Sina nailed it on the placement, don't do it, it will break up your counterspace (among other things) and it will be harder to work in it. Keep the quartz countertops on the counters, it's really expensive to do the backsplash in quartz and can create more problems than it's worth.

I need help with how to open up this kitchen.

What do you mean by "opening up" the kitchen?

I was thinking of switching the refrigerator and dishwasher placement

For all the reasons Sina mentions, plus running a new water line, no.

opening up that mini square whole in the wall to the left and making that whole section into an open kitchen bar.

What do you mean by an open kitchen bar?

Do you need the upper cabinets for storage?

Do you own this house already? Do you live in this house already? If so, how long have you lived in this house and used the kitchen?

It is never a good idea to go rouge on standard and usual, as in your dishwasher placement. You would kill your resale or have to reverse it before you could even list it. I wonder why your kitchen bother's you? Compared to most yours is updated and is pretty close to what a most are doing. It appears your counter tops are laminate. Laminate hands down won the HGTV bang for your buck, how it takes the wear and tear of a kitchen longevity contest they had. But if you feel the need for an UPGRADE a carrrara marble look is possible without breaking the bank. The issue will be the grays in the marble being cool and the floor being warm tones. I would not mess with the hardware. It goes with your appliances..why mess up a cohesive look?

And actually, the kitchen is more open with the fridge where it is. If you move it to where the dishwasher is, it will be further "inside" the kitchen, effectively closing up the space.

I just bought and will be moving in at the end of the month and was hoping to move from warm beige/brown tones to more modern cool white/grey tones.

I had a feeling you just bought the house : ) .

Now that you've confirmed that, here's my advice. And I'm giving you the advice as someone who has moved into new-to-me houses several times -- not as the wife of a builder who could make a lot of money with a project like yours lol.

Don't do anything now. Not even hardware. You have a nice, virtually new kitchen. It may not be entirely to your taste, but that's fine. What you need to do know is live in, and use, the kitchen for at least a year. Cook, for yourself, your family, your friends. Have people over. Enjoy your new home. See how the space functions first. You may well decide to make other changes, so rather than spending money now on some cosmetic things, see what you think after a year, which will give you a full chance to see how the kitchen and adjoining areas work for you.

The problem with moving away from warm beige/brown tones is that, as Sina mentioned above, your kitchen flooring is warm beige/brown tones. So is the dining room flooring adjacent to the kitchen, the living room which is open to the dining room has warm beige/brown tones, and the staircase in the living room. And then in your original post you mention brass, which is definitely a warm tone. Whatever changes you make in the kitchen are going to affect the rest of the main floor, much like the book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" lol.

So live in the house, enjoy it, and don't make decisions at least until the new year : ) . And congratulations on your new house!

You're very welcome, Mariaa. Have a great time in your new home!