Yes...1920/1930 Crate and Barrel has a similar table for 2.4K not nearly as nice as this one. Ok bleaching is a 2 part wood bleach...Forgive me if I tell you stuff you already know. First you need to do a finish sand with 220 grit. Then wipe it down with mineral spirits and let it dry 2 or 3 days. 2 if it isn't humid 3 if it is. You can try at that point to use peroxide... powdered Oxyclean. Make a paste with it and a bit of water paint it on and then wipe it off in 10 minutes it will lift the grain and you will have to sand again. If that does not work you need to follow these instructions http://www.wikihow.com/Bleach-Wood As far as staining, Minwax is ok. Work small sections at a time lay it on wait a few and wipe it off then sand then mineral spirits again. From here all your coats should be sanded with a very fine grit or steel wool...you need to wait a few days between anything you do. This will be a several week project. It will take 2 or 3 tries to get the stain right. Then you will want to put a protective coat on it. Make sure you are working where there is plenty of ventilation. I normally do large projects outdoors or in an open garage. There are many ways to finish the wood. Water based Poly applies with a foam small roller and is probably the easiest. Keep your strokes long and running in the direction of the wood. Practice on scrap wood first so you can see how much pressure you need and how it levels. Edges are a pain. You need to work in small sections at a time and be sure to roll the edges so the poly seals on the top and side - it has a tendency to shrink from the corners. Resist the urge to go over a spot. Wait till it dries ( 2 or 3 days ) then sand. And reapply. I would put 2 coats of poly on. You can also varnish or shellac or wax the finish. I personally prefer shellac. If a scratch occurs you can touch it up in the future ....not so with the poly. The best thing I can tell you is take your time the table is worth it.

Declaration - I am a rug business owner. The pros for having a rug - subfloor protection, noise suppression and atmosphere outweigh the cons - scratched floors (we all have a friend who comes for dinner and tips on their chair) noise (my kids constantly scrape the chairs) and cold bare atmosphere. Rugs complete rooms. Maybe the issue with young kids who are messy eaters could be the only reason you hold back. The issue relating to timber fading is another matter - timber floors darken with UV exposure, so your rug should always be moved around to make sure the fade lines are not obvious. Even if it just 10cm here and there to mix up the exposed area.

A good rule of thumb is 1m from table to a wall, to allow room for the chair to go back when the person is seated without feeling too crowded. For a thoroughfare behind a chair I would allow 1.2 - 1.5 from table to bench, the more the better.

The one on the left you can mix and match them, so if you don't want the table in the corner you can move it out...You can also add extra pieces of the lounge, which i will do, to make both sides even :) But the one on the right doesn't come with a corner table at all, but you can also add or remove pieces on the lounge. I am just really confused in which colour grey i like more, and which style lounge - meaning the aluminium frame, i like more. One has more rounded legs where the other has straight legs...and i think the size of the actual seats are different are different on both too. Which legs do you guys think are nicer??