I would have a finish carpenter install some false cabinet doors/moulding to finish it off a bit.

It looks like there may be room for an island. This could be done in painted cabinets to add color. Or it could look like a piece of furniture to tie in the living dining area.

Consider a metal or painted butcher block cart. Your kitchen is very neutral. More color in the way of fabric cushions on the seats and roman shades perhaps.

http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/sundance-kitchen-cart/prod.jump?ppId=1e0e1d7&cmvc=JCP|dept20000011|cat100240016|cat100240110|RICHREL&grView=&eventRootCatId=&currentTabCatId=&regId=

http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/antique-white-americana-kitchen-island/prod.jump?ppId=1e11d1d&catId=cat100240110&subcatId=cat100240016&deptId=dept20000011&Nao=48&pN=3&dimCombo=null&dimComboVal=null

Swap the outlet with a brown one to blend better with the wood.

Your kitchen is great, you just need to put a bit more of your personality into it. if it were mine I'd jazz it up with color. I'd add bright dish towels and maybe a rug. How about some colorful cushions for the stools? Or curtains? I'd find a great jug for cooking utensils, a vintage platter for fruit and a big bowl for onions and garlic. Cookie jar? I might put a few little colored bottles or pitchers or vases on the window sill and keep fresh flowers in them. Or an African violet in a funky pot. You get the idea. Have some fun shopping your house, thrift stores, flea markets and antiques shops. Make it yours.

I like Michelle's bookcase idea, but suggest that you keep the same height as the counter. A larger rug would add some color and help fill the space visually.
Where does the door go?

To the laundry room / mud room / garage

The open floor space between the cabinets is 8'x10'. It seems to me an island would make it awfully crowded, but one small enough would look lost floating in the middle. I had a tall cushioned barstool with a back on it sitting at the end of the counter for a while, but it made the whole area look like a chair factory. My living room has 3 very large bookcases in it - it looks more like a library - so I'm not sure if another bookcase would draw the rooms together or be overkill.

Since you like country a large braided rug would be nice. This would add color to the floor and give you a better transition between the floor color an the cabinet color. Also try to add color on your counter. As suggested before. If you have enough room on your counter add a nice floral arrangement. Warning I have corballs under my island watch your knee's. It really hurts when you bump into them.

Backsplash tile to add some interest? I think the layout is fine and wouldn't change it at all. As for the counter issue, some new stools or some cushions for the existing stools that add to that crisp, clean look that yoir door and trim give might look great.

I would recommend a white Shutter in the kitchen window.

http://www.blindsdirectcanada.com/shutters-toronto/pvc-polysatin-shutters.html

You could use the small bookcase for colorful kitchen pieces instead of books. It would help you bring some color in without cluttering the counters. I was hoping that the door was interior and could be removed, oh well!

I'd definitely do a window treatment in the window. Either the shutter as mentioned above, or a pattern roman shade to add color. I like rugs in kitchens, so I 'd definitely suggest finding something for the floor. Then you can add something fun on the counter top. Maybe a vintage food scale, or ????? Chrysteen

It looks like your cabinets are missing the shoe molding. This would dress up the cabinetr. The addition of color in some form and the softness of fabrics/textiles would also brighten the room.

What is shoe molding?

See the diagram

There is, actually, a cream colored lace curtain in the window, with a vintage country look. There is more color in the room than the picture shows. There are a lot of iris blue accents, the walls in the laundry are painted light blue (the door is usually open, so they are visible), and my "good" china is on dsplay in an open hutch in the dining room, very visible from everywhere. It is deep red/pink and white - Mason's Vista pattern. Here is a view from a different angle.

A simple solution would be to install a towel bar at the end of the peninsula and add some pretty kitchen towels.

I like the blue in the dining room and would suggest you carry that through into the kitchen. Maybe put a blind with blueand yellow or a pemut in those colours. Also acessories such as cookie jars, utensils, tea towels. This will help tie it all together

I'm glad you included the other picture of the dining space,Some ideas to tie the kitchen all together:
end panels on all tha cabinets that are plain right now. paint the little stools a different color, maybe even a distressed country blue. Braided rugs are very country so add one in the kitchen and replace the one under the table . A backsplash of creamie yellows or something with blue in it would be an added touch. Look for other country things you like and work them in... a lamp on the counter top, crocks filled with utensils, pails....old watering cans filled with plants. Glass jars. Move some of your dishes from the hutch and hang them (with plate hangers) under the the upper cabinets,or around the room, or use plate racks/holders to display them. The small pictures on either side of the hutch aren't helping much, maybe there is another place for them. Pretty towels, a tea kettle, will help too.
Do you have other collections of things.... like blue pitchers, "white" milkglass, silver spoons, colbot glass ???? Giving your kitchen your personality is all it really needs.

I agree with Terri about the shoe molding. I've never seen a cabinet install without it -- your cabinets do appear unfinished as is. A tile backsplash incorporating the iris blue in your dining room would be a nice finishing touch as well - the one below reminds me of a country quilt. Also, it is not evident in your pictures what type of lighting is in your kitchen. Consider adding a hanging pendant above the sink that complements your dining chandelier. Or try something whimsical like punched tin.

A portable butcher block would look and function great in your kitchen. See: http://chopbloccuttingboards.com/butcher-blocks/