Do you have an architect and structural engineer?

I think apple_pie_order's question is very important. Before you could even begin to think about flooring or paint colors, removing walls requires an understanding of the structure of the home. The last thing you want to do is remove a load bearing wall and have the roof collapse and destroy your home (or worse, kill someone).

Assuming you have a structural engineer and architect, have they provided you with floor plan / layout drawings? Posting that will help everyone understand what layout you will be working with once the walls have been removed. That will help dictate whether you can fit an island and how large it can be.

Once you know the structure and layout of the space, you can work on finishes. While there are many tools out there that I'm sure others can suggest, I've liked Olioboard for designing inspiration boards for spaces. You can use that to see how your components you will not be changing (table, etc) work with different flooring materials and paint colors.

If you think you're "at a loss" now, wait until you have to deal with no walls and don't know what to do with the furniture. Can you return the fridge for a counter depth one?

I would agree with pricklypearcactus, if you could clarify about the load barring nature of those walls. Can't really move forward without that clarified. I built a country style house with an open concept design with only two walls on the main floor and an open loft above. It was amazing and I miss that house tremendously but it does create challenges for furniture placement, outlets (wall/floor) for lamps etc. The total space doesn't seem too large an area so I don't think it will be that challenging and will certainty create a lighter feel. In regards to lighter flooring, I used a rustic character maple flooring which added the dark tones while keeping the areas light. You can then go for a dark counter top and cabinets for contrast. Your table and cabinet will stand out vs. blending into the floor as with the wood paneling now. Tons of options. Good luck!

I agree, a structural engineer and/or architect is going to be your best and safest bet. It’s a step in the process that sound like money could be wasted but it really is very important. I don’t know for sure, but I’m wondering if you’d even be able to get your building permits without at least the sign off of an engineer.

You need an architect, a General. Contractor, and an Interior Designer. And 250K + to +++. http://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2018/

TV isn’t real life. There are no 48 hour and 2K makeovers.

A agree completely with aforesaid comments about $$ and structural issues. If the frig broke the budget, maybe some smaller cosmetic changes could be the first place to start. Remove the wood paneling in favor of drywall. Remove the kitchen soffit and the decorative trim & curtain over the window. The same hardwood flooring throughout the home will also add to the feel of spaciousness, but keep,it rather light.

This looks to be a relatively inexpensive house. What you are talking about doing is going to cost a LOT of money, especially if there are load-bearing walls involved. It is very easy to over-build a house and/or over-build a neighborhood.

The CD fridge would be for the "after" pix. It might stand where the round glass bar table is for the time being.

I know it can be very overwhelming with all the choices out there regarding style/colors. Perhaps you can add a few inspirational pictures that you like so we can get a sense of your style and guide you with some suggestions. As for the gray, I know some one mentioned above to stay away from that, but if you really like it, you can incorporate some gray in either a back splash tile, or cabinet color for main center island, or even counter top.

All That and Then Some - Naperville Kitchen · More Info

Color selections are the very last thing you should be thinking about. You plan on removing the walls that are in the very center of your home. You will need to install a beam, move wiring, repair ceilings, ect, ect. This will be a very expensive job, way more than you think it will be. No one is being critical, just telling you that this is way bigger than you think.
Your kitchen is quite big, why do you need to tear the walls out? Take the money that you planned on using for the walls and put it into a kitchen remodel. Not every home is meant to be open-concept.

The reason for my post was color choices. We already know what needs to be done to the structure that's why I didn't ask those questions. A little background, my uncle is the architect and his son, my cousin, is the general contractor. While some thought it was a bad investment, which I can understand, this actually is a good investment for us since most of the work will be done by "us". :)

Then all you need to hire is a good Interior Designer. Look under the Find a Pro tab for your locale. Buy, plan on paying family and friends too. No one likes being taken advantage of just because you’re related.

Your home is quite charming. Even though you are preparing to change the style to open floor plan, keep in mind the architectural style of your home so that it doesn't lose all of it's charm.

Post some photos from your Idea Books so that we can get a sense of your style in order to be able to make suggestions.

You will still need to consult an interior designer. Once you have done so and are comfortable with the choices made, post updates so that we can see the progress.

