What is on the other side of the peninsula? The rooms seems as though it opens up to another space. It would be helpful to see that area too.

The counters are super busy with the brick work. Are you keeping both the counters and brickwork as is?

How deep is the overhang where the current stools are placed? It doesn't really seem deep enough for seating. I presume it is about 8". Have you tried to sit there and eat?

really depends on the budget and scope of what you want.

Changing just finishes is the least expensive.

I would paint the whole room including ceiling and trims a very light color, a white with an undertone you like. SW Reserved White has a hint of green undertone that would compliment the existing brick and cabinets. Painting brick and cabinets is a process, a lot of prep, primeing, not worth the effort if the goal is to one day do a complete overhaul.

Get a low back bar stool and plan for a remodel.

Opening up the kitchen to the adjacent room would be my suggestion.

I would save the money and wait until you have enough to redo that whole kitchen. That stovetop placement is really scary. Is there even an oven in this kitchen?

Yes to redoing the backsplash a creamy white or tan to coordinate with the lightest color in the granite.

Once the new backsplash is in, you can figure out the paint.

If you happen to know the name of the granite, we might be able to search for tiles and paint.

As an aside, I would remove the brick on the peninsula. One more busy element not needed.

In a perfect world it would be great to remodel but we all don’t have the finances. The cabinets look in good condition.

Congratulations on your new home!

If you're not planning on replacing the countertop, I suggest you paint the front of island bricks in either black of a charcoal, one of the dark colours in the granite so that the bricks don't fight with the granite. Paint the walls in a warm white, install a simple white (one of the whites in the granite) glossy metro style backsplash, black hardware on the cabinets, new counterstools, a roman shade on the window.

I would remove the tile backspash and just leave it plain painted. Except for behind the stove, you need a proper heat/fire plate behind that. How much clearance is there between the back burner and wall there?

I would choose a neutral cream a lot lighter than the current wall color- you have a lot going on between the brick, counter, and cabinets. Is there a real fire burner something in the brick archway?

Hardware can be personal prefrence. Some might like round brushed nickel knobs, others black ones, others might like seaglass or beach rock. Same goes for stools. Do you like to have a back, or no? Like a swivel or not, need foot rest or can skip it since you have a built in one..

Consider adding to your list (1) changing countertops and (2) covering brick on peninsula walls.

The updates will cost $. If the cabinets are not in good condition or you want to change the layout or open up the kitchen walls, hold off on any changes now and put the $ towards the larger project.

I would get rid of the brick on the peninsula ASAP. It does not go with your countertops or backsplash at all. Keep the cool brick oven as it's own thing, but please get rid of the other brick. That backsplash is outdated and also does not look right with your brick oven, so I'd update that too. I would wait to pick a paint color based on what you do for a backsplash. If you cannot match the stain for a peninsula panel at the seating side, I would consider painting only the lower cabinets.

A lot of designers recommend living in the space for 6 months to a year before making any major changes. However it looks like the backsplash and the brick should be replaced. If you can find the same countertop, you could look at doing that as a backsplash, or look at doing something super simple since the countertop is busy. You might try picking one of the lighter colors from the countertop and just doing a simple subway tile. Below are just a few kitchen designs we have done for clients.

Corrigan Road Kitchen · More Info

Wakefield Road Kitchen · More Info

Jamison Basement Remodel · More Info

You might try doing something different with the hardware. If you're keeping the countertops you might try doing a very plain and simple backsplash.

Backsplash and hardware ideas:

Contemporary Kitchen & Bath · More Info

For stools, are you wanting backless? If so, you could easily look at getting some stools with the same wood tone as the cabinets you already have. Please see the image below and the stools used:

Mt. Washington Ski House · More Info