Friendsgiving for six in a small apartment, with a table that folds away

Friendsgiving for six doesn’t need a dining room. It needs one table long enough for three people a side, seats for everyone, and enough floor around the table that guests can get up for seconds without asking the whole row to stand. This plan uses a living room about 12 by 13 feet, with the sofa left where it is.

The layout

A 6 ft folding table runs across the room, parallel to the sofa, with three chairs on each long side and nobody at the ends. The table sits 45 inches from the wall on one side and 45 inches from the sofa on the other, so there is room to walk behind seated guests on both sides. A rug under the table and chairs keeps the dining area feeling like one place and stops chair legs from scraping the floor.

Before you set anything up, measure your room. The numbers that matter are the distance from each long side of the table to the nearest wall or piece of furniture: about 32 inches lets a chair pull out, and about 44 inches lets people walk behind the chairs. If one side only has room for 32 inches, seat the guests there who won’t need to get up first.

Seating six

Allow about 24 inches of table edge for each person. Three places of 24 inches fit along a 72 inch side, which is why a 6 ft table seats six. Four folding chairs plus two chairs borrowed from a desk or a bedroom make six seats. Keep the chairs at ordinary dining height: a table 28 to 30 inches high pairs with seats around 17 to 19 inches high, so the sofa and floor cushions are for after dinner, not during it.

Where the food goes

A 30 inch wide table holds six place settings and a few serving dishes, but not a whole Thanksgiving spread. Serve from the kitchen counter, buffet style, and bring only the dishes people pass around to the table. Put drinks and dessert on snack tables by the sofa, away from the chairs, so the table stays clear and nobody reaches across a neighbor for the water.

One long table or two card tables?

If you already own a 34 inch card table, a second one pushed against it makes a 68 by 34 inch top. That works in a pinch, but there is a seam down the middle and the legs meet exactly where knees go. One 6 ft fold-in-half table gives a continuous top and folds into a single piece for storage.

What to measure before you buy

Measure the open floor where the table will stand. Add 30 inches for the table’s width to the space you need on each long side: 32 inches where nobody walks behind, 44 where they do. Then measure the spot where the folded table will live, whether that is a closet, the space behind a door, or under a bed.

After dinner

Clear and wipe the table, fold the chairs, fold the table in half and store it upright. Soon after, the living room is a living room again, and the leftovers are the only sign of the party.