I'm a novice woodworker, whose tools are very limited and whose shop doubles as a dining room (or is it the other way around?)

I'm in the process of assembling a coffee table. It's very simple, just some narrow African Mahogany boards doweled together, with some reinforcement on the bottom, and hairpin legs.

My wife sees how lightly colored the wood is and is trying to talk me into staining it. I'm under the impression that applying a finish like water based polyurethane will darken it up just fine.

I haven't purchased a finish yet, so I'm hoping you could talk to me about what you would recommend for a coffee table. Is polyurethane not necessary for a coffee table? Is lacquer durable enough? Will it darken up a bit like I think it will?

Thanks!