You may, however, feel that futon sofas scream "undergrad!" and that your post-college sophistication demands a true, honest-to-goodness, couch. Foraging at garage sales is a good idea, but will likely turn out merely functional sofas— tatty pieces faded to some indeterminate shade of brown. If you are going to go with one of these finds, keep in mind that wood-framed sofas are best, as you can easily make covers to transform that nasty booger-green wool cushion into an elegant black, gray, or blue color ... whatever tickles your fancy.

You might also consider looking for a few folding or stacking chairs. These work fabulously in small spaces, as they can be tucked away into a corner or a closet once the guests have departed.

My advice is to look for a coffee table—to go along with your newly acquired sofa—because chances are good that’s where you’ll be doing all of your dining anyway. Decent-looking coffee tables can be found quite easily at garage sales, and for dirt-cheap. Big trunks also make great coffee tables, and have the added advantage of acting double duty as storage.

If you don’t like hunching over your coffee table to eat dinner, one option is to sit on the floor, and dine Japanese-style. You can buy or make a few small, flat pillows that you can sit on to keep your tush cushioned while you eat.

Alternatively, look for folding side/tray tables, which can be stowed away when not in use. IKEA [www.ikea.com] offers several attractive, cheap, models [try the UDDEVALLA side table, which costs a mere $14.95], while Target [www.target.com] carries a 4-tray-table set, made by Furio, for $49.99.

If you’re feeling handy, you can quite easily make a dining table. All you need is a flat surface [a piece of plywood, for instance, which you can find at a place like Home Depot, or a large mirror or piece of glass], and something to support it on [wooden stools, low bookshelves … whatever you can find for cheap at garage sales and the like]. If your tabletop is heavy enough, you won’t need to worry too much about it sliding around, as long you’re careful to avoid crashing directly into it. You can also buy pre-made table legs at your local Home Depot, and screw them into the top.

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