Here’s the layout

Well the visual interest is certainly at the island and the long isolated section. Keep the perimeter a non element and something different for the island . What purpose is the long slender section ?

The long section is where a wall used to be that separated the kitchen from the hallway and living room. The dining room is on the other side of the wall with the stove and from the end of that wall it’s all open to the living room, hallway, stairs (it’s a raised bungalow).

Here’s the other side of the long counter

We had a medium multi-color granite (white, gold, brown, a little black and gray) with wood cabinets for quite a while. After a water leak, we had white cabinetry and a light granite (white, some green, a little black and gray, some tan) installed. The island had maple butcher block the first time, and the newer island has oak strip butcher block which I love for the color when oiled (edible mineral oil). The first granite was a bit darker and the cabinets were traditional oak. The newer granite is unusual because of the green in the stone and the cabinet style is Shaker. The light granite, white cabinets and light green walls are refreshing. A 3’x6’ skylight over the island keeps the kitchen lit all day.

W the 3 sections I can think of things but in reality overall it is not a big space. Easy does it. I think I’d go for a honed granite on island and long skinny section . Find one you love and add an edge detail . Then get a really plain receding perimeter option that coordinates simply. Once you note a tone in granite I’d pick a coordinating finish in metal and put more interesting hardware on cabs : detail without overwhelming anything. Scratches are the prob? On existing counter? Can you have it buffed out on the Wall area? Save a replacement there?

IMO polished granite the same everywhere in such a small space , polished granite is almost indestructable . . Are there no cabinets in that long section it’s hard to see. How long have you been in the house? That island would make me crazy to have to dodge around when cooking. Why not put a larger counter on the long piece with some seating facing the kitchen and say goodbye to the island. since cropped corners always say no space for the island.I would not try to save any of the counters .

Patricia - as you can see from my later pictures, the long section is full of lower cupboards, which provide much needed storage for many small appliances! The island isn’t a problem to me at all - in fact it’s the core of my work area and there’s nothing above it, which is the case with the perimeter counters. Wouldn’t the longer piece look a bit strange having stools facing out onto the top of the stairs and hallway - and also interrupt access to the cupboards???

The island with stools seems very close to the rest of the cabinets. When people are sitting there (small people or big people), is there difficulty accessing the fridge or cabinetry? Is it moveable? If I can’t walk between the open door of the dishwasher (or oven door or refrigerator door) and the island, the space is too small. I eliminated stools
at our island for that reason. If someone wants to sit in the kitchen when I’m cooking, they can sit in the corner on a dining room chair...out of the way. We eat our meals at a breakfast table just outside the kitchen in the den. Our first three houses had dedicated breakfast rooms which we always used for family dining before the kids grew up and left home.

There’s 4’ between the stools and the fridge and cupboards - lots of room! We love the house and realize it may not be as grand as some of yours but at 2500 square feet it’s more than enough for us empty nesters.

Do you hate the counter color? If it is quartz, it could probably be refinished/polished on site and save you money on replacement. I would call a quartz pro to take a look and give you a quote.

Hi - we are curious as to what the material is, but if it was quartz it shouldn’t have scratched like it has. The person who’s coming in to do the actual measurement may have been the person who installed it originally and we’re going to ask that very question :-).