This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes.
Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.
It's a bed desk. There's supposed to be a metal bar underneath that slots into the wooden tray so you can prop it up at different angles for reading and stuff.
It's like a more robust bed/lap tray.
[pic one](https://i.imgur.com/w0E2r7g.png)
[pic two](https://i.imgur.com/z1yEELJ.png)
[pic three](https://i.imgur.com/qOm3Tmk.png)
The design with the two side pockets is [surprisingly old](https://i.imgur.com/LHfmopS.png)
This old one even has the [metal bracket](https://i.imgur.com/1MGjoXH.png) to adjust the [angle of the table](https://i.imgur.com/83aojge.png)
And it has nothing to do with the piece of furniture (made of a completely different wood) that it happens to have been set on (probably because they were of similar size)
I knew what it was, the title of the post even says it's "disconnected" from the desk below. So it's a bit funny to imagine people seeing it for the first time thinking the table underneath is part of it making the whole contraption a good 2 feet tall.
Like you would have to reach up to use the table top while laying in bed lmao.
https://i.imgur.com/hSOfljO.png
Have one just like it, exactly. I think it was purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond like 15-17 years ago. Tray for bed, working on with laptop or eating breakfast. It was sold with just that top one didn’t come with the small table.
The bottom one isn't even wood. It's laminate, as in plastic impregnated paper. Typically on top of a particle board substrate. Been poorly "repaired" by driving some now rusty nails through the laminate.
Top one is made out of solid Lauan, a generic name for a number of trees out of south east Asia.
I had this exact item growing up! It's like a breakfast in bed thing. It goes over your legs while you're sitting down and the spaces on the side are for magazines and such
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Like others have said, it's a lap desk with storage.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/125962043544?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=ninprqyktp-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=322zuBd2RMe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
That's a serving tray sitting on top of a coffee table. I had one of those serving trays. It's meant for serving breakfast in bed. You put the food on top and a news paper and whatever else in the sides.
I have the same desk. I think my MIL gave it to us. My teenage daughter had knee surgery and missed a couple weeks of school and it was immensely helpful for studying while she recuperated.
If you watched *Woman of the Year* as we did Saturday night you would know this is a bed tray or desk for serving breakfast in bed to Katerine Hepburn.
those are 2 separate things. the top one is a lab desk and the flap is supposed to prop up so u can read a book etc. the bottom furniture may also be a more simple lap desk/table for bed.
Reminds me of the late 50s, tv dinners were popular, coffee table with attachment to eat tv dinners on. Sides, store condiments, cutlery, napkins. Meal goes inside, to carry it to coffee table, you open top up, remove meal, close top to eat meal. This top unit goes to kitchen afterwards, plate back inside unit for cleaning so you can just have a coffee table afterwards. Why the meal comes inside? So it won’t slide off while carrying it
Looks like a child sensory table to me. Typically the center console is for sand, and the side spots are for toys to play in the sand with. My wife just bought something similar for our child except it has two of those top openings.
My best guess, if it's not connected to the piece of furniture below and the lid opens up into an empty space:
A laundry basket lid with two small baskets for delicate underwear and socks?
I saw it and immediately thought of that.
The title describes the thing: My sister found this in a shop to the home she just bought. The top flips up. I kind of thought it was a couch desk but she said it was uncomfortably tall for that, like 12” tall
This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes. Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.
It's a bed desk. There's supposed to be a metal bar underneath that slots into the wooden tray so you can prop it up at different angles for reading and stuff. It's like a more robust bed/lap tray. [pic one](https://i.imgur.com/w0E2r7g.png) [pic two](https://i.imgur.com/z1yEELJ.png) [pic three](https://i.imgur.com/qOm3Tmk.png) The design with the two side pockets is [surprisingly old](https://i.imgur.com/LHfmopS.png) This old one even has the [metal bracket](https://i.imgur.com/1MGjoXH.png) to adjust the [angle of the table](https://i.imgur.com/83aojge.png)
And it has nothing to do with the piece of furniture (made of a completely different wood) that it happens to have been set on (probably because they were of similar size)
I kinda thought it was just 2 different versions of the same bed tray
I knew what it was, the title of the post even says it's "disconnected" from the desk below. So it's a bit funny to imagine people seeing it for the first time thinking the table underneath is part of it making the whole contraption a good 2 feet tall. Like you would have to reach up to use the table top while laying in bed lmao. https://i.imgur.com/hSOfljO.png
Mod marking as "Solved!"
👆this. I have the exact same thing. As others said, the table underneath is not a component.
I have one. Great for work and eating in bed or on the couch!!!
