apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Where did that fabulous bottle-green couch come from???
Someone, anyone? I'm in the market, and that's it!

We sit on the floor in front of the coffee table. We actually had a kitchen table but never sat at it (not sure why) so we got rid of it. The coffee table is the perfect height, so we sit on pillows and lean against the couch. We love it!

lol well living the life of condo dwellers made us coffee table eaters too! We always eat at the coffee table. We are hoping in our new house, though, that we can squeeze a table for eating :)

We eat in the dining room. It was just too easy to get in the habit of turning on the tube and zoning out while we eat.

I too eat at the coffee table more often than not - although I'm trying to set up a corner banquette-type area with a small round table where I can eat.

Magdelene is right:
That bottle-green velvet sofa is Stunning.

i like the sofa! not so much the guitar pick shaped dinner/cafe table. The living room looks comfy though!

We use a custom kitchen island with an ikea table top, two ikea legs and some old shelves as our dining table. The counter top height is great for food prep, but I enjoy eating at a taller table as well.

funny, I didn't notice the sofa at first (though now that I have it is gorgeous) I was looking at the mosaic topped table. I've seen mosaic done so awfully so many times (thing HGTV) but that one I really like!

The sofa looks a lot like one we have (in a different color) from the now-defunct company Storehouse.

I JUST bought an awesome table from Pier 1 that has folding sides so that, when the leaves are down, it's only about 18 inches wide and makes a great behind the couch console table, but could seat 6 comfortably and 8 in a pinch with the sides up. For dinner, we can extend one leaf and eat like my parents would approve, lol, and then after dinner we clean up and it goes back to being a sofa console with a small footprint. Check it out:

http://www.pier1.com/Catalog/Furniture/tabid/519/CategoryID/155/List/0/catpageindex/6/Level/a/ProductID/2091/Default.aspx

That couch is incredible. Source please!

I don't even use my coffee table. I just eat straight out of a bowl (a.k.a trough) while watching TV. Not good.

Coffee table eating hurts my back, so I try to avoid it unless there is something awesome on and we're starving. Otherwise we eat at the bar in the kitchen or for dinner parties break out the LÅNGED.

funny, this is the first apartment i've ever lived in where there's a dining area for a table! i've always ate around the coffee table or bar stools.

Unrelated comment...I am looking for a metal wall sculpture, of flowers, made of brass etc - the kind that was popular in the 50's & 60's. Anyone got a lead?

Magdelane: I recently bought a new sofa that's literally almost identical to that, but in a different fabric. It's from The Sofa Company in Santa Monica (thesofaco.com) and the model is called "Riley" -- might not be on their site yet. Mine has the chrome base, but you can get a number of different types of wooden legs for it as well. If you want a kind of slouchier look, upgrade to the down-filled cushions. I've got firm foam seats and down-filled backs, and it's just perfect. Couldn't be happier with it.

IIRC, Robert Allen makes a number of different velvets in that color range. Check out robertallendesign.com and search by book. They stock a ton of their swatches at the SM store, but they can order anything.

Mine's here -- not the best pic, but you get the idea: http://www.flickr.com/photos/70191341@N00/3295828937/

"I am looking for a metal wall sculpture, of flowers, made of brass etc - the kind that was popular in the 50's & 60's. Anyone got a lead?"

What you might be looking for is a C. Jere sculpture - common in the 60's and 70's. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Jer%C3%A9

You can find vintage pieces on Craigslist, eBay and 1stdibs - or newer ones inspired by C. Jere from Jonathan Adler and Artisan House:

http://www.artisanhouse.com/our_company.php

Okay, I take that back. Don't search by book (this is a kinda hard-to-nav site). Go "Fabric" at top, then "search" bottom right, then "Product Finder." Select all types, upholstery weight, greens, and chenille/velvet/mohair (or whatever). I dug through that site looking for just the right velvet SO many times...

...actually, so many times that I have a list. Here's some specific fabrics to look at:
String Along in Grass
Radiant Velvet in Willow
Carlton, Pembroke and Contentment in Loden
Monsoon in Olive
Biagio in Moss
Bradenburg in Kale
Livingston in Kiwi
and Savoy Velvet, Sasha Velvet and Regency Velvet might also have a color you like. Be sure to check the fiber content to get the feel you want!

Why yes, I *am* a hopeless fabric addict. Thanks for noticing.

Eating at a coffee table? How much lower can one sink?

