Congrats and enjoy turning your new house into a home! SS or black appliances would definitely work with the maple, but making the switch to Energy Star would be low on my priority if the appliances are in decent shape. First thing I'd change is the wall color, and agree with Teacats that a white like BM White Linen would be great but could go with a deeper Bone White. I think the white appliances will look much nicer and like they belong. If you prefer a light blue or other color, that could also look nice. Whatever makes you and your family feel optimistic and says "home", but that would not be most shades of green for me. If you're the type that can be happy working with your existing kitchen, wander over to the kitchen forum for inspiration on how small changes can have big impacts, but don't go there if you're likely to succumb to kitchen envy as many have big budget kitchens. Since design is an aspect of what I've been involved with professionally and I really enjoy decor, I can look at and appreciate lots of different styles, knowing they wouldn't work for me. I like your existing, and know with a few updates like new blinds, paint and adding art, I'd love it! I don't know that bar seating will be so great for your son or for family communication while dining, so I'd opt for an expandable pedestal round table or an expandable square under the chandie and not go with a fan. Could you be happy with a small loveseat and one or two comfy chairs in the adjacent carpeted area serving as your family room? If you'll use the computer station, fine; but if it doesn't suit your needs, you can always take it out. Patching the walls is minor. Many here have found great quality, solid or veneered furniture that's far superior to much that's mass-produced today, on Craigs List, ebay, estate sales, consignment shops and Goodwill. Trick is to take your time adding wonderful pieces as you find them rather than trying to get all the furniture at once. Happy nesting!

A white on white (cabinets and counters) can be intimidating to live with. Usually you need some sort of visual interest (ie. different colour) to keep from feeling like you are cooking in a cloud. This is when you put together a 7 year renovation plan. Yes. Seven (7) years. Once you update ONE thing/area, you will begin to notice how much the rest of the house looks old/tired/outdated. And then one project stumbles into another and you turn around to find that 5 years have gone by and you realize you WISH you had thought some of this out BEFORE you did the updates. The first thing you want to look at is timing for a NEW kitchen (new foot print, etc). That's when you start planning for the flooring throughout the house. That's when you look at adding all hardwood. If you feel the kitchen reno (not refresh) is 10+ years away then do what you want with today's kitchen. It won't matter in 10 years. You will redo the flooring anyway. Personally I would like to see a dark slate-looking product (vinyl or porcelain or real slate) in there to anchor the floors. The blue/gray slate looks fantastic in a white on white kitchen. It grounds the space and makes you feel like you are in a space that was consciously thought out. The dark slate (blue) looks AMAZING next to natural wood. Again this is a real win when it comes to leaving the hardwoods as they are. I also like to add the dark slate to entrances that have tile. And/or bathrooms/laundry rooms to add some continuity to the home. The easy way to do this (without breaking the bank = vinyl tile or sheet vinyl. Vinyl is relatively low priced and is quick and easy to put in...and take out at a later date. This is why you want to sit down for 2 weeks (yah...I like the 2 week time frame) and PLAN your home's colour scheme that you want to achieve in 7 years. The 7 year renovation plan (just colours...the materials can be found at a later date) allows you to work room by room and project by project while still maintaining some sort of direction. Too many times people jump into their next home, renovation something before they move in...only to find they have to redo it because it doesn't fit with their long-term goals.

Congratulations! New homeownership is exciting, and most people come in wanting to put their mark on their home. But (sorry!) I also vote to live with it as it is for the time being. You won't know the ins and outs of what works or doesn't in the layout, and you'll likely find that your preferences will change once you've lived in your home for a bit. And (especially if like most new homeowners you don't have money to burn) doing a renovation too soon could lead to costly missteps. Your current plan will have your kitchen looking like many, many other kitchens installed in the past decade. Which is fine, but it will quickly look "dated" because all of those design elements are so strongly associated with the current time period . "Dated" as an idea annoys me, because if you really, truly love Shaker cabinets and gray, then go for it! But I think most people go for choices like that because they feel safe and you see them everywhere. If you have a kitchen that screams 2021 in a house that otherwise says 2007 or 1992 (or whenever), it's going to look discordant. For now, I would work on a vision for your whole home that reflects you and your home, and slowly make choices that work with the bones of the house that will help the whole home look cohesive. Develop a five or ten year plan to get there. Start with the small stuff that's easy to change (paint, rip out carpeting, add in hooks and shelves and features that make the space more liveable for now) and scale up from there.

It would look really nice to have the same flooring through the whole space. And you're correct that gray is heading out, light wood tones coming in. Gray can still be nice if you like it, but you might go with a gray stone-look laminate, instead of a gray wood look. In terms of color scheme though, I think you're starting in the wrong place to ask "what goes with the wall paint?" Paint is the easiest, cheapest thing to change. Way, way easier than painting your cabinets. So think about what cabinet color you really want, and what furniture colors you will have in the adjoining living area. Then pick flooring. Then pick a wall color that ties it all together.