great space, you just need a few additions. for sure I'd do some walnut shelves, here: It would be great if you could do a sconce above the shelves. and change out your pendant lights maybe something a bit more mcm/industrial? before you tile, remove that little 2" piece up the back. it's easy. score the caulking to release it and gently pry it away from the wall. I'd do more of a modern layout w/the tile. a vertical stack off-set or regular stack or like this. and you could use a similar type of tile in a very pale sage green to coordinate w/the dining area. the pale sage will work w/your granite. for the dining area, get yourself a nice rug, and new light. Since you have the greens in the print, maybe look for a vintage over-dyed rug in the green, or bring in the blush color rug. or accent w/both the blush and the soft greens If you find the right blush tone, it would look great w/the floors. or look for the green. here are two examples here's one w/both colors!

Where is your dining room? Do you plan to use the dining room daily? I suggest a change in layout. I'd reconfigure to allow a rectangular farmhouse or trestle table in the breakfast nook area. Honestly, a separate table gives you far more options than a side island table attached to a sink. Declasse is the word I'd use to describe it. For entertaining, feeding kids, projects, and the holidays. Let people gather AROUND a real table not an extension of a countertop attached to a sink. It probably means giving up some countertop/cabinet storage space but it's worth it. You could simply eliminate the open cabinetry near the range. And the drawers near the sink. I like a dishwasher directly next to the sink anyway. A lovely table in front of al of those windows would be fabulous and allow the room to be more balanced.

I'm working on a design for a space about the same size as yours but mine is a galley so is narrower but longer constrained by a door where your range is. I also have a door to the outside where your door is. I too have a house without much storage so understand your design to maximize your storage in the kitchen. I am looking forward to the additional >useful< storage provided by drawers rather than cabinets with shelves. I'm going to do a banquette for my b'fast nook and specifically design it to provide additional storage of items I actually need to store rather than designing w/o an eye to my personal needs. Depending on what is on the other side of the wall where the fridge and pantry are you might want to consider an opening in that wall to create more sight line depth. I'm putting an opening in the comparable wall in my kitchen and will then have a sightline to the the family room and it's windows. I'm sacrificing a set of upper cabinets and a microwave that would be the exhaust hood but given how much more >useful< storage I will have with 100% drawers rather for base cabinets and better designed top cabinets I come out way ahead on storage even with the sacrifice. Having that sight line is going to fundamentally change the space and it will not seem nearly as small. Seconding the comment that MDF is >not< inferior to solid wood for cabinet boxes--the inferiority is a myth. Many high end cabinets are made of MDF because MDF is dimensionally stable year round whereas solid wood isn't. Ikea Sektion cabinets with aftermarket fronts--there are many companies that make them--is a viable option. Good luck!

Is it a sign of old age that, when one looks at a long, straight line of counter seats facing a cooking area, one is reminded of the Woolworth's lunch counter that used to be downtown, grilled cheese sandwiches a specialty? Only thing to look at then was the cook and a greasy grill, for what that was worth. Well, anyway, why not some comfortable seating and side tables, grouped in a social way, in that area between the kitchen and the living room?