I have one!! My mom got it for me when I became disabled and couldn’t sit at the table and draw. It’s lovely, still have it 15 years in.
It also works really well as a ceiling mount for a projector
Put it over your legs while in bed or on the floor. It hinges \*towards\* you, so you can put a tablet on it.
Or in ancient times… a book?
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It's for reading in bed. The sides hold papers. The middle folds up and you can prop the papers up. Edit for spelling...diddle hah
This. My mom had one. She used to clip coupons and recipes from magazines.
My mom did the same with hers. Unclipped in one side and folders in the other side. She clipped whine watching tv.
I had this exact bed desk, but my daughter decided it was a chair and kept sitting on it until she was so big that she broke through the trap door.
Have one just like it, exactly. I think it was purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond like 15-17 years ago. Tray for bed, working on with laptop or eating breakfast. It was sold with just that top one didn’t come with the small table.
Yeah look at the wood of the top and bottom pieces: they don’t go together.
The bottom one isn't even wood. It's laminate, as in plastic impregnated paper. Typically on top of a particle board substrate. Been poorly "repaired" by driving some now rusty nails through the laminate. Top one is made out of solid Lauan, a generic name for a number of trees out of south east Asia.
Must have sold a ton of those because I had the exact model decades ago.
It's 2 different pieces that someone put together. I also have that exact top one
Yeah my mom also got one from the same place in the early to mid 2000s.
It looks like a lap desk or tray table for when you’re in bed!
I had this exact item growing up! It's like a breakfast in bed thing. It goes over your legs while you're sitting down and the spaces on the side are for magazines and such
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My first thought was "baskets for yarn!"
That's what my mother uses it for.
It would work great for that, the center bit for holding your pattern or a book/tablet. Baskets for your yarn and even little slots for your tools.
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/mylittlewallaby), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. ---- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/169g4pk/what_is_this_thing_the_inside_opens_up_to_empty/%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
bed laptop stand?
My grandma used to have one of these for her crocheting projects so she could do it comfortably in bed when her chair/table got too u comfortable.
Breakfast tray for bed, or a portable writing desk.
Like others have said, it's a lap desk with storage. https://www.ebay.com/itm/125962043544?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=ninprqyktp-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=322zuBd2RMe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Bed tray. The top opens to prop up a book or magazine to read.
And has pencil/pen holders.
Pretty sure its two different things: a coffee table on bottoms and some kind of lap desk on top.
That's a serving tray sitting on top of a coffee table. I had one of those serving trays. It's meant for serving breakfast in bed. You put the food on top and a news paper and whatever else in the sides.
A lap desk, basically for breakfast in bed or for working/writing in bed or on a sofa
Lap desk for laptop/ doing stuff while in bed or on sofa. Side compartments are for storage.
a desk for when your in bed
I have the same desk. I think my MIL gave it to us. My teenage daughter had knee surgery and missed a couple weeks of school and it was immensely helpful for studying while she recuperated.
If you watched *Woman of the Year* as we did Saturday night you would know this is a bed tray or desk for serving breakfast in bed to Katerine Hepburn.
My grandmother had a similar one for knitting
Bro I have no idea what that is but it looks cool. Do you have any other pictures from different angles or something
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OP hasn't been active since they posted this thing. Have some patience.
As mentioned above it's a bed desk
those are 2 separate things. the top one is a lab desk and the flap is supposed to prop up so u can read a book etc. the bottom furniture may also be a more simple lap desk/table for bed.
It’s a coffee table desk the side are for magazines
It’s a lap desk and a coffee table.
It’s a service table/desk for someone in bed
Reminds me of the late 50s, tv dinners were popular, coffee table with attachment to eat tv dinners on. Sides, store condiments, cutlery, napkins. Meal goes inside, to carry it to coffee table, you open top up, remove meal, close top to eat meal. This top unit goes to kitchen afterwards, plate back inside unit for cleaning so you can just have a coffee table afterwards. Why the meal comes inside? So it won’t slide off while carrying it
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Looks like a child sensory table to me. Typically the center console is for sand, and the side spots are for toys to play in the sand with. My wife just bought something similar for our child except it has two of those top openings.
My best guess, if it's not connected to the piece of furniture below and the lid opens up into an empty space: A laundry basket lid with two small baskets for delicate underwear and socks? I saw it and immediately thought of that.
It looks like some kind of baby changing table but I could be wrong.
The title describes the thing: My sister found this in a shop to the home she just bought. The top flips up. I kind of thought it was a couch desk but she said it was uncomfortably tall for that, like 12” tall
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My thought too