Lookin' good! I'm not much of a help at the decor stuff, because I feel like this is where your taste should shine through.

The fabrics in window treatment and bench, and the rug will add personality to the room... What personality do you want? Elegant? Calm? Fun? Playful? Contemporary or Country or Traditional or...? Whatever element you envision as being the focal point or setting the mood is the one I'd want to choose first... Do you want a striking bench cushion and subtle window treatments or the other way around?

You have a neutral enough palette at this point, that a lot of colors will work. Do you have a favorite?

Will jute or woven grass go with your floor? I'd be concerned about lack of contrast in a color that is close, but doesn't match or coordinate well. But maybe I'm not aware of the color options. I'd go enough darker than the floor to stand out a bit.

I like the drum shade.

I feel like you need a place to start... An inspiration pic or a window treatment or cushion textile you want to work around.

Mostly, I hope others are a bigger help than I am. I hope you're loving the new layout!

We have a preschooler. If you want fabric in your main eating space, I'd suggest trying to get things in Sunbrella or other indoor-outdoor fabrics, at least for the bench cushions and rugs. Lots of them are really nice now and they are much easier to take care of. If you have to, you can hose down an indoor-outdoor rug outside. Jute stains and is harder to clean. Curtains are probably less of a worry, but once you have little climbers, they can be an issue too-- Roman shades are nice since they vanish upward, out of reach.

We opted instead to remove fabrics and have wooden stools, chairs, no rug in dining room for several years. There have been a number of occasions as I cleaned something up when I was very grateful not to be cleaning fabric.

Classic decorating would say that you pick a patterned fabric for something (window, bench, rug) and then have the others coordinate with it, whether they are solids or simpler patterns.

Is there a color that makes you happy? Because sometimes when you're exhausted, it helps to look at something you just find beautiful.

Good luck and congratulations on the baby on the way!

Congrats on the baby.

I love that rustic table.

If you are in love with the light fixture, perhaps you can start with that. It's pretty restrained, though, so you may want to take the advice above and think about a fabric first.

It seems to me that the things you have chosen are all beige. Colors that might look good with the beige, your muted blue-green, white and charcoal-black, hmmm, maybe rusty muted oranges? Dusky coral red? Leafy green? Dark gray?

Are you sure you need a rug in there- with a baby, and eventually a high chair? It might be hard to scrape strained peas and soggy cheerios out of a grass rug.

Renee

Jute and other natural-grass rugs are very scratchy. I'm guessing you'd pull it up the day you first let your baby start practicing crawling, or maybe even before--practicing rolling and then rocking on a blanket. I do like the idea of a rug for your little one to play on while you work, though.

How about picking a comfy, washable rug with that in mind and also your cushion fabric, then going from there? A light could be installed now with shade to follow. Choose for the actual fixture you like because shade styles change relativey often. In this case, those nice drums have been around a while already.

As usual, I'd go with curtains for the windows. Ones that can be tossed in the washer whenever they start showing the effects of grubby little hands. They're also good for peek-a-boo.

If it were me: the fixture would be glass/metal-more a closed style to handle dimmer lighting effects. Linenfabric would annoy me for dust and cleaning probs. Head to a lighting store-they have pieces you can get in a day or 2 or some that are avail right away.The drum piece doesn't show enough style as well. Second would be the window shades-pennys or Lowes and check out the books and pick a texture or subtle pattern-there are many options. The rug/chairs/cushion you can do at a slower pace. I would get a bound off rectang/oval rug in a short synthetic pile-likely a pattern from Lowes or your local carpet store-nice soft underfoot-I vacuum ours regularly and any spill just sponges off-not a prob for maintenance.Do you have a local person to cover a cushion-maybe get the cushion on line and get sale fabric[or custom order] from Joann's in a subtle stripe to match the rug?? Covers can be replaced over time-don't sweat it-get something fun-but aim for a fairly good quality inner cushion.[rest yourself and look online]. The kitchen is lovely-just show some color/texture in this area.

I would first look at photos to find what inspires me. Then see what it is about the decor that you like and go from there.

Here is a helpful link for some inspiration!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Ideas

Congrats on the baby! Like Waterdamage...I would recommend outdoor fabrics, especially with a baby on the way :)

Everything looks so pretty! I like the light fixture (in the linen) and the walls look great. I would recommend some bright/cheerful and warm colors...maybe orange and yellow? Maybe with some green and blue? Look for a fabric you love and pull the other colors out of that.

About the table...you're going to have to fit a high chair in there too, so think about maybe a smaller, round pedestal table, instead of the big trestle table. I think it would fit in your space a bit better and you can easily pull up the high chair and a chair or two, when you need them.

I'd probably skip the rug, until the baby is a little older...just more to clean and remember to keep blind/shades cords up high. I saw something on (Divine Design I think) that showed blinds that were raised and lowered, without cords. Very practical with little ones. Congratulations, again!

Nice kitchen...love the wall color. It's very close to what I have in my bedroom now!

