Q: Our house is really small. We've added twins to the family in the year since we moved in, so we use every inch of it. I mean, with no dining room, we often eat in the living room, everybody sitting around the coffee table, which is just a large storage basket. Isn't there a better idea?

A: I have at least three "better ideas" to suggest. Shop for a coffee table that has multiple personalities: drawers and leaves that pull out to provide more space; low stools that slide under until you need them; wings that lift to double the size of the serving surface.

You are not alone in your gathering habits, you know. American families seem to be deserting their dining tables en masse. According to a survey by the International Furnishings and Design Association, the dedicated dining room is vanishing.

More than 70 percent of the IFDA survey respondents say they take their meals in other places, many, like your family, in the center of the living room. So it makes good sense to seek ways to max your comfort at mealtime.

Here's one smart idea to check out, and never mind that this is a big-city loft space with room enough for a total family reunion. The center of attention is the seating area — sofa, side chairs, and in the center of the action — ta-dum! — a coffee table with multiple personalities, a central table with two more nesting beneath, ready and waiting for the takeout to arrive.

You'll enjoy the table's name, too: It's from the Improv in G collection (by Somerton Dwelling), subtitled, "And Then There Were Three."

Q: I'm having roman shades made to fit the living and dining room windows. Both rooms face the street. I had no idea how ugly the backs of the shades would be with all those rings and cords. It wouldn't matter anywhere else, but when the shades are down, you see all that walking up to the house. Is there any way to solve this problem?

A: Smart you to pre-envision your potential eyesore! Few home decorators consider the nether side of their window treatments until they're installed and hanging there in all their unsightliness. Curtains are easy to handle — simply hang a panel of sheers between them and the window. Or — more fun — line them in a bright color or pattern that sends out welcome signals on its own.

Shades can be trickier. Have your workroom cover your new shade backs with a very lightweight, neutral-colored fabric sewn in place so it doesn't interfere with their operation and doesn't allow the mechanics that make your new shades function to spoil the view into your home.

Guess who's coming to dinner? A three-way cocktail table that triples your dining space. Photo: Courtesy Somerton Dwelling

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Manhattan Style" and six other books on interior design. To find out more about Rose Bennett Gilbert and read features by Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website and www.creators.com.