How about something like this? It has a swivel stool and good reviews on barstools.com It's the Hillsdale Canton Counter stool

How this one without a swivel? It's the Tully Slat Back Counter Height Stool,

The table/chairs were VERY expensive (custom order). THey do make bar stools but I do not want to pay that price. I"m worried that if we get wood design with slats, they'll clash if not exactly the same color/style. With 2 kids I'd prefer not to get backless if possible. I was wondering if a metal design would be a good contrast...or maybe a style with no slats so they wouldn't clash???

You can always go fabric- Ikea makes nice ones for about 100.

I love your new table and chairs! But with the new table and the dark wood in your kitchen, I think you have plenty of wood. I'd go with another material for the chairs. Maybe metal? Or if you do buy wood, maybe some fabric seats to provide some color, texture and contrast, and don't try to match the table with the wood. Perhaps pull in the color of the floor or the countertops. Stools are hard. It took me forever to find the right ones.

I bought barstools from Costco.com. They are backless with dark brown/black leather seats. They are very comfortable for all shapes and sizes. They were about $500 for 3. As with anything at Costco easily returned.

I think Poohpup found a pretty good match to your chairs, but I also like the idea of breaking up all that dark wood.

Overstock has about a million stools! Here are some of my favorites; some I picked for aesthetics, others more for function (I loved swiveling around on my aunt and uncles counter stools when I was a kid).

We had a similar dillemma with a lot of wood and barstools that we needed close to our pecan dining room table and chairs. We went a more modern direction with metal stools with a leather back and seat. We also wanted to be able to try them as we are old and picky about our comfort. They are Calligaris "way stool".

Here is a link that might be useful: Calligaris Way Stool

With your red pendants, it seems it might be nice to introduce more red? A change in texture/material seems like a good thing, too.

I can't believe how expensive bar stools can be...

I wouldn't let kids deter you from getting backless. We have had backless while the kids were growing up and never had any issues. Just make sure they have a wide enough base to discourage the kids from tipping them back (like all kids seem to want to do!)

A red cushion would be a fun addition with your pendants but I wouldn't do "too" much red...just an accent in, perhaps the cushion?

I agree with your instinct not to do wood slats. And I agree that you have a lot of wood already so a fabric would be nice to soften things up. Further, I also agree that backless stools with very young kids is a head injury waiting to happen. For that reason, and purely for comfort, I selected backed stools. I also like the idea of bringing a little red in the stools, but not a solid red fabric.

I sure am in an agreeable mood today! Don't tell DH though.... He wants me to agree to painting the under-eaves area of the house the body color and I want it white. ;-)

I like the idea of fabric with red accents, just not sure if that will last with the kids. I"m tempted to go bold and do red leather...

I love the red leather idea. It would look perfect in you space and leather is really easy to clean.

I like the idea of fabric stools. You've got a lot of wood in there, maybe something with fabric would be nice. Find a nice fabric and reupholster some cheaper ones. Or, have slipcovers made. Outdoor fabric works great, just wipe off. If you're more interested in neutral fabric, try a neutral pleather in ostrich. My friend had some stool seats in that, it looks really modern and beautiful. Those are really easy to wipe down with kids. And, an added bonus would be that fabric stools won't scratch or mar the back of your cabinet run. We get scratches there with our wood stools slamming into them. Did I tell you we've got a two and four year old? I plan on eventually changing them out when the money fairy stops by.
:)
Kim