There are a million reasons to love living in the city, but let's face it - space is not one of them. Even the nicest of apartments can pose dilemmas when it comes to arranging furniture, and too often, the dining area gets overlooked.

Top 3 Reasons NOT to Eat Off Your Coffee Table

1. Apartment buildings are often subject to bugs and mice. Keep the vermin out of your apartment by keeping the crumbs on the dining table.
2. Having company over. There's no reason that your guests should be holding their plates in their laps and sitting on floor pillows. A table and chairs creates a more relaxed environment for cozy conversation and a homecooked meal.
3. Avoiding stains and spills. Perhaps you've already purchased a nice couch, or have carpeted floors. Dining furniture is made to wipe clean - unlike your couch and rugs.

Try finding exactly what you need, at a price that fits your budget, and a style that complements your tastes, at a traditional retailer. It's hard! We've done the research for you.

 
Our Best Suggestions

• Dinette Sets are now available in a wide array of styles, and colors, from classic to contemporary. These sets generally seat four, and often feature leaves that allow the table to take up very little space when it's not being used. Butterfly leaves fold under the top of the table, drop leaves fold down, and standard leaves are removable and store neatly in a closet.
• Breakfast Bars are generally meant to be set up with two stools for normal use, with 2 other stools placed against a wall or stored for use when guests arrive. They are generally little over 3 ft in diameter and are an elegant accent. They can easily find a space in front of a window, in an unused kitchen corner, or in an empty part of the living room. Because of their height, they create the feeling of a "separate" place.
• If you are looking for more counter and storage space, than you can easily pull a bar stool up to when dining, take a look at Kitchen Islands. Compact and sturdy, they are meant to occupy the unused floor space of a kitchen, and look right at home in the middle of the room. Some even offer features like wine storage and exotic styling to keep them from looking practical and instead make them focal points of your kitchen.