I have it in my kitchen and use it there to work on it when I am cooking. I did cover it with plastic to avoid scratches and stains, although I recently bought a fast drying polyurethane clear product to get rid of the plastic. For me it is a very versatile table. I use when I need extra seating, a buffet table, to eat in the kitchen, for barbecues. I am constantly finding more uses for it and I love the color, the finish, the hight. If it scratches, just cover it with a black permanent ink, and Voilá! just like new.