How I Embraced the Coffee Table as the New Family Table — Life in the Kitchen

Last year, my husband and I sold our 2,400-square-foot suburban home in Atlanta to move across the country to Boise, Idaho. We landed in a much smaller, roughly 1,600-square-foot, home in the heart of downtown. What we gave up in a living space, we gained in community, health, and a much lower mortgage payment.

Our story is not unusual. As more young families are choosing to live in cities rather than suburbs or rent rather than own, or opting for smaller homes, formal dining spaces and their bigger dinner tables are becoming less ubiquitous. Even though we have a small dining area, we still eat about two-thirds of our meals at home at the coffee table.

For several months, I struggled to let go of the ideal that family dinner had to be at the dining table. But the reality is the coffee table made family meals easier — especially outside of dinner. Coffee table dining also made room for more guests and helped us make friends in our new town more quickly. Here's how I made peace with coffee table meals and embraced it as the new family table.

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