I really like the barstools in the picture you showed. Where are those from? Your kitchen sounds so charming! I am also in search of the perfect barstool...and have had my eye on the Isabella Stool at pottery barn - but I choke over the price. The ones you picture look very sturdy to me. If you do a search for barstools I think a couple threads will come up that might be helpful.

Very pretty stools!

The top stool is called Wynn, and it's from Pottery Barn:

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/wynn-barstools/?pkey=call-chairs-barstools

The bottom one is called Provence and it's from Ballard Designs:

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/provence-counter-stool/stools/counter-stools/194300

I like the Isabella stool too! I wonder how sturdy that seat is? Their prices are high, you're right...

How about windsor backs like these? My Mom & Dad had them in the house I gew up in (in a horse/farm town and house) and they were very comfortable too.

Okay. Urban farmhouse to me means: take farmhouse add industrial or modern elements, mix over ice and spray it all gunmetal, white or black. What you have to me is very much within the traditional country farmhouse genre. Sorry, no modern. No industrial. No urban-chic. Not that there is anything wrong with that, we're currently building a farmhouse and the stools you listed are very much in line with what we are looking for.

However if you want to go for a less countrified look I would suggest you push out a bit towards something like:

A bit modern (budgety):

Very industrial (and not so budgety):

More modern:

$199 Ghost / Vapor Stool from CB2

Mod. (no ern)

$150 50s throw-back metal

The ones I admire don't have backs, but they have very comfortable looking seats and would keep the lines clear in your kitchen -- look at Design Within Reach's Tractor Seat stools.
Lynn

I like the curves of the Windsor chair better than your first choice. How about this one?

Here is a link that might be useful: thonet bar stool - DWR

What about the Ikea Ingolf? They are $99 each and come in white and "antique stain". I have considered, for that price, sanding and either staining them darker or painting them black...

And Crate and Barrel has some nice ones, too,
www.crateandbarrel.com/furniture/barstools/1

The nice thing about Ikea and Crate Barrel is that, if you have one handy, you can definitely give the chairs a test...

Probably more than I am willing to spend for island stools, but these appeal to me too,

www.stanleyfurniture.com/product/84747/0181100083/_/European_Farmhouse%3Cbr%3EArtisan's_Apprentice_Barstool

PS I laugh whenever I see tractor seat stools because my husband and kids spend so much time sitting on *real* tractor seats that there's no way they'd countenance them in the house for anything that's supposed to be comfortable and relaxing!

Becky

Here is a link that might be useful: Ikea Ingolf counter stool

I know you said you would like stools with backs, but I have plain saddle stools and I love them. They are at a counter-height bar that we use for my kids snacks and quick meals and such. There is pretty much just a flat surface to clean (the seat) as opposed to all the spindles and crossbars and such with the other stools. Another good thing is they slide right under the overhang and are out of the traffic lanes when not in use.

Oh, and my kids are both under five and they have no problem climbing up and sitting on them.

I have had counter stools for many years. The first counter had very ugly support brackets that were placed just so that they "chewed" up the stools. My kids and we were not careful enough with the chairs as we pushed them in. The reality is that this is an eating area that gets used and abused daily. One has to design for that!

Be careful how you mount the support brackets. The back of the cabinets also did not go straight down to the floor and was 4 inches off the floor: ie cabinet style. This sharp corner also "chewed" up the stool legs.

Having lived with that, I am really careful evaluating design that can "chew" up cabinets or stools. The picture with the windsor chairs has a center column for support. That will get knocked by the stool over time and will look beat up. I chose NOT to have boxed in type of countertop to the floor design because I knew that interior of the boxing-in part would get "chewed up" or "beat up" by the stools and kids feet.

I also have saddle type without back suport. I like having less to clean and not having backs protrude above the counter, which ruins the look in my kitchen.

Ha, liriodendron, you have a sharp eye! I think the stools in our kitchen are good for perching, which I somehow distinguish from roosting, and for hiding under the island, because I wanted roosters to be steered toward the table in our kitchen. BUT, had I wanted to roost at the island for extended periods, I would have gone with the (backless) tractor seat, and I did like that DWR design. I just like their rural human shapeliness, and was influenced by pauline's farmhouse inspiration. In my opinion, children should be encouraged to sit up straight whether their chair has a back or not, so chair backs are extraneous! (I'm sort of only kidding a little bit.) I do think tractor seats are a wonder.
Lynn

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful comments! I love this place - like everyone says, it's been a huge help and inspiration throughout my project.

Chris 11895, I do like those Windsor chairs - they are elegant and true to the time of the house, like liriodendron said. Very pretty.

Brickton, you really clarified things for me. I guess I admire the urban farmhouse style, but if I'm honest about it, that's not what my kitchen is. So while I love the industrial stuff I keep seeing everywhere, it wouldn't fit my kitchen so well. I do LOVE those resto vintage chairs. But I'm learning that not all the things I love would work well in my kitchen, and I'm ok with that!

Farmgirlinky - You're the owner of that kitchen I've been drooling over! I just looked it up and realized that was yours. LOVE. I have the same type of sink, mounted in the same way, with similar soapstone counters. And the same Savon de Marseille soap! I love that fridge and was trying to figure out how to sneak it into my budget but couldn't do it! Love the clear glass door. I like those tractor stools you mentioned - very very nice. I thought you were talking about the ones with real tractor seats before I went to the webpage. Unfortunately, that would pretty much eat up what's left of my budget! Sigh.

Liriodendron, good point about sitting in the chair first. And now that I have talked to DH and read your post, I am leaning away from the Wynn chairs. Both of you said the same thing about it having a very PB look, which I see now. Funny how people see different details.

Ellaf - The Thonet bar stool is really pretty - I think it would look great in black in my kitchen! It has a vintagey look to it, and it's curvy but not too foofy. The Vienna barstool from Crate and Barrel that beckysharp mentions is similar.

Beckysharp, those Stanley ones are cool - kind of vintagey like the Restoration hardware one - but not quite so industrial.

Geokid and Kaismom, good points about considering the stools without backs...now I'm putting that in my list. I hadn't considered how the backs would look above the counter; might be nice not to see any backs! I haven't attached the support brackets yet (the counter isn't up) but that's a very good point about considering how they will interact with the chairs. I don't want to keep harping about not banging into things - better to design it so that's not an issue.

Well, that was long. Everyone has such good thoughts, I wanted to say thank you. I now have more to consider (maybe windsor, or maybe no backs) but also have ruled out some things (no PB, less chunky). Here are a couple photos of my kitchen in progress - one from the front, one from the back of the area where the bar will be (counter obviously not on yet!). Stove is going...it is leaking gas and new Bertazzoni will be in place soon!