The President does not have many indoor options at the White House for meeting space. He has the Roosevelt Room, which seats 14 at the table. He also has the Cabinet Room, which normally maxes out at 22 at the table. These are too large for most meetings and look awkward with only a few people.
Then of course the Oval Office is available to him, whenever Ivanka is not using it.
From what we have seen so far from White House photos, the President operates day to day business with 2 to 5 aides seated around the Resolute Desk for most meetings. Occasionally, several are seated while several others are standing. The photos taken of these are a mixed bag ranging from exceptional images to disordered confusion.
Sun Tzu aside, the President is best served when conveying a degree each of power, authority and stability from the Oval Office.
For Congressional leader visits, the President most often uses the couches and chairs in front of the fireplace. Images of these events are entertaining because the couches are too low to the ground so whoever is seated on them looks uncomfortable and their butts are below their knees as the cushions sink toward the floor. Anyone seated on the couches is uncomfortable and looks undignified. This is especially true in contrast to the President’s profile seated in one of the wooden library chair in front of the fireplace.
Clearly this set up could have its purposes.
While I have not ever noticed President Trump overusing the Oval Office for podium speeches in front of his desk with teleprompters, both former Chicago resident Obama and former President George W Bush both did. Both podiums were too narrow and W’s was too short. Both used ridiculously large presidential seals.
Kennedy and later Johnson had a rocking chair in the Oval Office and a significantly different layout than more recent presidents. Johnson had a hideous console block of cathode ray televisions installed. All presidents have periodically reconfigured the Oval Office for events, such as speeches at a podium or very large group gatherings where most furniture is emptied from the room.
Consider that as the Oval Office has degenerated into a set for most recent presidents, it is used to convey to the public that the president is working hard and meeting with individuals relevant to the national news.
But the President does not have a meeting table available to him in the Oval Office for events and meetings that really do seem to require one. Many corporate executives have a small or medium-sized conference table in their offices. This is generally the norm. Elon Musk has one combined into his own desk. Jack Welch had one too.
Why not have two or three dark cherry meeting tables built that could be used in the Oval Office for some meetings on the President’s calendar, as needed? Remove the couches, as is often already done anyway, move the sitting chairs and end tables toward the fireplace and place a meeting table and chairs parallel to the President’s desk but toward the fireplace?
It is already functionally a set or conference space now. This would not be a huge change. If anything it is a acknowledgement of the manner in which presidents and their aides work day to day.
Several sizes could be available and have flowers or plants on them when not in use, but perhaps are not permanently located in the Oval Office as the couches have an image-softening effect.