apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Area rugs.

I think that pumpkin is too similar to the wood. How about moving toward green in the kitchen and same green but lighter in the breakfast nook? You don't have to have it carry into the family room. Listen to your husband and leave the table be for about 8 years.

What about adding a tablecloth some sort of centerpiece on the table (I'm thinking large silver candelabra). Also, I'd change the seat covers & window treatment to something more contrasting, maybe a deep red, and have them reflect the framed print in your family room.
I'd wait to buy new chairs until you are ready to buy the table too.

I do like the idea of green, but perhaps a light, bright green would look nice with the wood colors in your kitchen. However, a darker green might work better with your countertops and the window treatments you already have. Whatever color you end up going with, you could use a tablecloth to pick up some accent colors. I know you've got the little guys conquering the house right now, but if you buy cheap, durable tablecloths, you can switch them out quickly, wash them up, and add some color to your room while easily changing the look of your table. You can always add some easy to clean place mats for the kids.

i like the idea of going with a green somewhere, but i'm not sure that you have to repaint the kitchen. if you could find the right green to go in the family room and then paint the nook something neutral but not the same tone as your cabinets/floors, it might tie the whole thing together. i like the orange color even though it appears to be very close to the color of the cabinets - the green counter is hard to work with for sure, and i'm not sure if you'd want to green up the kitchen any more.

if you do want to do a green, i think i have similar colored cabinets as yours (but a much much smaller space!):
http://flickr.com/photos/lil_general/133688409/in/set-1358415/

How lucky you are to have such a large open space - I live in a 107 year old Victorian cottage and, whilst it's charming and has oodles of character, it's small and, at times, a little claustrophobic!

Anyway, in answer to your questions, my own personal opinion is whilst it's all very clean looking there's way too much wood everywhere. Personally, I'd swap the window treatments for something much lighter and plainer and match it in to some rugs to break up the expanse of wooden flooring, a tablecloth or runner (again, to break up the woodness) and the upholstery on the chairs. If it were my house I'd go lighter rather than go with the 'pumpkin' which looks great in the kitchen but might be a little gloomy all over.

I would leave the nook white, change the nook and kitchen window treatments to white roman shades, and paint the family room a mid-tone gray. Then add an area rug in chocolate under the table, and change the light fixture for something with a lot more visual oomph like a pendant lamp.

I think the nook looks nice in white - it really highlights all the sun coming in through those great windows.

I think an area rug is the best bet for breaking up all the woods together - and perhaps consider painting the backside of the peninsula (or whatever you call the part that backs onto the dining area) white as well?

You might also be able to add a fresher look by trading out the valances in the nook area with a lighter fabric.

Be sure to post again with what you've done!

An area rug might be nice aesthetically, but not a great idea with 3 small boys!

I would paint the table and chairs a linen white. This would allow them to stand out from the cabinets and not feel as heavy. I would paint the entire room (including the breakfast nook) a very light turquiose blue, blue-green, or creamy latte color, something to coordinate with your counter tops. The color would unify the room and really brighten it up, and would add another value to your color scheme. Finally, I would look into 2" white wood slat blinds to replace the window treatments.

Just my two cents. I can't wait to see what you do!

I really like the flikr picture of the green with the dark counter tops, they look great!

A big thank you to everyone at AT who took the time to offer suggestions for my kitchen. I submitted the photos a couple of weeks ago and since then, there has been a significant development. My diligent search of Craigslist finally paid off, and I was able to purchase the 60" round Aris pedestal table from Pottery Barn for only $75.00!!! It was a little scratched, but my handy dh is refinishing it. Then, in another stroke of good luck, a friend told me about a fantastic sale at our local JC Penny's outlet center - kitchen chairs going for 80% off!! I was able to purchase 8 x-back kitchen chairs (reg. priced $200.00/ea) for only $20 a piece, and 3 matching stools (reg. priced $250.00/ea.) for $23 a piece. The stools are in a dark cherry-chocolate stain, so I intend to finish the table to match. I will send photos as soon as the kitchen transformation is complete.
Thanks again, AT readers!

Some very good recommendations. For anyone looking for kitchen worktops which I struggled with, I found Barncrest to be an excellent provider of wooden worktops including oak worktops, beech worktops and walnut worktops. Highly recommend them.