A good wide angle lens to avoid distortions, a tripod, knowledge of white balance (essential if there are lights on, or varying light sources), and ability to use the camera manually rather than auto. A flash is useful too.. Point upwards to the ceiling. Also, lights on shouldn't be a rule...it really should depend on the room and light type, for example side table lamps can add atmosphere and warmth to the shot. Often lights render the image too yellow though (this is where knowledge of adjusting white balance manually comes in), and can appear as a big glaring blob on the photo. I would avoid ceiling lights unles they are small spotlights/down lighters. And get the composition right....usually a photo taken from the corners of a room works best. Detail shots (different lens needed) are sometimes required, but I don't really get why estate agencys sometimes include a photo of a vase of flowers...

In a lot of cases, I suspect the answer would be for the same reason you do eat at a table - it's what people generally grew up doing, it's what they're used to doing and, being part of the television generation, it's just too convenient to do otherwise. Ironically, I don't tend to watch very much television at all, except when I'm sat, tray in lap, eating ... Another possibility is that not everyone has the space for a permanent formal dining table, and use one with fold-down leaves, for example, which can be hidden away behind an armchair, or somesuch, and wheeled out requiring the moving of other furniture) for special occasions - entertaining, or xmas dinner. For my own part, it's a combination of familiarity, and the fact that it's simply more comfortable to sit in an armchair, or on a sofa, tray on lap, even if I don't bother putting the television on.

In the middle of a long drawn out revamp, coffee table relegated to the tip, it absence planned to last unsuitable within the new decor. But I missed it.!!!! And needs must. I discovered that using our old, 'long tall Sally' wooden stool was actually great for my coffee cup and nibbles. Matter of fact it looks rather cool. So I'm on the look out for a twin for my next project. Just need to decide what colour to paint them.

Working for others can be a challenge but working together on our own home, both outspoken and strongheaded, well... that's another story but still... When my (now) wife and I were moving in together we both had our own place and very different furniture tastes / preferences. My wife coming from years of working in a very strict Bauhaus-ideal based interior design consultancy had spent many months pay on design classics. My tastes were, as she put it, 'underdeveloped'. I didn't agree of course but they were just very different and mainly through experience, not so much 'Bildung' (education). My idea of a good couch consisted of, first can you sit on it very comfortably and second does it look okay. Apart from that I had collected and salvaged quite a few quirky heirlooms from my immediate family, mainly Art Deco style and age. Seems like a clash, right? Well NO. We both agreed when we bought our home that we would look for what worked best for the house and for ourselves. Starting at two key pieces we arranged our styles and combined them. For our dining room we had one key piece we agreed upon. An antique oak synagogue bench was what started us off. Everything else was coordinated with the 'very present' wooden bench. The rest, we agreed, had to be calmer and be able to appose the bench. For our living room we started with a rug we both loved, our real first purchase together, a Persian rug with a different colour set, ranging from bright green to light blue instead of the regular dark reds and yellows. As long as you both have something you love to start you off you will both see which of your existing furniture will work together and which ones don't. Starting with agreement is a golden rule. The old bench was combined with Fritz Hansen, Arne Jacobsen chairs. A vintage industrial lamp she already had, over the dining room table I designed myself (stainless steel frame with solid oak top, treated with a whitewash and hardwax, similar to our oak flooring).