It's a lovely kitchen! It just needs some personality. :) Hang an old metal sign or plaque over the doorway, put a few decorative items on the island (large colorful bowl with fruit), and yes get new barstools.

I would get a light colored runner and some silver metal barstools, or something lighter. It just needs a little brightening up.

Are you saying you want to repaint the green wall?

Lovely kitchen!!

I would get a rug with some color and texture and some fabric stools that repeated some of the color in the rug. And the rug and/or the stools with pattern. You have so much wood in the kitchen that you need some texture to soften things a bit.

I would spray paint the stools and change the seat covers if you like the stools overall.

As a starting point, I'd look for art work or dishes that you like. Also, do you like the green walls? I personally am a fan of cream or greenish blue.

I don't see any walls for artwork, but you could replace the things on your open shelves (above your landing spot) with some colorful pottery. And maybe a colorful bowl for fruit (or napkins or whatever) in the center of the island?

I'm not sure if red is the answer for your barstools, but gold would work. Like a mustard color? I'd find the rug first and then pull colors from there.

I don't know how much you want to spend, but Company C has some great colorful rugs. Here's one.

Here is a link that might be useful: rugs

No need to fear color...I love color!

I'm not feeling the red.

Eggplant. I'm in my eggplant phase and think it would look great with the pretty maple cabinets. A true eggplant can go dark in your room, but maybe something a shade lighter....this is SW mature grape... I changed the color of the rug too, and if you can lighten the ceiling...SW Spanish white.... I think it will go a long way to brighten the room overall.

Then I'd change out the rug, get stools that swivel with backs on them to make them more prominent and comfortable and then (can't see from the pics) add a fabric valance that includes the off white and purple.

I love my purple accents in my kitchen as well! Agree with Annie above--and the fabric I used for my kitchen ties in nicely! Its cream background, with green and purple accents! Calico Corners fabric!

That's a very nice green and it goes really nicely with your cabinets.

I'd get a long Oriental runner for the stretch along the sink.

Get new stools, and unless you need four, I'd get only three for the long end of the island. That fourth one looks cluttered to me.

Maybe take that doodad down from the flat surface over the sink and hang a gold-framed painting; and a narrow painting over the doorway;

What if you were to paint just the island, either in the same green as the wall (or same color as the wall if you repaint) or another color?

I don’t see a drastic wall color change as making a difference toward good. To me you just need more interest and texture. You played it safe (or someone did) with the island lighting (although the lighting is nice :) You don’t have walls for art so make the lighting your art. Some very cool lighting there would really make a HUGE difference. I see the walls in a light soft grey/green. As suggested you could paint the barstools and recover, or, look for a very low backed stool. As for the runner, that’s one of those things you will now it when you see it.

Keep in mind I don’t know what the rest of your house looks like so not sure if these would work overall. I would do three.

This post was edited by jterrilynn on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 9:41

Very pretty kitchen - my last house I had purple and green in my kitchen and some adjoining rooms. I LOVED IT...

Since you do have very little wall space - would you consider wall paper - just to add some pattern to the room cover your stools in a coordinating fabric and maybe a small runner for your island.

I like these two from West Elm (sorry, two posts required)

Or this one:

Let's start with a simple change -- add a large black bowl to your island -- and fill it with a colorful fruit -- red apples? oranges? pears? grapes? -- that small but vibrant change can really help determine if-and how-much color you can stand to see out all day .....

Yes -- start with an accessory like a long runner -- again -- put it down for a few days -- and see if you can live with the colors .....

I like the first stools Tibbrix posted.

Like Tiberius says.....an oriental runner or 2. Sounds totally impractical but in reality works very well.

Orientals are great for kitchens as they hide every stain but they also add a richness to an otherwise angular room. I would dissent, though, from getting two. what you don't want in a kitchen is any possible means of tripping, like when you're carrying boiling hot water or pans.

A dissenter here: I would not do stools with backs, at least not on aesthetic grounds. I think it will look and feel crowded.

We need a start ... What colors or patterns do you like?

Mtn, no backs? You must be a very young chicky! I do agree though that the backs shouldn't be too high. A low back would be good.

This post was edited by jterrilynn on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 11:36

Where stools and backs or no backs are concerned, I'd go with function over form. Backless stools are so uncomfortable. If they're for kids, fine. But if adults sit there and chat with you while you're working, I'd get stools with backs. I don't think a low back would be obtrusive, esp. when the stool is push in. Might even add some needed texture to the room.

I love light blueish green/gray walls

Wythe Blue

Or Palladian Blue, Yarmouth Blue, Wedgewood Gray....

{{gwi:1739140}}

Bu think we need to know what color you like.

