Casey Recommends: The Couch Tray

For the brilliantly lazy among us

Are we so lazy that a coffee table is literally too much of a stretch these days?

To which I counter, are we lazy — or are we brilliant?

My fellow sectional sofa owners understand the conundrum.

The deep seating of these oversized sofas (or as we refer to them, Battleship Couches) makes the coffee table much more than an arm’s length away when I’m lounging.

My stubby T-Rex appendages absolutely cannot reach my seltzer without an effort.

And though I love a stealthy ab workout, it’s not what I have in mind when I’m settling in for an evening with RuPaul.

Enter the Couch Tray.

It is exactly what you expect: a tray that sits next to you on the couch, offering a stable spot to place your beverage and snack while you passively enjoy your entertainment of choice.

And while the Couch Tray can in theory be any old serving tray you have around the house, there are a few elements that elevate this simple sofa assist.

Our Couch Tray is actually a decade-old stainless steel IKEA hanging plant tray (minus the hanging handle) with an ample lip and an interior silicone mat.

This non-slip surface makes a huge difference when you’re shifting butts on the sofa or trying to extract yourself from a cat-on-a-blanket-on-you situation.

Because IKEA no longer makes this particular piece (ofc), you can replicate this functionality by using a silicone placemat inside a regular metal tray.

Round or rectangular, a Couch Tray makes life just a little bit easier.