My table is 45 by 64 without leaves.....seats 6 easily and 8 if extra show up at the last minute. It has 2 15 or 16 inch leaves making it seat 10. My dining room is 12 by 12 but there is an arch into the living room so it appears open. also have a very large chest that stores dishes, a 42 by 45 drop leaf table in the corner with both leaves down, used as a server with one leaf flipped up, a very small corner cupboard and a small 4 drawer chest used for linens.... It's not crowded....except when the table is opened and I dig up 4 extra chairs from another room. I think rectangular tables are best for small rooms.....with a large round table, there is a huge area that is unuseable. People tend to use the 14 or 15 inches around the edges of a table....and the center is for flower arrangements, candles and condiments.

Ohh, I love Maine Cottage, but I can't bring myself to spend $500 per chair for this room. Or even $350, which seems to be the cheapest one they have. The more I am looking and thinking about chairs, the more I think I want something like a Parsons chair or at least something other than a straight wood chair. These chairs might be pulled over to watch TV, etc... and I want them to be comfortable. On the other hand, they will also be used when sitting for art projects, so they need to be practical for that purpose. Those bright orange chairs that lukk posted might be just right. They look like they could be hosed right off! rose, I have a Home Goods about 20 minutes away but it's rare to find 4 of the same chairs there. I might check, anyway. If nothing else, I'm sure I'll be able to find a couple of turquoise or orange accessories for the room!

What should be in the tray? Well, what do you use the room for? When you're in there, what are you usually doing? Reading? Then maybe a small reading journal (listing books you want to read or have read, if you have trouble keeping track, like me), reading glasses if you need them, Post-Its. Or: a few magazines, small notepad/pen if there's a phone in that room, a small tube of hand cream. Now those are in the "usefuls" department. You can create a "tablescape" kind of thing by using, say, a collection of flat-backed paperweights ("millefleur" type comes to mind -- google it), the little glass pebbles that have interesting sayings carved into them (like "Simplify"). Maybe you've collected small toys like mini Rubik's Cubes over the years--hey, I'm just trying to get your imagination going!--put them in there to play with. Maybe a bundle of dried flowers (like lavender)? For the cloth topper itself: Find a fabric store and wander around the decorative cloth section (where they have the extra-long bolts for curtains, upholstery) and the quilting fabric section. Or if you like lacy stuff, you'll probably find that. There are many interesting patterns. You can easily hem the edges either with hand-stitching or an iron-on fusible webbing (just tell a clerk what you are planning and he/she will know what you need).

this is why I LOVE this site...I wouldn't have thought to look up cocktail tables or outdoor furniture. I guess I'm just not that experienced in furniture shopping to think out of the box at all. Dilly Dally - I'm going to give that a try by looking up the images vs. the sites, thanks for the tip :-) As far as style, I have the hardest time stating what it is. I'll try to find some images online and maybe I can share them with the group and someone can help me figure out my style??!! How sad is that??? Les - I never knew there were that many table choices out there! I really like that first one, and it's a patio table, again never would have thought to look those up. Susie - that's too bad you had to change your table but good for you for figuring out a way to make it work! I never really thought about how heavy a glass table could be. Great, my husband will be thrilled! Uxorial - what a creative idea for a table. I bet it makes your porch look great...do you have pics of it? I really need to expand my imagination when thinking about items in my house...I rely on the stores to have what I want, but that hasn't always worked me for.