I'd rather sacrifice the sofa in favor of a proper table with comfortable chairs where you can eat, drink, read, write, receive visitors... What's a sofa for, anyway?

We have just moved from a 3000 sqf house into a 2000 sqf one, yet we never owned a coffee table or a sofa. We do possess several great tables, though (coutry oak kitchen, cherry library, mahagony dining), and they all get lots of use.

I never used a kitchen table, basically because I never wanted to sit in my kitchen. But now we kind of incorporated the dining table into the main room, creating more seating for guests as well as actually using it for it's main purpose. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3410/3317356205_7b0a783f5a.jpg

How you know you spend too much time on AT: on my screen I could see only the first sentence of the above comment, and I thought: "and there goes bromelia..."

I love the couch! I've had many colours of couches, and I think the green ones are my fave!

After a lifetime of coffee table dining, I found a drop-leaf danish modern walnut dining table with expandable leaves less than two weeks ago at the Salvation Army for $17. I must admit that my back feels better already...

Oops I should have posted about the topic, the table...

My table is a small round one, and it's in the office. It is used more often for craft storage than it is for eating on. Most times, we just shove the sewing machine / paints / etc. off to one side so we can eat there if the meal is too messy to eat on the couch.

Though I'm the gazillionth person to say so, I am dying for a source on that sofa. It is perfection.

wally3: Bahahahaha. I grinned a little at that comment as well.

Bromelia: I love your sassiness, but I gotta ask- how could you live without a sofa? For me there is nothing in the world as good as curling up on the sofa with my boyfriend, our cat, a cup of tea, and a good read. I can't imagine trying to replicate that at a dining table. (Though, yes- I have a dining table squished into my apartment, and I don't support eating off of a coffee table)

Hi all - thanks for all your wonderful comments today on this thread.

The owner of the couch had it custom made at The Sofa Company. (Good call, amandacollier! sounds like you picked the same or very similar fabric.)

The coffee table in the room was designed built by her grandfather many years ago and has become a family heirloom.

shockthebourgeois, we have a very comfortable trunk turned banquette at the the kitchen table and a recamiere (chair-height) in the dining room - this is actually my favourite place for reading, with a cup of tea handy on the dining table and the dog on my lap. The recamiere seats two very comfortably, three in a pinch, and we can still eat in a civilized manner. And no, we don't have a living room, never had and probably never will.

"Eating at a coffee table? How much lower can one sink?"

When I was much poorer - we didn't have a dining table so we used the coffee table with pillows on the floor and called it "Dining Japanese Style".

Now that I live alone, the TV in the living room keeps me company those few evenings I dine at home - I feel somehow more alone sitting at the table by myself...

We eat at our coffee table all the time. We also have a tall table in the kitchen, but we prefer the coffee table. We always set it nicely and we don't watch TV while eating - and we've never considered it to be "sinking low"! The only problem is that it's not so comfortable for our older guests. At our next place I would like to have a dining room, but this is great for now.

Wally3

Made me laugh with his comment about spending to much time on AT.

I have also noticed Bomelia's comments......

I don't have a dining table or eat-in kitchen area either. I *do* have a great vintage booth set that my grandfather got from an old-school diner that was going out of business (wooden benches rather like church pews - fabulous). I never, ever used it to eat, and ended up moving the table into the kitchen and replacing it with another coffee table to use as an additional seating area. Though mostly, of course, the table is covered with a sewing machine and assorted craft supplies...

Oh, Bromelia. Only 2,000 sq. ft.? Truly, these are hard times. And to your question -- How much lower can one sink? -- I can only reply: As low as necessary, baby, and then some.

Love, love, love that sofa!!

rosenatti, we both work at home, I have a large library and my husband has a laboratory and a world class collection of specimens. We have opted for moving to a small town where we can afford the space, and our house is comfortable, but far from luxurious. Our actual living space, including a guest bedroom, is less than half of the house.

Principles of civilized dining certainly can and must be abandoned in extreme circumstances when survival is at stake; however, this is hardly the situation for most of us.

lol Downgrading to 2000 sq feet? Sorry, but I almost shot hot chocolate through my nose when I read that.

I live in a 700 square foot space and we still have room for a small table to eat at AND a sofa. Its tight, but I wouldn't sacrifice our comfy living room. I could rid of the table if I had to.

