for flexibility and room customization. However, many think it looks too unwieldy and awkward to use.

In the clip, which has been viewed nearly five million times since Sunday, the University of California student Max Cohen gave viewers a tour of his off-campus apartment's bedroom. He said in the video that he had just moved in, and this was his first video ever uploaded to the platform.

The room was bare except for a giant brown structure in the middle. He walked around the piece of furniture while pointing out how every component of a typical bedroom — a desk, a closet, a bed — was jammed into it. He showed how the machine could be controlled with a panel of buttons on the side, one of which made the bed slide out toward one end.

"I just can't imagine bringing someone over and this is… what they see," he said with dismay, as the machine could be heard droning while it slowly moved. "Like, who thought this was a good idea?"

A majority of commenters agreed with Cohen, criticizing the way the device looked ungainly and seemed to ironically take up the entire bedroom. "I'm all for transforming/space saving but this just takes up too much space!" one person wrote.

Cohen told Insider via DMs that the machine is a system by Ori, a Brooklyn-based company that makes what it calls "expandable apartments," or furniture like this meant to help free up living space. The company includes listings for its expandable units in a number of cities on its website. His actual apartment is leased by Mosaic, a property management company that specializes in off-campus housing for USC students.

Cohen said he was aware the apartment contained an Ori machine before he signed the lease (and saw it during a tour), but he thought the gadget would be easier to use. He mainly picked the apartment because of its location in the USC area, he said, adding that he asked the management company if he was allowed to remove the Ori machine, but was told no.

Cohen said the Ori device is taking some getting used to, but he isn't displeased with it: "I honestly like it so far, it's forcing me to stay organized," he said.

With the newfound internet fame, Cohen has made several follow-up videos responding to questions and concerns people have about the Ori system, like whether a person lying in the bed could be crushed if someone presses the button to retract it. When Cohen tested it, the bed continued to move and retract back into the machine even as Cohen was in it (he was OK since he ducked his head in).

In a video shared on Monday, Cohen showed how he had discovered a way to do "desk time" and "bed time" at once by having the bed halfway out of the contraption. In another clip, he showed how he had to move the desk chair that came with the room every time he wasn't using the desk. "It's a process," Cohen wrote in the description with a crying emoji.

Cohen explained in one TikTok that his roommate has the exact same setup except he can't fully open his door while using the Ori in its fully expanded form because it's too big and his room is a little smaller.

He also told TikTok viewers that they each pay $1,650 toward their two-bedroom apartment.

Throughout all these videos, viewers have left numerous comments cracking jokes about how ridiculous the contraption seems and debating whether it looks sleek and useful or dangerous and oversized.

"This is dope haha way nicer than any housing when I was in college," one person wrote on Cohen's first video.

"If I have a long day and I had to wait a whole minute to turn my room into bed mode, I'd be sent off the edge," a top comment with 35,000 likes said. "The hell happens in a power outage???" someone else wondered.

Insider has reached out to Ori for comment.

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