Table

June 26, 2024 5:48 PM

I'm looking for a table that has an extension ...

... like I've drawn in green here. The idea is that one would sit down, back on the pillow/wall, then lift or slide the extension, then scoot the tablet out for easier viewing.

What can you recommend?

posted by falsedmitri to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

If you search for folding leaf end table you'll find a lot of options similar to this with a variety of fold out/up/down variants.

My suggestion for your use case is to look for something with a profile like the one I linked that would allow you to slide the base of the table up under your couch like a hospital bed's table. That would let you bring your tablet up right in front of your face for easier browsing/viewing instead of having to look over to the side.
posted by phunniemee at 5:56 PM on June 26 [3 favorites]

Try searching "drop leaf table" or "drop leaf end table".
Here is a wall mounted small bookshelf with a pull-out table that looks a bit like your drawing.
posted by metahawk at 5:56 PM on June 26 [2 favorites]

Also, a rolling table like this one might be better if need the table top to be close enough to be able to type or scroll on a device that sitting on the table because it lets you scoot the legs under the couch so you can get the surface nearer to your body.
posted by metahawk at 5:59 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]

Perhaps an appliance slide-out tray on the tabletop?

I found one appliance slide out tray candidate here on Amazon which looks like the base could be screwed to the existing tabletop.

Since you featured the extending table top in your example diagram, I assume that it is a required feature. If not, a gooseneck or other tablet holder like this example, which clamps onto the existing table surface could be a way to extend the tablet into viewing range without having to modify it.
posted by bookdragoness at 6:00 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]

If I had hands on that table I would probably fit a second top and a pull out extension, and I'm not amazingly talented at woodwork. (They would probably need to use full extension drawer sliders to get the result you're looking for.) Don't suppose you have a friend with a woodworking bent?
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 11:45 PM on June 26

For a rolling table next to a couch, one with a single leg is what I would think would be most practical. They're apparently called 'overbed table'.
posted by Stoneshop at 3:50 AM on June 27

Regardless of mechanism (dropleaf, fold-down, pull-out, etc.), the weight of a movable extension and anything you placed on said extension could easily destabilize a table with such a small footprint. The overbed-style table mentioned a couple of times upthread solves that problem nicely, but requires you to reposition the entire table rather than just a leaf. A search for ‘TV tray under couch’ turns up many versions.
posted by jon1270 at 4:15 AM on June 27 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: The floor is carpeted (not my choice) so rolling things don't really work.
posted by falsedmitri at 9:26 AM on June 27

Best answer: IKEA has a selection of gateleg tables, which have that kind of side-flap that folds down.
posted by mhum at 10:58 AM on June 27 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: The floor is carpeted (not my choice) so rolling things don't really work.

Depends on the wheels used, and wheels on a rolling table can in nearly all cases be changed; only if it's hippie-hair-length shag you'll have to deploy a lawnmower first.
posted by Stoneshop at 12:14 PM on June 27

Response by poster: Gateleg appears to be the key word. This one at ikea is good, just a little too big. So either I find a smaller version of that or I modify the existing table.
posted by falsedmitri at 1:09 PM on June 27

Dragging the gate leg on carpet is likely to be even less fun than rolling something.
posted by deadwax at 2:19 PM on June 27 [1 favorite]

Dragging a gateleg on any non-frictionless surface is likely to be less fun than rolling something as the leg underneath the extended part will move out of position and allow the flap to drop down again.
posted by Stoneshop at 3:56 AM on June 28

Speaking of moving/dragging furniture around on carpet, I'll offer that I've previously had reasonably good results with furniture sliders, little discs of smooth plastic that you put under the legs of furniture.
posted by mhum at 7:03 PM on June 28