How about backless? This is gorgeous!

It's hard to tell if the colour would work with your other wood tones but I think it would look great with the rug and nods to your earthy/industrial choices.

I'm not thinking white. I am thinking backless as any back you will have is going to be very low.Do you like the metal ones in a fun color like yellow or turquoise? If you go on overstock or wayfair you can search by height...

Something like this might be fun.

This seat swivels so the chair itself can be placed close to island. this one is probably a bit to contemporary but the concept is the same. I also like the woven seat and back.

Based on your future vision of a gray and white kitchen, I would consider switching out the red and black rug to something lighter since it seems to visually dominate the space and somewhat limit the options for counter stools.

These are all wonderful suggestions! I think we also realized tonight that a lighter rug might be a necessity after all to lighten things up. Then a pop of color in the stools or that lovely wood one would be great fits. Thank you, all! This was very helpful.

I would remove the rug in any case because I don't think it is needed. It would make things look bigger and be easier to clean up after prepping or eating.

Get part wood/metal.

I think having some rug does help to visually ground and add substance to what is a lightweight looking table so it is seen more like a kitchen island and less like a randomly placed table.

@Elle You hit the nail on the head. We considered ditching the rug completely, but we decided we like how it's grounding the island. And so far 100% wool has been a dream to spot clean whenever anything has spilled, so we'd stick with that. Thanks again!

Where did you purchase your island?

@mydogmiddy It's a counter-height dining table from West Elm (on crazy sale today, by the way—lowest I've ever seen it). We wanted something that didn't take up a lot of visual space, was narrow (24" in this case), and could still store the bar stools underneath. I scoured the internet for months and always came back to this. They also have a marble-top version on the same base frame. Just be sure to choose the counter-height version (they have regular-height tables in the same style).

@Elle et al., any ideas on how much lighter for the rug? I compiled a few that caught my eye from the Houzz store.

Blues will make the oak tones more pronounced if that is your goal?

@FloMangan Shoot, it's not. Hmmm. We just like blue, ha! Thanks for bringing that up. Something bolder might be good, but it's a little out of our comfort zone, so we're a bit clueless on how to pick one like that.

I like the red rug and since you already have it...

I like the red as well. In a few years if you go grey and white you can replace it, but for now I think it really suits your furnishings.

Really appreciating all these ideas and feedback! We tried different rugs from around the house underneath just to compare colors (pic below), and while we still love the red, we ultimately felt the gray was the lightness and tone we preferred (I really didn't want green tones like the middle image).

For better or worse, we decided to go with the second pic's rug and stools (slight back that will still fit underneath, seats are 26" to floor) from Houzz. We may paint the stool legs or return stuff if they don't work together and/or with the rest of the room, but their prices and reviews were phenomenal, so we took a chance. The stool seats are similar to our head chairs at the dining table nearby, so we're hoping they tie in, and hoping the rug isn't too dark.

Fingers crossed!

Ok if you must have rug go for indoor/outdoor rug they are very easy to clean and wash and pets friendly, grey would look nice.

go to FLOR.com. They have a wide variety of colors and patterns and I'm sure you could find a great combination of floor tiles there for your space. You remove tape from back of tiles (usually around 19-20" square) and lay them out in the pattern and shape you want. You can make them fit any space perfectly. You can spill anything on them, clean them off, let them dry and put them back. Especially good for spaces like this. Don't give up. There are solutions. Check it out. You can design your own or they have set designs.

Irenet5

Thank you for the Island info. This piece just might work in my kitchen!

@FloMangan Wow, thanks! We never thought of that. Will check out!

@FloMangan So we hopped over to a nearby Flor store after doing some browsing online, and we came up with something we think we'll really like! Cool company and standards. Thanks for the tip!

Awesome! Glad that is helping. ;)

Found a couple more "industrial" look bar stools for your pleasure.

Some interesting options.

Thanks, @FloMangan! We're actually trying not to add to the industrial vibe—there's a shelving unit out of sight that is pretty industrial already, as are the dining chairs (also out of sight). But much appreciated nonetheless!

Opps sorry about that. OK, I'll adjust my thinking. Any particular desires?

You're too sweet! I think we'll see how the ones we ordered work out first (kept those, just canceled the rug). But thank you! You've been really helpful.

OK, which ones did you order?

The ones in my last picture, where there was a pair of stools and a rug.

OK, we will see if those legs are a problem or not.

With your table, you are going to have to be quite careful to measure how much width of seat can you handle and still push chairs or position them so they are as tight to the table as possible, given the tight space in the kitchen. Arm have to be very limited and low or not at all. Swivel seats would be a big plus, so these are design features to look for if you aren't satisfied with the ones you already ordered.