Apparently a lot of people have opinions about your remodel that are clearly unrelated to the questions you asked. I don't have any specific ideas for you, but as a fellow "DIYer", just wanted to say that you shouldn't let the negativity bring you down. Just because you don't have a starting point for colors or even layout yet, doesn't mean you have to hire an interior designer. Sure, one might make the process go more smoothly, or not, but if you're willing to put in the legwork, you can do it. I'd start with lots of idea books, and do give the color and finishing options you like some time to waddle around in your brain before you jump in. To me, that's the exciting stuff and what gets you excited about the knitty gritty of your project. Clearly you have your structural consulting under control and even if you are biting off more than you can chew, financially, you might as well start out with big ideas and then trim where you'd like to compromise. This has been a good process for us, as we are going on our 5th year of remodeling our early 80's house with almost no professional help. It's not our first project, but we are planning to stay here until our kids our grown, at least. We are going relatively slowly to save money, and putting in so much sweat equity, but it's been worth it. But we also enjoy almost every part of it - the designing, the labor, etc.

I guess my suggestion would be to abandon this post, as clearly people aren't being helpful, and work on some hand drawn layout options. You'll quickly find what works and what doesn't work, and you'll figure out what compromises you'll have to make. Then bring more specific questions to this board, because clearly people can't deal with a project that has a lot of variables. Good luck!

Your request for help is quite broad and without a lot of specifics. That makes it hard to answer. I'd suggest breaking it down for yourself and for us like this:

1) Before you start choosing finishes, you'll want to solidify your kitchen and likely furniture layout/orientation. You'll get the most help with that if you post a current floor plan of this entire floor drawn to scale with measurements noted on. Your architect might already have a floor plan you can share here, or you could make one with a tape measure and some graph paper. Generally a 1 square = 1 foot or 1 square = 6 inches is a good, usable scale. Please indicate on the plan which sections of which walls are coming down and any other features (good/bad views out certain windows, fireplace, ducting that can't be moved, etc.). Also note anything you'd particularly like to achieve layout-wise (e.g., an island, a view from the island to the TV, etc.). Post that and and people will have enough information to make helpful suggestions.

2) While you're fielding suggestions about your layout, sift through Houzz and Pinterest to find some inspiration pictures you like. Look for rooms that really sing to you and have the kind of appearance or feel you really enjoy in a home and want to achieve here. Once you have found, say, six or more pictures like that, post all of them together on here and ask people to help you review the images and figure out what the commonalities between the pictures are. This will help you identify what specific things you really respond to so you can include those deliberately in your new spaces.

3) After you can articulate what it is your really like and want to bring to this space, THEN repost this question about colors choices and finishes with that information. Provide your final floor plan (the result of #1), explain what specific finishes you like or what you're specifically trying to achieve through finishes (the result of #2), and then ask us how we'd achieve those stylistic preferences in this space that you have planned. You'll get MUCH more targeted, helpful help. Only then will people understand your taste and the space that we've got to work with. THEN they can say helpful things like, "You might like X paint on Y surface with Q backsplash, plus maybe G feature on M wall? That takes advantage of your space for K reasons while adhering to your taste."

Also, some side notes:

a) I think you'll have an easier time balancing the dining set with styles you prefer if you break up the set across several different rooms. Use the table in the office, the chairs in the dining room, and the hutch in the kitchen or whatever. With all three - the hutch, table, and chairs - together in the dining room (and being the only furniture in that room), the country note you don't seem to be a fan of will inevitably dominate that room.

b) I disagree with Sophie that it makes sense to hire an interior designer at this time. When you bring in a professional, you want to have some idea of what you're asking them for. Something you want them to help you achieve. I don't think you have that yet, and free discussion here is a good way to pin down your own thoughts a bit more.

c) I don't think whoever said this looked like an inexpensive house meant it in a denigrating way. You mentioned several very large ticket items (kitchen reno and opening up two separate stories of your house), and I think she/he was simply trying to make sure you're not putting more into the house than you can get back when you sell. That can be devastating.

But in case that made you feel weird about having posted, rest assured that people post on here with every single kind of house. Is this the grandest house we've ever seen? No. Is it the humblest? Also no. But no one cares. We're all just here because we like improving homes. The starting point really doesn't matter.

Thanks and I'll work on posting some designs that I like. Look forward to hearing what everyone thinks. :)