Sitting at the Table: Modern Dining Requires Flexible Options

As homes evolve, rooms disappear and are created and sometimes then disappear again, as if the floor plan was some prehistoric beast we could track up to a present day descendant.

Like the human appendix, the formal dining room is a space that these days isn't used very much but continues to appear in successive generations of new homes and apartments. And despite the lack of use, it's something people still look for when searching for a new place to live.

Those who move into small apartments or loft spaces, however, often don't have the option of a spot dedicated only to special occasion dining. Still, with the holidays upon us, someone who regularly eats dinner on the couch might still want to hold a dinner party here and there without forcing guests to pull up a spot at the coffee table.

The key is to use furniture that can pull double-duty for the everyday and the festive. If your space allows for a breakfast nook but little more, investigate the variety of extension tables available from a broad spectrum of manufacturers. Traditional and modern designs are now being pared with structural technology that's been around for years, but is sometimes hard to find.

An easy example is the rectangular or round table that extends when it's pulled apart and extra leaves are inserted. What results is a manageable breakfast table for between two and four people that can, with relatively little effort, become a formal dining table that adds to the table two people per leaf.

Other versions of the extension table avoid the problem of leaf storage by incorporating them into the structure of the table. Some allow the leaves to be stored underneath, while others - so called "stowleaf" tables - have extensions that remain connected to the table, either sliding out from the middle or the outside edges, then locking into place.

To eliminate the everyday dining space altogether, consider a rectangular drop-leaf table with leaves between 2 and 3 feet wide. Fully extended, such a table can provide dining space for as many as six or eight people. With the leaves lowered, many models are fewer than 2 feet deep. As a result, they can easily go against walls to become side tables in open living spaces or be pushed against the back of a couch to create extra space to place lamps and display pictures, as well as serve as a natural room divider.

Just about every furniture retailer out there sells some form of the tables described here, but to get extra value for what will likely be a piece costing at least several hundred dollars, two other options that might cost more: individual craftspeople and trawling through antique stores that carry large furniture.

Larger cities are often rife with wood workers who'll often build a piece to specifications (for a price). Head an hour out of town, meanwhile, and take advantage of the many craftspeople who keep alive industrial trades like furniture building by hand. High quality woods and construction techniques mean the piece you buy has the potential to become not only a great addition to your home, but also a family heirloom.

Speaking of heirlooms, many mid-range antique shops often feature "recent" antiques - items from the late 19th and early 20th centuries - that were originally designed for middle-class homes rather than sprawling mansions. Though they were originally intended for "regular folks," these pieces not only provide the charm of a few decades of wear, but also sturdy construction, solid woods rather than veneers and added warmth.