Got four people coming over Saturday for braised short ribs and polenta. Glutton for punishment. My studio has an 18-inch counter, a drop-leaf table that seats two if nobody breathes, and exactly zero place to store a six-foot folding table except behind the sofa, where it'll become a permanent eyesore. Summer was easy—fire escape/balcony byob, plastic stools. But it's November and I'm not serving stew on laps.

What actually works for seating five adults in a studio? Floor cushions sound cute, but I feel like everyone taps out with lower-back regret by dessert. Do I borrow a folding table and chairs and just lean them in the hallway overnight? Would rather not get the passive-aggressive common-area email, but I also don't want a table as a permanent roommate.

Maybe I'm overthinking and the answer is 'lasagna from the coffee table.'

Okay I just did a mini version of this for three people in my alcove studio and we used a folding card table I borrowed from my super. It was wobbly as hell but nobody really cared because I put a bunch of candles on it. I'm curious about floor cushions too! My knees were screaming after sitting on the floor for charcuterie last week, and I'm only 30. Does anyone have a way to make floor seating not hurt for a whole dinner? Also would love the short rib recipe if you're sharing, EastHarlem_E. Mine always comes out dry even when I leave it in the oven forever.

Floor cushions are a no for braised short ribs and polenta. I host 5–6 people maybe twice a month in a ~460-square-foot Astoria one-bedroom, and the real trick is to stop trying to get everyone at one surface.

I keep two folding chairs in the coat closet and a 4-foot adjustable folding table behind the bedroom door. It's not invisible, but I hang it from an over-door hook so it doesn't eat floor space. For five people, I'd do a layered setup: use your drop-leaf as the food/bar station, put two people at the real table, two on the sofa or ottoman, and one on a folding chair pulled up to the coffee table. That sounds chaotic but it works if you plate in bowls, not shallow plates. Short ribs and polenta are actually great for this because the bowl can sit in one hand.

If you insist on floor seating, get low folding stools or a firm bench, not soft cushions. Soft cushions sink, you're trapped with your knees at your ears, and someone will drip braising liquid on a throw pillow. Borrowing from the super is fine; DykerNewbie is right that the card table will wobble. Fold a paper towel and put it under the short leg. Just don't leave anything in the hallway overnight, even if your lease says it's okay—your neighbors will absolutely report you.

My caveat: If you want people to stay past 9:30 p.m., chairs matter more than table size. Hosts underestimate how fast adults abandon floor seating.

Wait so if the coffee table is the main spot, where does the food go? Do you pre-plate everything before people sit? I tried a roast chicken thing last week and people kept knocking the salad bowl with their knees, so I ended up moving the whole meal to the kitchen counter and we ate standing. Astoria_arch, when you say over-door hook for the table, do you mean those flat hallway hooks, or did you drill into the door? My door has about half an inch of clearance and I already bought a shoe rack that doesn't fit.

Oh I have HUGE feelings about this! A lot of people jump to floor cushions because they look great in photos, but after 45 minutes people are leaning sideways on your bed frame or pressing their back against the radiator. For a studio dinner, the real answer is folding stools, not chairs, not cushions. You want stools that are flat when folded, wood or metal, and you can slide them behind the couch or hang two on wall hooks. I have tried the big padded floor cushion route and someone always ends up on the floor with a plate on a dog bed. Don't do it.

If you're doing short ribs and polenta, use deep bowls and thick cloth napkins. It's a lap meal. Have you tried setting the drop-leaf up as the dessert/drink station and keeping the main pot on the stove? People can line up and serve themselves there. It sounds less formal, but it eliminates the 'passing a heavy Dutch oven over someone's lap' situation. I'm also a huge fan of a hollow ottoman that stores the stools; mine has saved my entire social life. EastHarlem_E, what's the actual floor space between your sofa and kitchen? That makes a huge difference.

Wait, this is exactly the thread I needed. I'm new and just moved into my first Manhattan studio, and I had three coworkers over for pasta. We stood at the kitchen counter because I don't own chairs, and honestly it was fine for 20 minutes but then everyone started shifting their weight like we were at a cocktail bar that forgot the cocktails. DykerNewbie, did you have to bribe your super for the card table? I always feel weird asking for building stuff. Also if I buy a folding table, can I just lean it against the back of my closet, or will it turn into a big flat roommate that blocks all my shoes? I want to host more, but my place is basically a bed, a radiator, and a tiny IKEA table.

Lol I've given up on doing a sit-down thing. My last dinner party was five people eating off paper plates while standing around the kitchen window, and I called it a 'bodega lock-in.' Nobody complained because I made a big pot of beans and didn't ask anyone to balance a glass.

EastHarlem_E, if it's short ribs, I'd skip the floor cushions unless everyone's under 30 and wearing black. The real move is to put the pot on the stove, stack the bowls next to it, and let people fall wherever there's a flat-ish surface—sofa, radiator cover with a folded towel, one folding chair, one standing. Borrow the table from the super if you can; that wobble DykerNewbie mentioned is real, but a folded towel under the leg fixes it. Just don't leave anything in the hall overnight. My super's cool, but the management office sends a common-area email if a wet umbrella is left out too long. Maybe hand the super a six-pack as a thank-you.