I put together your kitchen a new barstool and runner.

Let me know what you think… like or dislike?

Too. Much. Dark. I like the lightness of the island and think you need some functional stools with a lot of pizzazz. Look through this list and I'll bet something jumps out at you. I love the Navy stools and the Bertoia's. Especially the latter. They're light and airy, yet have a back that's serious enough to encourage a long sit for coffee and a chat.

Here is a link that might be useful: [sleek beautiful bar stools[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/20-favorite-modern-bar-and-counter-stools-stsetivw-vs~969749)

Btw, what is the treatment on your ceiling. I'm intrigued by the play of light on it.

I like AKTillery's vision but I like tomatofreak Tolix bar stools (perhaps in tomato red) with the colors shown by AKTillery in order to give the kitchen a little pizazz. Either aqua or sage would be beautiful for the painted areas in the kitchen with the door frame and baseboards in a lighter color, i.e., white/ivory/oyster and the wood cabinets staying the same, a great Oriental runner of same ground color as walls, but use tomato bar/counter stools to give the room some unexpected "pop."

I think I like this elephant brown gray best because it adds drama. Also, it just dawned on me that although I would get a short back stool, the stool couldn’t have arms at all because it wouldn’t slide all the way in. Sorry I didn’t have time to look for a runner. The pendants are from RH.

A simple improvement I would make is to tone down the white trim. To my eye it looks very harsh and clashes with the ceiling colour. If the ceiling colour is the same as the trim, its texture and horizontal view are affecting the perception of the colour, in the photo at least.

Wow! Thank you for taking the time to give suggestions, everybody. I'm so happy to hear ideas I never would have thought of, such as:
purple or blue-toned paint, silver metal bar stools, and new lighting

Also, I realize the lighting and/or photo effect cause the colors to be a bit off. My ceiling is just drywall finished with "mud" and paint (very common in our region - the Midwest/Southeast). The ceiling is very white and is exactly the same as the trim throughout my house. My kitchen is open to my traditional living room, with a darker shade of the green paint "Mark Twain House Olive" Valspar. That living room (shown in holiday mode below) is slated for a color and furniture change in the next year.

Style-wise, we completely remodeled this 40-year-old ranch, but kept things very traditional. Every surface was pastel, off-white, or wallpapered when we bought it, so I reacted with color - safe, earth toned color. The end result is darker-than-I'd like areas for sure. Slowly, I've been changing that.

Also, it's probably important to note that I have four young kids (hence, the four stools) and have thus far been keeping things as practical as possible as they grow in independence. I love the idea of a runner in the kitchen and I think I'll do that now that my kids aren't sloshing around their cups and driving ride-on toys through.

I am intrigued by the eggplant paint idea and the examples you've shown look beautiful. I'm afraid it'd be an uphill battle to talk my husband into that! It's definitely something to explore further, though. I can see bringing that into my living room too, with accents.

Tibbrix, I love that first pic of West Elm stools. I also love those Bertoia stools (yikes, $1,000 each, though!). Would silver stools look strange with all my copper cabinet hardware? I get pigeon-holed when it comes to mixing metals, even though it seems to look great in many room pics

Our current stools used to have backs, but I removed them to try out what backless would be like. I think it's true that the backed stools are much more comfortable. I'd love for a stool to have a low back.

Overall, I feel like modern-looking stools won't go with all the traditional decor I have. I hate that, in a way, because I really lean toward that industrial style that I see everywhere and I'm drawn to both rustic and transitional styles too. I'm about to paint Woodlawn Colonial Gray (Valspar) down my long hallway. I'll post a few pics of things I love and would like to incorporate in this kitchen area. Maybe that will narrow it down.

I've been looking at overstock's stools (pricing is great). I'd say stools need to be less than $200 each to have a prayer of making the cut :)

Thanks again. I love the mock-up AnnieDeighnaugh and the product suggestions.
Sas95 (and several others) - I totally agree that texture and personality is needed!!! I definitely played it safe with lighting choices and decor in the aftermath of the original remodel.

Here is a stool very similar to the first West Elm stool I posted, but much less expensive (see link)

http://www.homedecorators.com/P/Recycled_Leather_Bar_Stool/740/

Here is a link that might be useful: Leather stool

This post was edited by Tibbrix on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 19:45

This is the view toward the living room. Sorry it's a blurry pic, but I think you get the idea.

And yes, I think with your stainless steel appliances, you can definitely have silver stools

Here is a link that might be useful: Silver counter stool

A few pieces of decor I like a lot (and already have).

This would make such a fun runner for your kitchen. And this one comes in a very long length. Also notice…NO FRINGE!!!! Woo hoo!

