Hi Sharon - I too live alone in a 1-bedroom apartment and currently sew in the "dining area". What I did was to buy some tall kitchen wall cabinets from Ikea, laid them on their sides, attached the door hinges so that the doors lift down and not up, then added a second stack. I can store my sewing machines and fabric for current projects. But I hate having to put my sewing machine away on the rare occasions when someone comes to visit, and to keep my living room basically unused except for those occasions when my children sleep over (twice a year) makes little sense. I'm loving your idea more and more.