I have a nook, quite small, that is not a U. It has one bench along the wall and two chairs. It can be a pain for every day use, depending on the number of people and who is "trapped." It means that I am always the one (since I sit in a chair) to get up and get the ketchup of flatware that was forgotten. Nonetheless, having grown up with a nook, I will say it is inviting and cozy. I guess it just depends on your tolerance for the "trap" factor. Also note that it can be expensive to upholster the seating. For us, in NY, iy was alot more money than buying a table and chairs. Remember that when you do upholster, you want to do something thati s easy to slide on and that feature does not come in all the lovely patterns you tend to see in magazines. Good luck.

Cut a 36" circle out of paper or use painters tape and make an outline on the floor

Yes... I was originally going to make the tabletop 36"W, but after reading those specs on Arhaus.com I decided to widen it to at least 38" to accommodate the bases. The mounting issue was another thing I tried to discuss with the online "designer" and didn't get any help with. In this picture it looks like there are holes on the top of them, but since my top is 2 cm quartz, I won't be using any screws into it to attach them. The stone fabricator will install the top similar to how they install countertops to cabinet bases, using a special epoxy glue. But I will definitely show these bases to them first to make sure it can be attached properly! As far as other coordinating colors in my home, I am planning on replacing most of the existing fixtures (except wood floors) so I'm basically starting from scratch with the 2 tables in question, the tan leather sofa and 3 kitchen chairs I already have. From there I will decide on barstools, light fixtures, rugs, banquet cushions and other accessories, incorporating an accent color or 2 in some of those. Interesting idea to do the bar table legs in an fun accent color, but I think choosing that now would be putting the cart before the horse! Maybe I'll skip that step for now and keep the existing black legs that are on it (knowing that they will eventually be changed) until I choose my kitchen table base and barstools. Does anyone else think the brass bases might look more (or too) formal than the black ones?

Your dilemma reads like a math story problem!!! (I was horrible at them!). Please post a floor plan.