When I was little, I used to fake sick just to get out of school and go to my grandparents’ house, where I got to eat snacks and watch daytime TV.

My grandparents, like most, had a set of TV trays—an outdated relic that at some point became considered tacky, but was no less a treat to use. As I ate my Tillamook cheddar and crackers and watched Maury (at an age I shouldn’t have been), my sickness miraculously lifted.

Years later, my roommates and I would gather around the TV after work to watch The Bachelorette or some other good-bad show, our wine glasses and plates balanced on the coffee table while we perched on the edge of the couch or sat cross-legged on the floor. It wasn’t quite the Dick Clark appointment television that originally birthed TV trays, but it certainly would’ve benefitted from them.

At some point, I had that very lightbulb moment. Our generation invented streaming and delivery apps and lives alone in small spaces at higher rates than generations before. And yet, we haven’t evolved any of the furniture options for what to eat on. Let’s be honest—none of us are sitting in silence at the dining table (if we even have one).

I’ve heard the argument against TV trays around family and conversation. And I get it! My husband and I eat dinner together most nights not in front of the TV—it’s our only time to talk and catch up. But come on, you can’t tell me it doesn’t feel good when your partner is away to order whatever food and watch whatever show you want.

Our reimagined TV tray tables are designed to elevate that moment—yes, literally and figuratively. Because life is hard enough, why not celebrate staying in?

Maybe some people think it’s heavy-handed to suggest a piece of furniture could have an effect on your mood. I think it’s at least worth trying.

xx, Jamie