I think corian is a good option actually. You could warm it up by having it made with a wood border around it. If there was any stained wood in your kitchen that could tie it in.

I have searched and searched for a decent 48" square pedestal table for our banquette. DH does not want to spend the money on an expensive hand made table right now, nor can I blame him. We have 6 children and our solution--I think-- is to get a restaurant pedestal table. The tops are quite indestructable and overall they are quite a bit less money. I have found they can be ordered in quite a few color/wood combinations.

Thanks for the good ideas. I'm going to go check out some corian this weekend. Our kitchen has no stained wood. We didn't design it and it has tile floors, black granite counters, and white trim. I've NEVER thought about buying a restaurant table! From a restaurant supply store?? Online? Cost is a huge issue for us too. But if I knew it would last, I could rationalize it more!

I'm planning to do the same thing. I've found a number of companies that sell separate bases online. You may also check out the restaurant supply houses (and salvage places) in your area.

There are also a number of less expensive furniture companies that sell pedestals.

For tops, I'm considering a zinc wrapped top. This may still be a bit cold, but it may be more durable.

I was just going to suggest stainless steel. Should be pretty reasonable to get a restaurant base and a piece of plywood cut to whatever dimension you need. Any fabricator could wrap it in stainless (or zinc, although zinc is more expensive.) It would outlive you and is great for homework, etc...no bumps or underlying texture. Nothing will mark it.

See...I knew this would be the place to ask! I will def be looking into restaurant supply stores in the area. And again, the thought of zinc or stainless steel never occurred to me either. All sorts of things to start investigating now. Though stainless doesn't exactly exude warmth...which this kitchen is desperately missing! I'm attaching a picture of the space the banquette and table will go into (minus the light fixture).
pipdog- what an incredible space for your banquette. The windows are fantastic and I love how "cushy" your banquette is.

consider furniture stores and craigslist as well. I have seen some nice L shaped banquettes recently.

I don't know what your dimensions are exactly, but there are 48" and 54" round tables that might work.

Antique copper might also work, especially after seeing your light fixture. Since it is very flexible, you can get a top wrapped onto a 48x48 plywood sheet pretty easily. Attached is an example that is round, but obviously you were seeking a square top.

Here is a link that might be useful: Round Copper Top 48

I would suggest salvaged wood. It's already beat up and with a good wax finish, it's quite durable. There are a few shops on etsy that do custom sizes or you may be able to find someone local. I've actually bought a bench from this etsy shop.

Here is a link that might be useful: square salvage wood table

We haven't quite finished this project, so this is the first sharing of it on gardenweb, but we made a banquette and table in the past month. The table top is an IKEA countertop that dh cut to size and routed... I stained it and then waterloxed it. We put it on 2 cast iron base pedestals that I found online. Someday we might switch out the table surface for granite (or whatever) when we actually do the cabinets and counters in our kitchen. The first pic shows the table when I was almost done finishing it (we "sealed" off the music room from the kids/pets). The second picture shows it in place with the nearly finished banquette.

While I haven't totally said no to the idea, I am afraid that a granite/silestone table might be too "cold" for a kitchen table. I'll make that final decision whenever we come to it.

The Ikea table is beautiful! Unfortunately we need 48x48 and I doubt the butcher block comes that wide.

Lawjedi- very impressive work on the table! It fits your banquette perfectly. And the pedestal bases were a great find. I've been searching and searching for a 48x48 or 50x50 square table to no avail. Almost wish I could do round...it would make it so much easier! The banquette is going in today so I need to make a decision soon. Scoured Craigslist and nearby restaurant supply stores with no luck. Am frightened to go price out quartz table tops.

Maybe try some antique stores. That 48 x 48 used to be a more common size than it is now.