Between the sofa and two chairs across from it in a formal sitting room I have a traffic aisle approximately 4'6". I'm trying to decide what to put in that aisle to use as a coffee table. If anything. We don't serve drinks/food in there. But we do like to bring in things for show and tell--family photos, favorite books, etc. Things to discuss. So, I'd like to have a surface for that. Plus, I just feel strange looking across at people with nothing between us.

The other issue is bumping legs on a table. I would limit its width to 18". That leaves two walking spaces of 18" each in front of the furniture. Enough to get in and out. Our frequent visitors are my parents, who tend to bump into things.

SO, I'm thinking of these choices:

1) An upholstered bench/ottoman that won't bruise.

2) A wooden table with rounded edges and recessed legs on casters so it will move when touched. Maybe it should be oval, but our furniture is very straight lined and oval with recessed legs is hard to find.

3) A small tea cart to wheel in after people are seated. It would be very moveable during a visit.

4) Two small round lightweight tables, fairly unbreakable; they wouldn't bruise legs and it wouldn't matter if they got knocked over.

I just feel like I'm spinning my wheels here. Any ideas on what's practical? DH can custom-build anything wooden, though my upholstery skills are poor. So, if I can conceptualize it I'm not limited to what's available in the marketplace.