That's one reason my sims can't have nice stuff, or a somewhat realistic house. I remove or don't add coffee tables because I know they'll walk through the entire house to put something there, instead of the available surface right next to them. Especially annoying with empty plates, because if the table has stuff on it, the plate can be difficult to spot, behind something.
Now, lacking a coffee table, they resort to putting empty plates on fireplace mantles (?) instead :|
Also, and maybe relate I don't know, I'm removing dining tables as well. My sims are wasting so much time with those around. I always tell them to grab food and then watch cooking show. Instead, they grab food, sit down at dining table, get up, sit down on sofa, then watch tv. I had to cut out the middle man, so to speak.
