new oak floors will go throughout? I seriously would do that and get used to the new look....are the light bulbs upgraded in the kitchen? ..what lighting in the living room ? ...then see how the brick/wood and counters/splash /cabinets all look. I think the backsplash has to be changed but maybe the wood and brick [living room] and kitchen cabs will work nicely w the new floor. One thing at a time....

You already have wood floors in the house. Are you changing all of them? You can't have two different wood floor finishes that meet. I have much like your tile floor. It reminds me of the limestone flooring we often see in English kitchens. I would think long an hard about changing that.

I agree if you haven't lived in the home yet, wait at least 6 months. Alot of these items you think are issue will not be issues then.

We are changing all of the floors. It’s engineered wood that’s there now and it is not in good shape. There are lots of dog scratches/peel outs in certsinareas

White oak floors will be beautiful.

The backsplash and counter material clash. You might notice that less with cabinets painted to coordinate with one or the other, but the clash where they meet will still be there. Perhaps you can paint the backsplash until you can replace it. I would recommend a shade like Polite White for the cabinets, backsplash, and living room built-ins, and something darker, perhaps Spalding Gray, for the fireplace brick.

As for the fireplace,

Thanks for the advice! We def hope to do something with the backsplash eventually

Do you have an idea of how long you plan on living in this home?

Most renovations cost more than they add to the value, but we also get joy from the new aesthetic, so it becomes a balancing act - what renovations will give us enough joy for enough time to make them worth the expense.

If you are going to be in this home for 5 years, it may not be worth the expense to gut the kitchen, but if you are going to spend 20 years in the home it may be well worth the expense and get years of joy working in a kitchen that you love.

My niece bought a new home last year. She knows that she will be renovating the kitchen in the next two years, so she left the kitchen alone and ignored the counter and cabinets and wall color when deciding what to do with the rest of the house. She got the floors done and painted walls and picked new area rugs and window coverings without regard to the kitchen.

A year has passed and they still hate the kitchen, but only need to live with it for 1 more year. Then she will completely renovate the kitchen.

If her kitchen was a better layout and design and she didn't have to do a complete gut and replace she may have considered some of the kitchen elements while picking the colors for the rest of the home. She was not in love with the bathroom cabinets and tile, but did give them consideration while planning because the rooms function well and she can live with the cabinet colors and tile. She may change these things in the future, but it will be 10 years or more and didn't want to live with something that completely clashed with the rest of the house for 10 years.

By knowing what you will change and when you will be able to afford the changes will help you make a plan that works in the long run and not have regrets that you designed everything to work with the busy counter that you are now replacing.

Take your time. Live in the home for a few months, think about what the future holds and what changes will have the most impact. Find out what things cost to renovate and balance that against your budget.

Do you really want to paint the shiplap or the backsplash or do you want to replace it?

Do you want to paint the brick, keep it natural or tile over the brick? Do you want to paint the cabinets, replace the cabinets or keep them stained? Do you want to keep the fireplace or possibly replace it with an shorter electric fireplace and move the tv down to a better viewing height?

Throwing some paint on things may just be wasted time and money if that isn't the best answer.

I think I’m leaning towards painting the cabinets snowbound and the walls Swiss coffee. Thoughts?

Why snowbound and swiss coffee? Snowbound has taupe undertones (Pink Beige/Violet Gray mix), Swiss Coffee have greige (green gray / green beige mix). They are two whites that don't work with the same colors.

It is similar to the issue with your countertop and backsplash. Countertop has green and gold undertones, the backsplash, in comparison to the countertop are pinker and grayer.