You seem to be drawn to natural textures and colors...the linen in the shade, the color of the trestle table you've chosen and the grass/jute you're thinking about for a rug. I think they'd work well, with some tweaking.

First...put off a decision on the light fixture if you possibly can. You can always have the GC put up any old thing you have hanging around (or find for $5 at a reuse center) till you get further into other decisions. Although I think the linen drum shade would like fine, it may narrow your choices of fabrics for the benches/pillows. So why not wait till you find a fabric you like first, then decide if the linen shade works with it or if you need to go to a metal/glass option instead.

Second, don't do the grass/jute rug. It'll be hard on the baby's knees when he or she is crawling AND having had such a rug, I know from experience you cannot easily clean them. You can't get them wet and anything wet that spills on them stains. There are, however, versions that might be more practical for a dining area...wool rugs that look like sisal and wool and sisal blends. Still, my advice would be to hold off on the rug until you've made other decisions and maybe even till your child is older. (Hard wood floors are easy to clean.)

Third, start hunting for a fabric for the benches (and chair seats maybe?) that picks up the gray-green of the walls and if possible the natural color of the linen lampshade you like. For preference, I'd try to find a print that also incorporates small bits of white (to pull in the trim) and possibly black (to pull in the soapstone counter). It needn't be limited to JUST these colors however...a print with some red, fuscia, orange or blue, etc. also would give you another color to use for accessories.
Depending on the look you want, I could see a stripe or a large or medium sized print--floral, trellis, geometric, etc. If nothing else, I could envision cushions in a buffalo check in black and white, piped with green or in sage green and white/natural, piped in black. But I think the room needs some movement and pattern.

Yes, I think you want two chairs to go with that table. I'm assuming that the rectangle fits with the size of the bench under the windows? I don't think you'd want a chair at the narrow end near the fridge. The room is very transitional in style and a lot of different types of chairs would work. Once you find your bench fabric it will help you figure out whether the style should be traditional or more modern. One thing I might consider is getting chairs that are painted black...but nothing too blocky and heavy.

Window treatments come last. I could see shutters, wood slat blinds, roller shades, honeycomb shades or light curtains there, depending on what fabric you end up with on the bench and the overall feel you wind up with. One possibility might be a roman shade in one of the natural materials like they have at Smith and Noble or Next Day Blinds.

HOpe this helps.

Congrats on the finished baby (the kitchen) and on the soon-to-be-finished baby! Your kitchen space looks so calm and inviting.

You might check out Flor carpet tiles. They seem very functional (can remove one tile for cleaning), and can look really cool, too. But I'm a function over form gal, so that's where my emphasis is.

You need some dark colors in the room. There isn't enough contrast in the elements currently. I would suggest picking a drum shade that has some of the blues/grays and something in it so it ties in with your soapstone.

I'd also pick black chairs to go with your table, and the fabric for the bench should have some black in it.

Modern Windor chair from West Elm

Robert Allen Baja Print Plaid, Floral, and Stripe
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Pick a Bunch fabric by Nancy Mims for Robert Kaufman

Holly- Good idea about the black chairs. They would look great with the soapstone and I like the fabrics...especiall the last one. Some florals and maybe some bright accents would really jazz up the space!

Wow- Thanks for the advice everyone! I have been doing more and more ressearch/shopping as the posts have come in.

1. I like the idea of the black chairs and of tying some black into the cushions/pillows.

2. The table has already been custom ordered. The only thing I have not yet chosen is the stain color. I am leaning towards almond, but espresso and a light caramel color are options as well. Hopefully my samples will arrive. I was leaning towards the almond since it is more of a medium brown and thought it would add warmth to the space. The espresso is not black and I am afraid it would look like I was trying to match the soapstone and failed. Same with the caramel, afraid it is too light and will seem too similar to the floors. Here are the colors available if anyone has any advice: http://modernrustfurniture.com/id75.html

3. I think everyone who suggested abandoning the light fixture for a while is right.

4. Cushion material is so difficult, I think that is why I opted to focus on the light fixture. I have not found a sunbrella pattern that really jumps out at me. I was leaning towards more of a neutral solid with some texture and doing a tufted cushion with buttons. Then on the L-side that is under the window to do a lot of lumbar pillows. I know--not great for small children, but I am willing to take the chance since my "blueberry" is not due until 5/23

5. Rugs, I think everyone is right here again and wait on that as well. I think rugs help define spaces so I am keen on getting one, but understand the grasses are probably not child eating/crawling friendly. I will keep my eye out for something washable.

6.melissastar- you got me pegged! My friends call me the queen of neutrals!! I love texture and neutral colors. I lot of my inspiration photos (houzz-so I cannot copy and paste for you here) and similar to that as well. I guess I truly do not have a style other than high on texture, relaxing soothing colors, sort of monochromatic with tiny pops of sparkle or color.

7. Which leads me into window treatments. I like the idea of roman shades in bamboo and in fact, just put some in the living room. Maybe that will be enough grass texture so that I feel okay scrapping the rug! ;)

8. Hollysprings - love the drum shade- where did you find it. I like your suggestion of adding more dark colors to ground the space. I love the black chairs you found too.

