ManEc,
I used to have a "fine furniture" type of table. When we moved into our new home I decided to get a GCIV, double shimmed, Simonis 860, Aramith Super Pro balls - basically a standard tournament type setup. I have been extremely happy with it. Nothing beats playing every day on fine equipment.
The mahogany GCIV is very attractive (especially if you take care of it - the ones you've seen in pool halls look like crap compared to my well taken care of table). Even my wife likes the look of the table. Very nice mahogany skirts (on the table, not my wife), and extremely nice copper finished castings - and she has VERY high standards (and the house is fairly fancy, but the table does not look out of place). If you are lucky enough to live in an area with a dealer willing to bargain, I bet you can get a GCIV for around $4,000 (though our local dealer is asking around $8,000, there is a HUGE markup for him). Just my .02, good luck finding a table