Agreed, get the SS appliances and remove or paint out the wood wainscot. That will go a long way to improving the appearance.

How well does the SS appliance paint go over? Not worth?

I agree and instead of adding wainscotting I would paint the ones you have or remove them. I would add a couple of chairs and table and lamp to the nook IMO extending the island into there with no connection to the kitchen will look silly so just use it for a nice spot to have a cup of tea or glass of wine with a friend You have a bar to grab a bite paint the wood on the fireplace and leave the mantel change the horrible light in the kitchen and when ready go stainless and a counter depth fridgeI have no idea what your furniture is like but IMO this house does not suit wainscotting.As for mixing browns, ivories and black that is very easy add some black to LR in pillows on the sofa an area rug . Black is always an awesome color to add to a very neutral room

Once you paint your walls, add art work, and put things like your mixer, coffee maker, etc. on your kitchen counters....you will not mind them so much. If the appliances work and are in good condition (they appear new!) leave them. Focus on new carpet for your living room in a nice neutral color that won't clash with the color of your oak kitchen cabinets. Spend your energy on decorating that room and adding color to your walls, in your furniture, etc. and perhaps throw in a black chair to bring the color into that area. You will not mind your black counters or appliances. Trust me! Focus on what you can easily and I expensively change now. And save the $$$$$ items for later! Good luck in your new home!

Not stainless paint actual stainless appliances when you can

I think the most unifying element would be to match the flooring throughout and paint all the cabinets and wainscoting...the rest doesn't need changing in my mind... The black appliances go with the countertop ...and the color of all the wood is distracting...

I wouldn't worry about the appliances and counter top - Black is a great Classic Color. For paint check out Sherwin Williams - Barcelona Beige - it's a good med to light "taupe" color (taupe is a nice blend of brown and gray). Changing the carpet will make a HUGE impact - Look at Sherwin Williams color Keystone Gray (sort of a darker version of B. Beige). The look should be "classic" - not trendy or dated. Good luck.

In the above scenario I would leave the fireplace ...as is it is a striking unit and focal point until you decide to change it...

My comment refers to the paint and flooring changes in my previous post ...CK snuck in a quick comment while I was dilly dallying

Gotta say I think the white is great in this space as well...I would put my money in flooring...

I think the black appliances are the least of it. Black and wood look great together. (Anyway you could paint the island at all??? just a thought to lose some of that oak). I think the fireplace looks fine with the kitchen colors. Agreed about wall paint and wood flooring. also think about taking out the large florescent light and either fill it in and put in can lights, or put some other type of fixture in the cut out and do can lights around it. (drywall is preferable. but quick fix is some sort of track lighting piece in the cut-out).