It depends on which machine we're talking about lol. Most of my machines live on tables next to the wall. They're used for piecing or garment/bag making and I don't need a lot of room behind them. I FMQ on my Juki and it is in the center of the room in an EziSew table with a large "folding" table behind it. I have an extension for the EziSew table to make the space to the left of the machine better for holding the quilt when I'm doing FMQ