I added two wall-mounted drop-leaf tables from Ikea (similar to http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80091713) to the wall next to my small galley kitchen. They are mounted side by side and positioned counter height.

Most of the time, I have just one raised, giving a dining space for one or two.

If I raise both at the same time, I have either a dining space for 3-4 people, extra "kitchen counter" for meal prep, a buffet; a table to fold my laundry (w/d closet is right next to it), a sewing/ craft table or a desk.

Of course, I can fold both down and just have more "space."

I bought them unstained at Ikea on sale for $16 each. Worth every penny.

yes! I am so glad this has come up. I want someone to manufacture my table again.

I have a table I bought off craigslist. It was made in the 40s, designed specifically for post war families living in small homes. Its a low coffee table with wings. You pull a lever on the side and up goes the table into a dining table! I've had 6 around it for dinner, with two sitting on my couch and two armchairs and two folding chairs around it. I leave it up to eat and read and write and then put it back down when I'm done. I love it and everyone who comes over is always impressed by it. I paid $120 for it - more than my same era couch off craigslist! But the best $120 I've spent.

"Eating at a coffee table? How much lower can one sink?" --Sounds more like a pun on the indulgent comfort of sinking into a big squishy floor pillow. Sounds fun to me!

I think that couch needs to be about 20% smaller for that space.

Depending on what you are eating kind of requires where you should sit. If I went through the trouble to make a nice dinner (or anything that has a lot of sauces), we're at the kitchen table to eat. If it's just something like leftovers or something that is tv dinner style, we more than likely eat in the living room. Breakfast is always at our breakfast bar.

Bromelia, only 2000 sq ft? LOL - most of us live in much smaller spaces. My apartment is 850 sq feet and I have a proper dining table that sits four, two stools at a breakfast bar, and occasionally we do eat sitting around the coffee table. I also have room for a nice large sofa and a normal sized chair across from it.

I must admit that having a sofa does seem excessive ; )

I have my comfy recliner and a dining table/desk.

All in 550sqft.

What an uncivilized group we all are! I prefer a tv tray in front of the tv to a coffee table. I often eat dinner alone and it's kind of a downer sitting at the table all alone. And I love curling up on my couch! I'd never go without it, not for all the world class specimens in the world!

My dining table is my office desk now because of space issues, I do miss setting a table my beautiful plates are lonely.

But, I have to say all those years of sitting at a formal dinner table with my family now has me loving my coffee table dining experience. Just because ones eats at a coffee table does not mean they watch TV while eating.

I have fabric very similar to that sofa, I am thinking about recovering a chair just to add that green into my living room. That is a very classic green, never goes out of style..I wish I kept my mother's lounge chair that was in that green velvet. Love that living room!

bromelia, clearly you and your husband love your home and they way you live and quite frankly, that is what matters most.

There is a tiny nook, probably meant for a desk, in my living room where my yellow diner table currently resides, tucked into the corner. i can usually fit 2-3 people around it in this spot, so for large dinner parties it gets moved to the middle of the room along a long cushioned bench. The living transforms into a dining room for 8!

whoops, that's 'living room'

I live in 425 square feet, and I still make room for a 36" square table with four chairs. I hated using my countertop and my coffee table. It feels much more civilized and adult to me to have an actual table to eat at.

Specimens of what, might I ask? Sounds kinda creepy.

While we're all measuring our pe- uh I mean apartment sizes, I'm living in less than 350sqft and a dining table was more important to me than a sofa (floor plan is also actually too small and awkward to fit a sofa in). It depends on your priorities, that's all.

I have an ikea fusion dining table because it is small AND super cute, it was more important to me to have a place where I could eat with guests than to have a sofa. On the other hand I don't own a tv so that affects furniture choices a bit. It took me a while to find a small scale armless loveseat so my guests wouldn't have to sit on the dining chairs (they aren't comfy at *all*).

Here is my couch :D
http://www.flickr.com/photos/questionstar/2457755722/in/set-72157606727670547
It's not that comfy either but I don't have guests that stay for long periods of time anyway.

Half of the time I eat in bed though... I should probably be more embarrassed than I am to admit that. :p

aysha, eating and reading in bed are two of the best reasons for living. Isn't it amazing how not having a TV frees you?

Table? Sofa? We just eat in bed.

