Sand with 3M medium grit sanding blocks, then prime and paint it. You probably don't need to use oil based primer, but if there is any bleeding of stains through the latex primer, I would use BIN on those. Topcoat with a high quality acrylic paint in satin or semi and you are done. It may take up to 3 topcoats to cover if the stain was dark. After the primer coat, you will want to caulk both gaps that should be tooled down with a wet finger and let that dry before painting over it.

@Calumim: Yes, just direct and honest is the way to go. I hope we don't get into a $$ issue and hope KD feels the design fee forfeit makes us "even." @Canukplayer: Yes, this is more stressful than I anticipated it would be. Thank you for your empathy. There was an expectation that I would purchase cabinets from KD. I think the floundering is due to inexperience running a company and perhaps lack of support (or not asking for support) from previous owner. @Mgoblue85: Thank you for reminding me this is a business deal and not a marriage! And hey, "business is business" has always been my saying when I need to be tough or when I lose a deal. I don't know why this situation is so hard for me. @Trebruchet: Thank you. I think you added another business slant to this. I now realize I have been taking this too personally and I think I am worried KD will do the same. I will definitely provide honest and respectful feedback if KD asks. Thank you each for taking the time to help me through this situation. Your heartfelt support is awesome and really bolstered me at a time when I need it the most. I feel oddly empowered right now. I will call KD in the morning and let you all know how it works out. In the meantime, I am so looking forward to the new custom cabinet guy. He grain matches everything - door and drawer panels and their frames and slab drawers are matched across the length of the cabinet run. Plus, impeccable reputation and good relationship with my GC. Oh, yeah, and virtually no price difference between the two firms. This forum is full of amazing people. Thank you!

Another vote for going to the ceiling. I have four inches of "library" molding, and four inches of crown molding on top of my cabinets. I certainly didn't want that much molding, but needed to hide the vent hood exhaust tube that went above the cabinets to the outside, and this seemed to be the easiest and least obtrusive way to do it. Now that it's done and I've lived with it for awhile, I really like the finished look, as well as the architectural interest it provides Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen pic's

Your room is lovely. With your traditional trim and crown molding, you could add a wooden valence box to hide the hardware. I would prefer draperies or Roman shades over shutters in your room. Much softer and you can still enjoy your view. Here is an example: https://www.houzz.com/photos/bridgewood-traditional-bedroom-houston-phvw-vp~5915006