I will try to find some cushion inspiration material and post.. thanks for all the help thus far. I will keep you posted!

Overstock has lots of option available for indoor/outdoor rugs in some very attractive patterns. They are made of polypropylene and just hose off. People are now using them as outdoor rugs on patios, I guess --not me in Maine!

Anyway, they are inexpensive, attractive and really durable, so I thought I'd toss that idea out.

Here is a link that might be useful: outdoor rug

We have two young kids and I have a banquette. I chose pleather fabric on the bottom cushion and Sunbrella fabric on the back and it's stood the test of 2 very messy toddlers. I wouldn't suggest tufted with buttons design on a banquette cushion because you will then be vacuuming crumbs out the crevices. Also, because those cushions will see a fair amount of abuse with young'ns, I wouldn't even consider any fabric -- even fabric with a busy pattern, that isn't highly stain resistant. Juice and milk gets spilled on a daily basis in our house and my younger daughter likes to spread peanut butter and jelly all over her hands and then rub them on the cushions.

Pipdog- Eek! I did not even think about vacuuming crumbs out of crevices. Good point. Where did you find your cushion? The places I was looking at online have a good selection of materials, but not of anything that is pleather/faux leather or vinyl. Both websites I checked out had 6 colors. Also I am wee bit worried about pleather, since I have two cats both with hind claws. I am afraid they would put holes in the cushion.

Mabeldingeldine- Great rug idea. I will check more out on overstock!

I second Mabeldingeldine's suggestions of indoor/outdoor rugs from overstock. I have an 8' x 11' under our dining room table. Not only is it pretty and mimics a seagrass/sisal, it wears so well. We have two young children and two dogs and it is so easy to clean up!

Kitchen looks great so far, btw. Congrats on that and on the baby to come!

Okay, I am back. I think I found some material I really like. It is indoor/outdoor and has a soil and stain repellent finish. Although I am not sure I would like it more for the cushions or the pillows that will go under the window side. Any thoughts?

It is $11.98/yard. Not sure if that is good or bad since I do not know much about upholstery materials. Thoughts? Am I headed in the right direction? Not sure if this is "modern" or "traditional" or what.

Second the recommendation on pleather for the seat. Second option would be ultrasuede.......have it on our boat and it withstands the nephews with oreos and cheetos, no hand washing in between! Cleans beautifully. Re carpet, love the Flor tiles, easy to clean, easy to swap out if need be, lots of options for color and style. Like your fabric find, maybe use it on the back and one of the other options for the seat. For our banquette, we are pricing out custom cushions from a local upholstery place , which allows you to choose your fabric. You may be surprised with the cost.

@hollysprings- Where did you find that drum shade?

@MaggieQ- I am afraid of the pleather with the two cat's hind claws.. Any thoughts? I will look into ultrasuede.

Any suggestions on what color to coordinate with this? My neutral everything background says stick with tan-ish colors. I know I could try to do that blue or teal type of color. Any suggestions?

I like the fabric a lot, and that seems like a good price for the fabric. The Fabric Warehouse also carries these kinds of fabrics at good prices. I'll link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fabric warehouse

Your kitchen is beautiful! Very inspirational to me :)
Are you familiar with Ballard Designs? They have a huge selection of "outdoor rugs" (although I can't imagine using one outdoors where I live!) But we have a few as door mats and one in our Dining Room, and they are perfect! Easy to wipe down to clean. But they look really, really nice! Take a look--they are all on sale right now. And maybe one or two will inspire you?
Just a few examples...

OR

Now, under your eating area, I am going to just caution that it will get MESSY under there one your little eater is eating independently. But you can enjoy the rug until then, and then see how you feel. It's just hard to get under there and clean, with the built-in there.

Also, I had wooden fabric seated chairs, and they will be getting re-upholstered in a few more years--they are trashed! Even the wood backs are "gunky" from so much wet hands/jelly/cereal/yogurt/etc. I switched to industrial style metal chairs from World Market (so not very expensive!) and I love them. Sooooo easy to wipe down--even easier than wood! And I have the coordinating wood table, so it does look good with wood tones, too. And my kitchen is white,
Here they are:
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Finally, go into stores, like World Market or Pier One or anything that floats your boat. Find some napkins or placemats that inspire you. They are a good way to bring in some color in an inexpensive way, test it out in the room, and use it as inspiration for your room.

Here is a link that might be useful: Outdoor rugs

Home4all6- I love those rugs!! I live outside Chicago so I cannot imagine putting that nice of rug outdoors either!

Good tips for the chairs. I actually bought that exact table but it was about a foot too long for our banquette, and that is why we ordered a custom trestle table. The banquette is built in but not the table, so it should not be too difficult to get to the rug.

I think I need to find a main cushion color soon, so I can put together all the rest.

Any other advice for bench cushions? Anyone have any experience with children and cats with hind claws?