Bizarre Apartment Window Feature Sparks Debate: 'So Scary'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A video of an apartment in the United Kingdom featuring "cheese grater" windows with doors that open "into nothing" has gone viral on TikTok.
The 24-year-old resident of the apartment, Jess Bell, shared a clip of the intriguing home feature from her TikTok account @jessbelllll, where it has amassed 1.6 million views since it was posted on June 1.
Text overlaid on the video reads: "POV [point of view] everyone hates your cheese grater windows but they're one of your favorite features of the apartment."
The clip shows a door set between two floor-to-ceiling glass panels along a wall in the apartment. Bell is shown opening the door to reveal a grated wall behind it.
Bell, who is based in Manchester, a city in northern England, told Newsweek that she has lived in this apartment for nearly two years and all the apartments in the building come with these windows.
Screenshots from a viral TikTok video showcasing a door on a wall with an unusual "cheese grater" window behind it.
Screenshots from a viral TikTok video showcasing a door on a wall with an unusual "cheese grater" window behind it.
@jessbelllll on TikTok
The apartment features two of these windows/doors and they "didn't deter me at all" from wanting to live there, she said. "I love the look of them and they actually let loads of light in and cool the flat down quickly."
She said there are "no downsides at all except sometimes, if they're both open at once, it can cause a vortex."
The viral post comes as homeowners in the United States face soaring housing costs. Millions of potential homebuyers have been "priced out of the market by elevated home prices and interest rates," according to a 2024 report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.
The report also found that a surge in rent during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an "unprecedented affordability crisis" with around half of U.S. renter households burdened by housing costs. About 12.1 million households are "severely cost-burdened," with more than half of their income spent on housing expenses, according to the report.
'So Cool' vs. 'So Scary'
A caption shared with the viral video says: "How are people seriously thinking these doors just go out into nothing."
Bell, who is a full-time social media content creator specializing in fashion, lifestyle and home content, said she's posted various videos sharing her story of having to move apartments after being "kicked out" of her previous one. "So, it's really amazing people are finding my account from a cheese grater window video after the journey I've been on," she told Newsweek.
She noted: "I guess I never expected to go viral for my window...but if this leads people to watch my other videos and follow me from that, then it's a win."
The viral clip has divided viewers on TikTok. Some were fearful about the safety risks of the unique feature, while others were confused about the purpose behind the unconventional design.
Fria Bolan simply said it was "so scary." User @ozaaab4 agreed, saying: "Heck no. Not even with that. This gets me so anxious just looking at it and imagining awful things that can happen."
Lifesastew wrote: "It's a ridiculous design," and @lakesuperiorsiren said: "The door concept makes zero sense. Just put a sliding window."
Dragon496000 noted: "There is nothing about this I like. And not for any quality reasons, but because the sight of that open door leading to a straight drop fills me with an inescapable dread."
Mads wrote: "The door leading to nothing is making me claustrophobic."
Schnarfleharfle said: "I get the cheese grater part, but I don't understand why they didn't just use a glass door or a long window that opens inward with the cheese grater. A dark door stuck in the middle looks awful."
Others didn't mind the window/door feature and marveled at the design.
D said: "that's so cool," and Crystal Ransons DIY wrote: "That's actually amazing."
Angel Lulu noted that it's "perfect for fresh air every day!"
Do you have an interior design-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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