A man in North Carolina recently shared a uniquely minimalist idea for a spare room in his home—one that quickly captured the attention of tens of thousands online: the “cheetah room.” Posting to r/malelivingspace, Reddit user Hotpocket explained that he had recently parted ways with an irritating roommate, leaving him with the house to himself and an empty room to fill—or, in this case, not fill. “I’ve decided to keep the room empty with a single cheetah painting, and refer to it as my cheetah room,” he wrote cheerfully.
According to Hotpocket, this bizarre yet artistic room will come with its own set of unusual restrictions. “I enjoy hosting, and I plan to make weird rules around this room, like only one person allowed in at a time, no talking in the cheetah room, and no cell phones in the cheetah room,” he explained. In less than a day, nearly 50,000 people tuned in, with more than a thousand comments sharing their reactions to the intriguing “cheetah room.”
With little hesitation, commenters quickly began displaying cult-like behavior over the North Carolina man’s cheetah-themed room. One highly upvoted user insisted that visitors “thank the cheetahs” after using the distinctive space. Others recommended adding a guestbook stand, a small side table with binoculars, or additional lighting above the painting.
On the flip side, a handful of others claimed that the room is perfect as it is and should remain as minimalistic as possible. “It detracts from the magnificence of the cheetah to clutter the room with cheetah content. If anything, even the couch should go. Nothing should exist in the cheetah room except the cheetah painting,” fervently wrote a commenter.
“It does emphasize that we should know our place when addressing the glorious cheetah,” expressed a second in agreement. One person suggested Hotpocket rope off the room to turn the space into a mini-museum. Though, he might have to clean the stained carpet first, to which he pointed out, “The sad part is, that is after vacuuming.”
In the end, regardless of what he decides to do with the now-viral cheetah room in his home, one thoughtful commenter pointed out that the space isn’t truly “empty”—it’s filled with peace now that the troublesome roommate is gone. “Peace, my friend, is priceless,” they wrote. Hotpocket wholeheartedly agreed: “Honestly, you’re the first person to bring it up, but that is the greatest joy of this all.”
