Sofa / sitting desk (and a great magnetic phone mount)

My perpetual quest for the perfect sofa / sitting desk continues (I guess, being perpetual, that makes sense). This attempt was just clunky and the legs kept wanting to collapse. This worked a bit better but even more clunky, didn’t stash well, and required me to be perched at the edge of the sofa to use. My latest attempt is a kids’ desk but doesn’t have an age limit and fits an adult easily, the ECR4Kids The Surf Folding Portable Lap Desk ($42):

The folding portable lap desk itself

You sit on the bottom part (which anchors it nicely), and then the rectangle part holds a laptop. And just a laptop. It’s basically exactly the dimensions of my MacBook Pro 15.4" (and wobbles a bit under its 4.5 lbs.; it works a bit better with a more svelte (2.7 lbs.) MacBook Air). I can sit anywhere on the sofa / bed and the computer gets elevated above my lap, providing a more stable platform and better positioning. So far I’m liking it. I’m using it now. With the limited space there’s no temptation to grab a mouse or to somehow elevate the machine for a mechanical keyboard. (Though I am seriously tempted to get a NuPhy Air 60 v2 with shine-through keycaps ... No. No, I need to stop that... I can just use the machines I already have and the Air 75 I already have and stop this nonsense.)

The one thing I did add to the setup was a cushion ($13) for the seat portion, which makes it much more comfortable and able to accommodate longer work sessions:

Memory foam non-slip chair pad

I’m using it with a Milliard Reading Pillow ($36) I already had, which is ... okay-ish. I think I really want a Yogibo Support U pillow ($140) for reading / working while lounging, but then I think I want the “pro” version ($190) and then I pump the brakes again. But they do look comfy AF and are well reviewed:

Yogibo Support Pro

Maybe someday.

Update: As of November 12, 2025, still using it, still like it a lot. I did add this Magnetic Phone Mount, which holds my iPhone 16 Pro perfectly positioned so I can reference it while working on the laptop, don’t have to awkwardly find a place for it, etc. 

 

Magnetic Phone Mount clamped to desk

 

$20 as of this writing, though the price spiked to $40 for a minute. The clamps compress down to zero thickness, so it grips the thin plastic desk of the lap desk perfectly. It’s also I think flexible enough it can be used in a variety of applications (like clamped under the kitchen cabinet to hold my phone while I refer to recipes; I’ve been using this Lamicall for Magsafe Airplane Phone Holder, which generally works well enough but I don’t feel like the spring clamp really holds it all that securely, especially hanging from it “upside down,” as in the kitchen.