Yes, you need a dining table

Have a place to put items. For Tiffany Piotrowski of Tiffany Leigh Design, “a dining table is necessary no matter your space.” The Barrie, Ontario, designer says: “It’s a surface to put out drinks and a charcuterie board when you’re entertaining. It’s a spot to sit and do some journaling, a puzzle or try a hobby like painting.”

No, you don’t need a dining table

Don’t underestimate the floor or sofa. New York designer Nicole Arruda of Nicole Alexandra Design Studio also says that eating in the living room is just fine when your apartment is short on square footage. “Don’t underestimate the floor,” she says. “I love a comfy pouf or floor pillow I can just pull around a coffee table.”