You definitely can, but I'd keep it casual, especially if guests need to sit on the floor.

This table can either be a coffee table that doubles as a dining table (wherein guests sit on the floor) or as a coffee table. Unless you want to move it around your apartment, I'd just keep it near the couch and guests will have to understand that space confinements mean that they will sit on the couch or on the floor.

To keep them comfy, and make it clear that this is a deliberate choice, try these floor cushions from Urban Outfitters:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&navAction=jump&id=18428151&search=true&isProduct=true&parentid=SEARCH+RESULTS&color=046

A coffee table is very awkward for floor dining if there is no space under it, or if it is higher than 15 inches. The coffee table should be designed just like a dining table, with four non-bulky legs, for optimal comfort. The table should also be long and deep enough to allow elbow room, a minimum of 30 inches on each side.

Here's an example of the ideal shape:

www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40135021

If the table is not open underneath, guests cannot get close enough to the table to eat comfortably, and will forever be bashing their knees into it.

@rayma - or they can sit on their legs and lean forward.

I agree with Rayma above^. It is tough to make guests feel comfortable if the table they are eating at is not open underneath. Not only do they bash their knees but they will always have to be bending over when they eat.

I have seen a trick before about creating a fold down table. You could put hinges on a table top (salvaged from an old table or made new) and mount it either to the back of a kitchen cabinet that faces out into the living room, or just to a wall. Fold out legs with hold it in place when it is in the "up" positional and when folded the table top will fold back onto the wall.

You could even do the top chalkboard paint so the when it is folded against the wall you have a functioning chalkboard for wall art or grocery lists. When it is folded out as a table you could decorate the top with the names of the guests and the locations of their seat, or the menu for the evening. You could even write the names of the dishes or drinks you are serving, and draw arrows to the actual dish, drink glass, or pitcher.

Have fun!
Cody

Hello, I think this will be my second comment ever here, but because I am quite in the middle of the renovation os my small apartment and I was searching for inspiration every single day, here is what I've done for a dinner/coffee table. And It's quite comfortable.
http://tinypic.com/r/2uqy5hd/4

Hope it helps.

If not otherwise assigned, the space inside the chest/coffee table might be a place for the cushions in question. If any of your party attendees are old and arthritic, like me, you might want to have a couple of tv trays or other options not requiring sitting on the floor -- love the idea, can't take it physically!

The only other thought I had is if the chest doesn't have an overhang, you might want to have a table top (maybe store it on it's end behind a door or under a bed) that you can place on top of the chest to expand the space and add an overhang of some kind.

it's all about the finger foods.

your other option is to use the coffee table for cocktails, and set up a sofa table behind the sofa for hors d'oeuvres.

i'm in the same situation with only having a coffee table as a designated space, and would be fine for a very SMALL get-together (2-3 people including yourself, tops)...but they would also have to be friends that were ok with sitting on the floor for long periods, and that don't have a huge 'wing span' like my husband.
haha!

We have a table in my living room that serves as a coffee table in front of the couch, a dining table when sitting on the floor, and holds our DVDs underneath.
What can I say. I live with a hippie and a toddler, so our use of furniture has become very flexible.

In parts of the Muslim world, food is erved on round trays - or dishes are placed on eating cloths. I have a big, square coffee table and always pile it high with little dishes with finger foods, cheese, etc. I've bought pretty, small dishes and inexpensive small utensils to work with the bowl sizes. Admittedly, my friends are sitting on a sectional - but we're also much older than yours. So give it a shot - and maybe get a stack of floor cushions with some height to them for folks to sit on.

This is similar enough to a very common way of eating in Japan. Of course, any food you can eat with chopsticks is easy to eat at a coffee table as you can lift the bowl or plate with your free hand. Dining while sat on the floor in Japan is a very warm, cosy and friendly affair, and I grew to prefer it to using a dining table.

Obviously, floor cushions help, but you could also try to get hold of leg-less 'floor chairs' which look very sweet and stylish and offer back support to those that might need it. Muji have a very slick looking one. Also useful are electric heated rugs, which keep the floor space cosy and warm in winter. If you can get hold of one, a kotatsu (a heated table with a quilt attached on all sides) is the best for being warm and sociable.

A great option food-wise, particularly in winter, is to get a table-top stove. You can make a one-pot dish at the table for people to share - it's intimate, simple and also keeps people warm. In warmer weather, pancakes are also a lovely treat using a table-top stove. As a nice change from Asian food, I bet paella or quesadillas would also be awesome.

I would bring in a large piece of plywood (4x8), make it into a piece of art (via painting, covering in fabric, decoupaging in maps, etc) and use it in the bedroom or living room by just leaning it against a wall (bonus: drama). When it comes time for a dinner party, lay it on top of your existing coffee table and voila!

I am in the same situation, but I am looking for a coffee table that is convertible to a dining table. I know Daunia makes one, but I can't find where it is sold on the east coast. Help anyone on alternatives or how I can locate one?

@snaidu

Curses, the chiasso up-down table that came to mind is no longer available, but if you like craigslist and the like it's something you might want to keep an eye out for.

Regarding the original question, if you like the looks of certain chairs at, say, Ikea, where the legs are a separate piece, you can buy them and simply not put the legs on, and then there will be some back support. Assuming the seats are mostly flat on the bottom, of course. Otherwise, I am sometimes tempted by the vast array of snazzy pet beds available at HomeGoods and the like; I always wonder if they make comfortable floor cushions. XD

I do agree that knee space is useful, so the plywood (or whatever) idea seems like a good one. Maybe a big piece of lucite?

D'oh! Chiasso now offers this table in white.

@lepidoptery

thanks for the rec. will keep my eye to see if the brown comes back in stock

danke!

@snaidu, doubt you're still hanging around here, but I found the same/similar table here.