accent rug

I just want to know if this is something I should expect on a regular basis and just relax or if I should get a new outdoor doormat that might catch my incoming guests' eyes first?

So, my question is...do you think it would look lame if I just did away with those sloppy back cushions and replaced them with regular throw pillows/cushions, but larger such as 26" square Euro pillows and just made simple cushion covers for those?

Here is a link that might be useful: Loveseat

This is a shot of the dining area. You can see the door to the deck in the upper left corner of the space complete with vinyl flooring that matches the kitchen.

We've added the midcentury modern hand-me-down credenza to the space under the black typography painting you see there since the top photo was shot.

OK! So that's what we have to work with! Here are the things that I've been considering and I need help with more ideas or fleshing out of these:

FLOOR: the space needs something on the floor until we can refinish the hardwood because it is embarrassingly bad-looking. It always looks dirty even though it isn't and very shabby. We need a low-budget solution for this. Our kids are 7 and 11 and we have a small-med dog so what kind of rug might work here?

WINDOWS: The window treatment is a big UGH. I like the fabric, but I should have just bought another blind to go over the window so that there would be more continuity with the living room blinds. And then what about the windowed door? What sort of treatment would look good there?

CEILING FAN/LIGHTING: And what to do about the ceiling fan? Is it worth it to keep it up? We live in New England where it's cold in the winter and can get hot and humid in the summer. I'd rather have a nice pendant light there, but I wonder if I could do something to the ceiling fan blades or even change the lamp on this?

Here's a shot of the living area to give you an idea of what else we're working with here:

Our style is of the hand-me-down/thrift-store/yard-sale/recycling center/half-finished-slipcovered variety. I guess it's somewhat eclectic, but the living room space looks more beachy/shabby-chic-wanna-be while the dining area is more MCM. What can I do to marry the 2 spaces together since they flow into each other?

As you can see, the floor doesn't quite match up with the rest of the kitchen, which is a mish mash of white/beige, black and butter yellow.

I'm hesitant to do vinyl because of the off-gassing, less eco-friendly qualities of it, but I've seen nice floors done with it on the cheap. What are some other temporary low-cost solutions (besides an area rug) that would work in this kitchen?