I love to eat at my pimped out kitchn table but when Im the only one here it makes no sence

bromelia-
I think you have the misconception that because I don't own a tv, that I don't watch any :) I watch a surprising amount for someone who doesn't have one (well, it surprises other people), I'm a movie nut and I rent tv shows on dvd to watch on my laptop. I *love* it as if I was a screenwriter in a previous life, hehe

But! the significant thing about tv-on-computer that is you only watch which shows you want to when you want to, and not any random thing that happens to be on at the time (and no commercials!). Cos man that is just distracting.

I am in bed right now ;p with a hard cider lol

aysha, I do exactly the same. I just finished my work for today and am pouring myself a Dos Equis to watch Ladies in Lavender.

"Principles of civilized dining" aren't incompatible with eating at something resembling a coffee table, are they? My background is Korean, and I grew up eating at a low table while sitting on mats on the floor. I now do the same as an adult, and it happens to combine well with a small city apartment that doesn't have room for a coffee table *and* a kitchen or dining table. We have a big round low table that doubles as a coffee table when we're on the sofa and as a dining table when we're eating. This doesn't mean "TV dinners" every night - we set the table, turn off the TV and enjoy dinner-conversation just like other "civilized" people. Much of our seating is floor seating - again, this is partly a reflection of what I grew up with, and partly a matter of convenience in a small studio flat - it's easily moved around and tucked away when not needed. I don't see why this is any less "civilized" than a taller Western-style dining table and chairs.

That rant aside, friends of mine in a similarly tiny one-bedroom apartment have a long formal dining table. It takes up nearly their whole living area, leaving room for a couple of small modern armchairs rather than a sofa. People told them they were nuts when they ordered it, but it works wonderfully. It does completely dominate the small space - but they love to cook and to eat and to entertain, so having their dining table dominate their space is welcoming, hospitable and appropriate rather than ugly or awkward: you know you're in for food, wine and conversation the moment you enter their apartment.

Seeing them pull this off has been a lesson for me in taking risks even in small spaces - the "small space, small furniture" rule generally works well, but it's worth breaking occasionally.

We have a large 6 seater dining table at home, but as it's just my fiance and I, we always eat dinner on the couch in front of the TV. I'm adamant though, when we pop out babies, that we will have family dinners at the dining table. Some of my best memories are at the dining table with family and I'll be damned if I'm cheating my kidlets out of that!

Oh and our place is 60 sq metres. Not sure how many sq feet that converts to.

Buda -- roughly 645 sq feet.

We have decided to sell our dining table as the only place it fits is pushed against a wall where we never use it. Once it's gone, we're setting up a cocktail bar.

I think as long as I can squeeze it in, we will always have our kitchen table (maybe even a larger one someday) and I'd rather live more cramped for space and have a sofa too since me and the fiance love to sit and cuddle while watching movies or just to sit and read.

bromelia- oh no only 1000 square feet for two people? How DO you manage?

Sorry, sorry, had to get that out of my system.

Anyway, I live in a 320 square foot apartment with my boyfriend, and we're lucky that we have just enough space for a real kitchen table (which would seat 4 if we could afford four dining chairs), where we actually sit down and eat meals like real adults! We don't have the space for a coffee table, so it's not an option for us.

In my previous (college) apartment I ate a lot of my meals sitting on the floor at the coffee table in front of the tv or at my computer desk. We know that in our current place, the previous tenant used part of the kitchen as a workspace, so I guess they did the same thing.

LOL - the bromelia comment was funny inertia. He/She is mostly being taken as a joke on several topics - she was trying to persuade people on another thread that 2000 sq feet was a small space...wow, I'd love to switch places with her for just one day and let her try to stand a space that is 850 sq ft.

I strongly believe you can get whatever you really really want into a space if you are clever enough....most people just give too easy.

I have almost the exact living set-up as what is pictured above. Where o where is the lovely/petite filing cabinet that is stored under the counter from? I have no where to store paperwork! Help!

Also, because my apartment is small (740 sf) we have counter height stools at the kitchen counter, and 2 chairs at the "sofa table". That area is also used as our home office, thus the need for the filing cabinet.

I have bookshelves and a pretty reading chair in lieu of a proper dining area.

I think my store, The Sofa Company made this sofa! It's the "Paige" style with a "T-Seat Cushion" in a green micro-velvet! Very similar to our "Riley" style. How pretty! This makes my day!

We're a custom furniture store, and can make almost any sofa you can imagine!

www.thesofaco.com

My name is Emily. If you ever need a sofa, ask for me!