Here is a link that might be useful: Runner

This post was edited by Tibbrix on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 19:59

I like the sissal runners, and they would add great texture, but they wouldn't add color.

Runners I like... (hope these links work)

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Safavieh-Handmade-Wyndham-Ivory-Brown-Wool-Rug-23-x-11/8075731/product.html?TID=QV2:VIEWALLDETAILS

http://ak1.ostkcdn.com/images/products/2908127/Handmade-Heritage-Bakhtiari-Multi-Red-Wool-Runner-23-x-10-d63b21df-f502-4e60-aabc-a6835ae3b810_600.jpg

I like these graphic designs (moroccan): http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Runner-Rugs/605/subcat.html?products=5309863&TID=L2AR_Runner#qvclosed

Here is a link that might be useful: Rug (plain, I know)

Two rugs
One:
http://ak1.ostkcdn.com/images/products/9231420/P16398791.jpg

The other is linked below in blue:

Here is a link that might be useful: Graphic design?

I love the natural fiber rugs, like sisal, etc., but they are not good in kitchens. They will show every stain and look pretty bad in no time. They are better for where there isn't a lot of traffic or risk of spills.

I like this one:
http://www.homedecorators.com/images/items/medium/13596420.jpg

It looks like I can find lots of runners. Perhaps I should go with stools first, then find runners.

Reg, I get sale deals sent by email from 55 downing street . com. There wasn't anything that would jive your décor today but their sales are great and very very affordable. Also, if you sign up with Hayneedle , com they will also email you with deals. 55 downing had a sale on barstools a few weeks ago and had lots for well under $200 ea .

I like the silver stools. I've also seen those at C&B (not sure they still carry them) and then online at Overstock but not the swivel version.

Here is the silver stool in your kitchen. Not the best photoshop job, but you get the idea.

I was really worried about the mix of metals and styles when we bought these barstools for the island in our coastal-ish, cottage-y home -- but they were so comfortable and so well-priced that I decided it was worth the risk. All of our visitors rave about them!

You are right that there's a lot of green. Do you know what color you'll choose for the anticipated LR changes?

I really like the Woodlawn Colonial Gray you have picked for the hallway

It may be boring, but I'd also like a light creamy yellow, like in that rug Tibbrix posted (maybe Windham Cream), for your kitchen.

Gawd, I love that rug I put up. I think I'm going to get it for myself for inside my front door! Lol.

Agree w/NSM (as usual), a soft yellow would be nice in there too.

With 4 young children and an active kitchen environment, I would never use any sort of runner that couldn't be thrown in the washer or otherwise easily cleaned. Any item in your home that "hides dirt," does just that: hides dirt. A prelude to nasty and smelly (esp. near a dishwasher).

A seagrass runner can be hosed off. So can an indoor/outdoor propylene rug. Or, a basic cotton rug can easily be washed.

These from Dash & Albert are easily cleaned and maintained. They have green in them to coordinate with your wall color, but there are many colors/patterns available.

Another easy-to-clean D&A rug with red...

My fave... with pretty, fresh yellow and green to coordinate with your wall color.

I have so many good ideas from this post. Thanks so much! You have encouraged me to jump outside my (green and traditional) box :) I feel like I have the courage to try several different things and styles instead of boxing myself in.

You've given me lots of places to shop that I've never seen before, too.

I plan to buy several types of things to "try them out" as soon as I get the chance. Then, I'll just take back what doesn't work. It'll be an annoyance to drive back and forth to stores an hour away, but I really have to SEE it.

I would love to paint my kitchen and living room that gray color above (first, doing it in my hallway). I'm so impatient - I want it all done today! Then, perhaps, I can get this kitchen finished and move on to the living room. Gotta convince my husband to stop working so much and work on the house instead!

FYI: I LOVE Dash & Albert rugs, but be aware that the cotton ones, like the ones Peony showed, are VERY hard to vacuum, because they are lightweight and do not sit heavy on the floor. I think if I were to go that route, i.e.: a flatter rug with that kind of pattern, I'd look at indoor/Outdoor rugs. I love the selection at Plow & Heart.

Try painting the wall white, less color than you have now.

This post was edited by kswl on Tue, Jul 29, 14 at 0:28

Late to the party!

I suggest changing out your cabinet hardware to stand out/go better with the new lighting and bar stools you'll be picking out--you know, the metal ones in the silver family! LOL I don't think you need more wood in that room!

I agree on the wool runner idea--hardly anything shows and you can easily spot clean.

Keep us posted!

Can you tell me what the name of your Green paint color is? As everyone repaints to gray and blue and taupe, I still think Green will be the color that replaces Gold in my sunroom.
Thanks